CMI briefingSC DPHLeadership & Compliance

SC DSS — Adult protective services reporting

This document provides South Carolina Department of Social Services guidance on how to report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults, including mandated reporter requirements and contact information by living situation.

Updated Aug 30, 2026

This page is CMI's own briefing on the topic, written by CMI. It is not the text of the regulation. Read the regulation itself in the Regulatory hub.

Adult Protective Services

Protection. Respect. Independence.

To report suspected Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult (18 years or older) in a community setting such as the adult's home, call 1-888-CARE4US (1-888-227-3487).

How Reports Are Assessed

Each report is assessed to determine if it meets all 4 of these elements:

  • The adult must meet the legal definition of vulnerable
  • There must be an allegation of abuse, neglect and exploitation
  • The abuse or neglect must have occurred in the community
  • The abuse or neglect was at the hands of a caregiver or the vulnerable adult themselves

Who Should Report?

South Carolina law requires certain professionals to report suspected cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults. The following professionals are mandated reporters of adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation:

  • Physician
  • Nurse
  • Dentist
  • Optometrist
  • Medical Examiner
  • Coroner
  • Other Medical, Mental Health or Allied Health Professional
  • Christian Science Practitioner
  • Religious Healer
  • School Teacher
  • Counselor
  • Psychologist
  • Mental Health Specialist
  • Intellectual Disability Specialist
  • Social Worker
  • Public Assistance Worker
  • Caregiver, Staff or Volunteer of an adult day care center or of a facility
  • Law Enforcement Officer having reason to believe that a vulnerable adult has been or is likely to be abused, neglected, or exploited

Any other person not listed above who has reason to believe that a vulnerable adult has been or may be abused, neglected, or exploited may report the incident.

If you have witnessed abuse or neglect, call law enforcement immediately.

To report suspected Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult, call 1-888-CARE4US (1-888-227-3487) or make a report online.

Who Do I Contact to Report Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation?

If you or your loved one...

  • Live in a licensed nursing home, community residential care facility, or assisted living facility, call the Long Term Care Ombudsman at 1 (800) 868-9095.
  • Live in a residential facility contracted or operated by the Department of Mental Health or Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, call the SLED Special Victims Unit, at 1 (866) 200-6066.
  • Live at home or in the community, call Adult Protective Services at DSS at 1 (888) 227-3487.
  • Have been affected by Identity Theft and/or Scams, call the Department of Consumer Affairs at 1 (800) 922-1594.

If you or your loved one are in immediate danger or harm, please call your local law enforcement agency or 911.

To report suspected Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation of a Vulnerable Adult, call 1-888-CARE4US (1-888-227-3487) or make a report online.

Note: No specific statutory or regulatory citations (e.g., S.C. Code sections) were named in the source text as provided, so none have been added here. Navigational menu items, site headers/footers, and unrelated child welfare complaint content (which duplicated portal navigation and did not pertain to Adult Protective Services reporting) were removed as extraction noise. This appears to be the complete substantive content of the source page provided.

General information, not legal advice. Requirements change; confirm against the official source before you act, or ask us how this applies to your organization.