Per North Carolina law, any person or institution who has cause to suspect that any juvenile is abused, neglected or dependent, or has died as a result of maltreatment, as defined by G.S. 7B-101, shall report the case to the director of Department of Social Services in the county where the juvenile resides or is found, as outlined in G.S. 7B-301.
The North Carolina DSS defines child abuse as “the intentional maltreatment of a child and that can be physical, sexual, or emotional in nature.” DSS defines neglect as “the failure to give children the necessary care they need.”
Any person or institution who knew or should have known that a juvenile was the victim of a felony or a crime of abuse, and knowingly or wantonly fails to report or who knowingly or wantonly prevents another person from reporting is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Refer to Senate Bill 199 and G.S. 14-318.2.
- For more information, refer to: Child Protective Services (CPS) intake to submit a report in Wake County.
- In Wake County, the CPS report line is:
- 919-212-7990 (English)
- 919-212-7963 (Spanish)
- For a directory of all county DSS offices in North Carolina, click here.
For cases requiring immediate intervention on NC State property or involving NC State employees, also contact University Police and the Risk Assessment Case Manager.
- University Police: 919-515-3000 or 911
- Risk Assessment Case Manager: 919-513-4224
For locations outside of NC State property, if the child is in danger, an immediate intervention is necessary. Call the local county DSS office and the local police or 911 at once.