SSA Protective and Supportive Services Overview

Protective Services for Children

Employee Responsibility for Reporting Child Abuse/Neglect

California Penal Code (PC Article 2.5 Sect 11164 - 11174.3. For a list of professions considered mandated reporters, refer to the California Child Abuse & Neglect Reporting Act (PC 11165.7); additional information is also available on mandated reporter's rights and responsibilities (PC 11166).

 

All employees of the SSA, regardless of their classification, are mandated reporters and required by law to report instances of known or suspected child abuse, neglect, or exploitation. In Santa Clara County, reports of alleged or suspected child abuse, neglect or exploitation must be reported to the Child Abuse and Neglect Center (CANC). Document referrals to the CANC in the CalSAWS Case Journal and include copies of the report in Imaging, if applicable.

 

The following section details the various methods (online system, CANC hotline, and form) that staff may use to file a suspected child abuse, neglect, or exploitation report. 

Online Report of Child Abuse (ORCA) System

The mandated reporter must complete a written report, within 36 hours, using the Online Report of Child Abuse (ORCA) system, or via the Suspected Child Abuse Report (BCIA 8572) form, available for mandated county reporters for non-emergent reports. The ORCA online report fulfills the duty as a mandated reporter, and completion of a separate BCIA 8572 form is not required. The completed ORCA submission may be used in lieu of the required initial hotline telephone report.

 

Note: "Non-emergent" refers to reports of suspected child abuse or neglect that do not indicate the child is in imminent danger of severe harm or death.

CANC Hotline

DEBS staff may contact the CANC Hotline/emergency number for initial reports and/or any questions that may arise when completing the written/online report:

CANC Hotline

(833) SCC-KIDS (833) 722-5437

Suspected Child Abuse Report (BCIA 8572) Form

DEBS staff may continue utilizing the process of telephoning the CANC hotline followed by submission of the BCIA 8572 form in lieu of using the ORCA system. Completed forms may be sent to the Child Abuse Screening Unit via e-fax at SSA_CANC_eFax@ssa.sccgov.org, or forwarded to the Child Abuse Screening Unit, 373 W. Julian St., 3rd Floor, San Jose, CA 95110. The BCIA 8572 remains available in the DEBS Forms Library and is approved by the DOJ. For shelf stock forms, all copies of the report (the yellow copy is retained by the reporting person) are forwarded to the Child Abuse Screening Unit.

Additional Resources

For additional guidance, refer to the ORCA training video available on the Department of Family & Children's Services (DFCS) SharePoint site. Links to ORCA are also available on the SSA Applications SharePoint site.

 

Non-mandated reporters may continue to submit a report via the CANC Hotline: 833-SCC-KIDS (833-722-5437). Additional community resources are available to use and share with the public and are available on the second tab of the ORCA link.

 

For emergencies, please dial SSA Protective Services at (408) 755-7199 and/or 911.

 

Note: The Community Inquiry or Report  form (SCD 16) is not to be used to report suspected or known child abuse and neglect.

Protective Services for Adults

Reporting of Physical Abuse

All SSA employees are required by law to report instances of physical abuse of dependent and elder adults.

 

Note: The term “dependent adult” means any person between the ages of 18 and 64 who has physical or mental limitations which restrict his or her ability to carry out normal activities or to protect his or her rights. “Elder” refers to a person 65 years or older.

 

As mandated reporters, they are required to “...report the known or suspected instance of physical abuse to the county APS agency or a local law enforcement agency immediately, or as soon possible, by telephone and prepare and send a written report thereof within 36 hours.”

• The mandated telephone report is made to APS at (408) 975-4900 or (800) 414-2002.
• The written report is completed using the Report of Suspected Dependent Adult/Elder Abuse (SOC 341) form, and forwarded to the APS at 353 W. Julian 4th Floor, or sent to the confidential APS fax (408) 975-4910. It is advised for staff to keep a copy with the date and time of when the form was submitted to APS. 

Reporting of Other Abusers

In addition to mandating the reporting of physical abuse, the law provides guidelines for reporting other abuses. Other abuses include sexual assault, neglect, intimidation, abandonment, mental abuse, and fiduciary (financial) abuse. Any person witnessing or suspecting that a dependent or elder adult has been subject to such abuse can report such cases to APS at (408) 975-4900 or (800) 414-2002. Telephone calls should be followed by submission of the SOC 341 form.

Safe at Home (SAH) Program

The SOS implemented the SAH program in July 1999 to help victims and survivors of domestic violence or stalking to remain safe from an abusive situation. 

Senate Bill 1131 expanded the SAH program to include individuals who face violence, harassment, or threats of violence from the public because of their work for a public entity.

ExamplesExamples

Under the SAH program, certified participants are assigned a substitute PO Box address to use in place of their home, work, or school address. The address shown on the SAH program card must be accepted as the substitute address for applicants and recipients of public assistance.

Enrollment

Individuals who want to enroll in the SAH program must contact a designated enrolling agency found at the Secretary of State website.

Note: Individuals may contact designated enrolling agencies outside their residential area.

Confidential Post Office (PO) Box Process

SAH participants will have a Sacramento address. The county where the participants are living must be the county of residence and county of responsibility.

The county must accept the participant’s assigned SAH PO Box mailing address and four-digit SAH ID number in place of a street mailing address. Existing SAH participants who do not have an ID number should contact the SOS at (877) 322-5227 or SafeAtHome@sos.ca.gov. The four-digit ID number that identifies the participant for mail delivery must appear on the C/O line of the mailing address. The ID number will ensure that the mail is delivered to the intended SAH participant.

ExampleExample

In order to protect the SAH address in MEDS from being changed accidentally or automatically at reconciliation or renewal, the following process has been developed to protect the address and residence county fields:

• The SAH address is submitted by an EW20 transaction. After the transaction has updated MEDS:
  • The address on the INQM screen will be:
    SAFE-AT-HOME CLIENT
    REFER TO MAILING ADDRESS
  • On INQA screen, CURRENT RESIDENCE ADDRESS will be:
    SAFE-AT-HOME CLIENT
    REFER TO MAILING ADDRESS and
  • The CURRENT MAILING ADDRESS will display the SAH PO Box address.

 

If the client's SAH status is confirmed as a SAH participant and the MEDS is already reflecting the SAH address, then the SSBS will need to update CalSAWS and enter it under Residency Detail and the Contact Summary - Mailing Address. 

Address Updates

The residence address for a SAH participant cannot be updated by the county. The following MEDS alert will be created if the county tries to update a SAH address:

Alert 2201
Safe at Home Client
Contact DHCS for Address Change - Urgent

 

If the client is confirmed not to be a SAH participant, a GadWIN ticket is needed for the SAH removal.

 

Refer to MEDS Handbook “2201 - Safe at Home Client, Contact DHCS for Address Change - Urgent” for more information.

Related Topics

Handicapped and In-Home Supportive Services