Report Child Abuse/Neglect

Mississippi Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Reporting System

In accordance with Section 43-21-105 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated, "Abused Child means a child whose parent, guardian or custodian or any person responsible for his care or support, whether legally obligated to do so or not, has caused or allowed to be caused upon said child sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, emotional abuse, mental injury, non-accidental physical injury or other maltreatment. Provided, however that physical discipline, including spanking, performed on a child by a parent, guardian or custodian in a reasonable manner shall not be deemed abuse under this section."

Reporters have the opportunity to request a follow-up acknowledgment when the report has been entered into the system. For additional questions, click the following link to the FAQ page.

Indicators of Abuse

This online reporting system has been provided for reporting suspicions of abuse/neglect that do not require an emergency response.

Call local law enforcement agency or 911 if the situation is a life threatening emergency.

A situation where a child is at immediate risk of abuse/neglect that could result in death or serious harm is considered an emergency. If you have any doubt about your referral being an emergency, please call Mississippi Centralized Intake instead of using the online referral system.

Call Centralized Intake at 800-222-8000 (Nationwide) or 601-432-4570 if

• The situation you are reporting is an emergency;
• You prefer to remain anonymous;
• You have insufficient data to complete the required fields using the online reporting system; or
• The suspected abuse/neglect you are reporting occurred outside the state of Mississippi, and you do not know how to contact the state where it occurred.

If none of the above applies, please click the following link to make a non-emergency report. 
Report Child Abuse. 

Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services.

Types of Child Abuse.