COLUMBIA, S.C. — A new hotline and online portal is making it easier for South Carolinians to report suspected cases of abuse and neglect of a child or vulnerable adult.
The South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) says these options, rolled out this month, will help streamline the reporting process.
“Previously, all individual counties were responsible for manning their own individual intake phone lines. Now, these resources take a more uniform approach to what we were previously doing and increases accessibility for callers or online users to make sure their concerns are heard in an efficient manner,” said Carissa Gainey, Director of Safety Management for DSS. “This is just another way DSS is making changes to improve how children and families are served in South Carolina.”
The new centralized hotline can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - holidays included.
By dialing 1-888-CARE-4-US (1-888-227-3487), callers will be connected with a trained intake specialist who will collect information for a report.
The non-emergency online submission portal will also have trained intake specialists on standby to assess the situation in real-time.
To learn more about these new tools, click here.