2026/2027 STUDY OF THE FOUR KEY CRITERIA FOR A CHILD ABUSE
OR NEGLECT REPORT
Four Key Criteria for a Child Abuse or Neglect Report
1. The alleged victim is under the age of 18.
2. The alleged perpetrator is any individual residing in the child's home, any person
responsible for the child's welfare, or anyone who came to know the child through a
position of trust.
3. A specific incident or specific set of circumstances raises suspicion that a child has been
abused or neglected.
4. The child was harmed or is at substantial risk of physical or sexual injury.
Higher Risk Kids - Preschool Children
Many people find it hard to believe that preschool children are abused, but it does happen.
Preschool children are vulnerable to any type of abuse because they may not be able to talk yet.
Even if they can talk, they may not know the words to describe what happened to them. In
addition, preschool children are dependent on adults for all of their needs and they are not
necessarily seen by many adults other than their caregivers.
They may suffer severe physical injuries, but be unable to tell adults who hurt them.
Sexual predators may target preschool children because they are unable to tell what is happening
to them. Sexual predators often abuse children in a way that does not leave physical signs, such
as fondling the child, exposing themselves to the child, or having the child perform sexual acts
on the adult. Even sexual penetration of a child does not always leave obvious physical signs of
abuse. Physical symptoms and behavioral changes may be the only signs a non-verbal preschool
child is being abused.
Myth Busters
There is a popular belief that preschool children are inherently unreliable sources of information.
Child sexual abusers know this myth and exploit it to their advantage. Research has shown that if
questioned properly, even very young children are reliable sources of informatio
, 2026/2027 STUDY OF THE FOUR KEY CRITERIA FOR A CHILD ABUSE
OR NEGLECT REPORT
Higher Risk Kids - Children With Disabilities
Disabled children are those with mental retardation, speech/language impairments, emotional
disabilities, learning disabilities and physical health impairments. Children with disabilities are
vulnerable to abuse for several reasons, including:
1. Family Stress - If parents do not have resources and support available to help them care
for the child, this may lead to extreme stress on the caretaker and may place the child at
risk for abuse. Stress does not excuse abuse and should never be used as a justification to
use extreme force on any child. It is important to recognize that parents caring for
disabled children may need additional support in dealing with stress.
2. Isolation - Some children suffer from extreme isolation due to their disability. Isolation
from others may provide abusers more opportunity to abuse the child without being
discovered.
3. Dependency on Caretakers - All children are dependent on their caretakers for basic
needs. Disabled children may be even more dependent due to their disability. For
example, some children with disabilities are dependent on adults to take them to the
bathroom or to bathe them. This not only leaves them more vulnerable to abuse/neglect,
but may also add to their reluctance to tell others about abuse/neglect by caretakers due to
fear that they will not have anyone else to take care of them.
4. Difficulty with Communication - Children who have a physical disability such as being
blind, deaf or unable to speak, may not be able to describe the event to others. Abusers
are well aware of this fact and often target this population, believing they will not be able
to tell their story.
Myth Busters
As with preschoolers, there is a myth that children with certain disabilities are unreliable. Even if
a child cannot talk or only expresses herself with difficulty, this should not prevent you from
making a report if you suspect child abuse. DCFS investigators have several techniques they can
use to communicate with non-verbal children.
OR NEGLECT REPORT
Four Key Criteria for a Child Abuse or Neglect Report
1. The alleged victim is under the age of 18.
2. The alleged perpetrator is any individual residing in the child's home, any person
responsible for the child's welfare, or anyone who came to know the child through a
position of trust.
3. A specific incident or specific set of circumstances raises suspicion that a child has been
abused or neglected.
4. The child was harmed or is at substantial risk of physical or sexual injury.
Higher Risk Kids - Preschool Children
Many people find it hard to believe that preschool children are abused, but it does happen.
Preschool children are vulnerable to any type of abuse because they may not be able to talk yet.
Even if they can talk, they may not know the words to describe what happened to them. In
addition, preschool children are dependent on adults for all of their needs and they are not
necessarily seen by many adults other than their caregivers.
They may suffer severe physical injuries, but be unable to tell adults who hurt them.
Sexual predators may target preschool children because they are unable to tell what is happening
to them. Sexual predators often abuse children in a way that does not leave physical signs, such
as fondling the child, exposing themselves to the child, or having the child perform sexual acts
on the adult. Even sexual penetration of a child does not always leave obvious physical signs of
abuse. Physical symptoms and behavioral changes may be the only signs a non-verbal preschool
child is being abused.
Myth Busters
There is a popular belief that preschool children are inherently unreliable sources of information.
Child sexual abusers know this myth and exploit it to their advantage. Research has shown that if
questioned properly, even very young children are reliable sources of informatio
, 2026/2027 STUDY OF THE FOUR KEY CRITERIA FOR A CHILD ABUSE
OR NEGLECT REPORT
Higher Risk Kids - Children With Disabilities
Disabled children are those with mental retardation, speech/language impairments, emotional
disabilities, learning disabilities and physical health impairments. Children with disabilities are
vulnerable to abuse for several reasons, including:
1. Family Stress - If parents do not have resources and support available to help them care
for the child, this may lead to extreme stress on the caretaker and may place the child at
risk for abuse. Stress does not excuse abuse and should never be used as a justification to
use extreme force on any child. It is important to recognize that parents caring for
disabled children may need additional support in dealing with stress.
2. Isolation - Some children suffer from extreme isolation due to their disability. Isolation
from others may provide abusers more opportunity to abuse the child without being
discovered.
3. Dependency on Caretakers - All children are dependent on their caretakers for basic
needs. Disabled children may be even more dependent due to their disability. For
example, some children with disabilities are dependent on adults to take them to the
bathroom or to bathe them. This not only leaves them more vulnerable to abuse/neglect,
but may also add to their reluctance to tell others about abuse/neglect by caretakers due to
fear that they will not have anyone else to take care of them.
4. Difficulty with Communication - Children who have a physical disability such as being
blind, deaf or unable to speak, may not be able to describe the event to others. Abusers
are well aware of this fact and often target this population, believing they will not be able
to tell their story.
Myth Busters
As with preschoolers, there is a myth that children with certain disabilities are unreliable. Even if
a child cannot talk or only expresses herself with difficulty, this should not prevent you from
making a report if you suspect child abuse. DCFS investigators have several techniques they can
use to communicate with non-verbal children.
