Reporting

Definition: Physical injury inflicted on a child by other than accidental means. Physical injury includes, but is not limited to, lacerations, fractured bones, burns, internal injuries, severe or frequent bruising, or great bodily harm.

Signs of physical abuse

• bruises and welts
• injuries in the shape of an object (e.g., a belt or cord)
• unexplained burns on palms, soles of feet, back
• fractures that do not fit the story of how an injury occurred
• delay in seeking medical help
• extremes in behavior: very aggressive or withdrawn and shy
• afraid to go home
• frightened of parents
• fearful of other adults

Definition: Sexual intercourse or sexual touching of a child; recording or displaying of a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct; forcing a child to view or listen to sexual activity; exposing genitals or pubic area to a child or exposing a child’s genitals or pubic area for purposes of sexual gratification; or permitting, allowing, or encouraging a child to engage in prostitution.

Signs of sexual abuse

• pain, swelling or itching in genital area
• bruises, bleeding, discharge in genital area
• difficulty walking or sitting, frequent urination, pain
• stained or bloody underclothing
• venereal disease
• refusal to take part in gym or other exercises
• poor peer relationships
• unusual interest in sex for age
• drastic change in school achievement
• runaway or delinquent
• regressive or childlike behavior

Note: Sexual abuse does not include consensual sexual contact with anyone 16-17 years old.

Definition: “Emotional damage” for which the child’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian has neglected, refused or been unable, for reasons other than poverty, to obtain the necessary treatment or take steps to improve the symptoms.

Emotional Damage

Definition: Harm to a child’s psychological or intellectual functioning which is exhibited by severe anxiety, depression, withdrawal, or aggression. Emotional damage may be demonstrated by substantial and observable changes in behavior, emotional response, or learning which are incompatible with the child’s age or stage of development.

Signs of emotional damage

• low self-esteem
• self-denigration
• severe depression
• aggression
• withdrawal
• severe anxiety

Definition: When a parent or caretaker fails, refuses, or is unable, for reasons other than poverty, to provide the necessary care, food, clothing, medical or dental care, or shelter, which seriously endangers the physical health of the child.

Signs of neglect

• poor hygiene, odor
• inappropriately dressed for weather
• needs medical or dental care
• left alone, unsupervised for long periods
• failure to thrive, malnutrition
• constant hunger, begs or steals food
• extreme willingness to please
• frequent absence from school
• arrives early and stays late at school or play areas or other people’s homes

Threatened abuse or neglect refers to behaviors or conditions a child is exposed to that are dangerous to the child and likely to result in abuse or neglect.

Signs of threatened abuse or neglect

Identify behaviors or conditions that are dangerous or becoming dangerous to a child. Consider the possibility of threatened abuse or neglect when you observe or become aware of the following:

• Minor injuries that are cause for concern, including bruising on a non-mobile child; bruising or scrapes to vulnerable parts of a child’s body; or an escalating pattern of corporal punishment that increases in severity or frequency.
• Exposure to violence, even if a child has not yet been injured, when there is domestic violence or a violent person in the home.
• Exposure to dangerous people or situations, including previous abusers or criminal activity.
• An impaired caregiver, when there is no one else in the home to provide necessary care or protection.

Definition: The criminal manufacture of methamphetamines is defined as child abuse when it is done under any of the following circumstances:

• A child is present.
• It is manufactured in a child’s home, on the premises of a child’s home, or in a motor vehicle on the premises of a child’s home.
• It is manufactured under any other circumstances where a reasonable person should have known that the manufacture would be seen, smelled, or heard by a child.

Signs of exposure to methamphetamine manufacture

Consider the possibility of meth manufacture in a child’s environment when you see or become aware of the following in a child, particularly in combination:

• painful or burning eyes or eye irritation
• skin irritation and redness or burns
• sneezing and chronic coughing, congestion, or fever
• chest pain, difficulty breathing, or shortness of breath
• vomiting, diarrhea, or nausea
• headaches
• rapid heart rate
• jaundice or dark-colored urine
• extreme irritability

If there is an emergency or a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

Contact your county social/human services department, sheriff, local police department, or university police department immediately—by telephone or in person.

UW–Madison Police Department
608-264-COPS or 608-264-2677

Madison Police Department

Non-Emergency Dispatcher: 608-255-2345

Dane County Child Protective Services (CPS)
Office hours: 608-261-KIDS or 608-261-5437
After hours: 608-255-6067

Contact CPS in other Wisconsin Counties
Child Protective Services Agency Contact Information

Interpretation Services

If you need language interpretation services to ask questions about your duty to report, request training, or provide an additional campus report, please contact UW–Madison Police Department, the Madison Police Department, or Dane County Child Protective Services.

Additional Campus Reporting Requirement

You fulfill your legal obligation under EO 54 when you report to local law enforcement or CPS. In some cases, you must also make an internal campus report. Find instructions in the Additional Campus Reporting Requirement panel below.

If there is an emergency or a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

Reports must be given immediately by telephone or in person to law enforcement or Child Protective Services (CPS)—no voicemail or email. Child Protective Services will not disclose information about who made a report unless they are court ordered.

Explain, as well as you can, what happened or is happening to the child. Describe the nature of the abuse or neglect and the involved parties. Be as specific as possible. Be prepared to give the name, address, and telephone number of the child and also the name of the parent or caregiver, if known. Even if you do not know all of this information, report what you do know. Tell all you know about the situation.

Privacy Laws

If you learn about abuse or neglect from an education record of a matriculated student, a medical record, or from a patient in a healthcare setting, various privacy laws may affect your ability to make a report to CPS or law enforcement. If you have questions about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or state medical records laws, please contact UW-Madison Office of Legal Affairs at 608-263-7400.

In addition to notifying Child Protective Services or law enforcement, the reporter must also make an internal report to campus if either of the following apply:

• The incident or threat of child abuse or neglect involves an allegation against a university employee or an agent of the university (e.g. a student or volunteer).
• The incident or threat of child abuse or neglect occurred on the UW–Madison campus or during a UW–Madison sponsored activity.

Report to UWPD

Report in person or by telephone to UW–Madison Police Department (available 24 hours).
608-264-COPS or 608-264-2677