Does the State Tell the Daycare That We Filed an Incident Report?

two women discussing an incident that happened at a daycare

What Texas Parents Need to Know About Incident Reports

When an incident has occurred at your child’s daycare, an incident report must be made to the state by the daycare – these are called “self-reports”. However, some daycares unfortunately avoid filing these reports to cover up the abuse or neglect that has happened on their watch. A daycare not filing an incident report for something that happened under their care is a direct violation of the state’s minimum standards for childcare.

If you believe an incident happened involving your child, and the daycare has not provided you with an incident report, be sure to notify the state’s daycare licensing. To learn how to contact the state, click here.

Do All Incident Reports Need to Go Directly Through the Daycare?

A daycare may provide you with an incident report to sign where they complete their own writeup of the incident. These incident reports must also be given to the state.

However, parents are able to submit their incident report by calling the state licensing department directly. In Texas, incidents are reported to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (also known as DFPS).

After I Make My Report to DFPS, Will They Notify the Daycare?

Though they may not call the daycare directly, DFPS will investigate the daycare to determine if there were any violations of the state’s minimum standards. This independent investigation is conducted to see if the state is able to detect violations and substantiate any allegations of abuse or neglect.

To conduct their investigation, the state typically visits the daycare in person to review records, interview children and caregivers, and search for any other signs of misconduct. When they arrive, they notify the staff of their reason for being there.

Will I Need to Take My Child Out of Daycare if The Daycare Found Out I Reported Them?

Unfortunately, in our experience as a daycare injury lawyer team, daycares may sometimes retaliate against parents after finding out that they have been reported. This might mean that a daycare terminates an existing contract or agreement for childcare.

Thankfully, many parents we talk to have already removed their child from daycare immediately after an incident has occurred.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Texas Daycare Abuse Attorney Today

If you or someone you know has a child who was harmed by their daycare teacher, contact our firm. We know how difficult getting through this can be. Our experienced team wants to help guide you – as we have helped guide many parents and families within Midland, Houston, Dallas, and the surrounding areas.

You can give us a call at (214) 699-4409 or email us at [email protected]. You can also reach out to us by filling out the form below or by starting a chat with a member of our team.