The Investigations Unit receives, refers, monitors, and/or investigates complaints made by the public against nine child-serving state agencies. In individual cases, the IU team advocates for services that children are--or are not--receiving. It also identifies areas needing improvement on a systemic level and brings those deficiencies to the attention of agency leadership.

 

Frequent Asked Questions

You may file a complaint at any time of day or night. The Investigations Unit will receive, review and respond to your online submission within one business day of your complaint submission.

If you have an emergency, contact 911. If you need to report abuse or neglect, call the South Carolina Department of Social Services at 1-888-227-3487.

No. The Investigations Unit does not accept anonymous complaints because we may need to contact you to verify necessary information or seek clarification.

However, you may let us know if you do not want us to disclose your identity when communicating with others about your complaint.

You may call 1-800-206-1957 Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. If your call is not answered, that means the investigators are speaking with other callers. Please leave a message and your call will be returned within 24 hours or one business day.

If you have an emergency, contact 911. If you need to report abuse or neglect, call the South Carolina Department of Social Services at 1-888-227-3487.

IU is only authorized to accept complaints which relate to services or programs children receive from of the following nine state agencies:

  • SC Department of Social Services
  • SC Department of Mental Health
  • SC Department of Juvenile Justice
  • SC Department of Health and Environmental Control
  • SC Department of Health and Human Services
  • SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs
  • SC Governor's School for Agriculture at John de la Howe
  • SC School for the Deaf and the Blind
  • Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School

When necessary, the IU alerts relevant state agencies to the complaints and helps facilitate intra-agency cooperation to resolve the complaint.

The Investigations Unit does not handle the following:

  • Child abuse and neglect
  • Adult abuse and neglect
  • Child support disputes
  • Guardian ad Litem Program (GAL Program)
  • Foster Care Review Board (FCRB)
  • Continuum of Care (COC)
  • Employee discipline or behavior
  • Private matters where a child is not being served by one of the nine agencies
  • Any concerns where a person receiving services is 18 years or older
  • Civil rights violations
  • Fraud, waste or mismanagement in state government

The IU transfers complaints to the appropriate agency if the complaint:

  • relates to abuse or neglect
  • is related to an open matter with another agency
  • does not involve services provided to children (such as child support matters or private custody actions)

 

  • To report abuse or neglect, call the South Carolina Department of Social Services at 1-888-227-3487
  • For questions regarding child support through DSS: 803-898-9282 or 1-800-768-5858
  • For questions regarding child support that does not involve DSS, contact your local Clerk of Court’s office.
  • For private custody, visitation, or other family court matters, please contact your local Clerk of Court’s office or speak to an attorney. If you need an attorney, you may contact the South Carolina Bar’s Lawyer Referral Service at (803) 799-7100 in Richland or Lexington counties, or 800-868-2284 for all other counties.
  • For general questions and complaints regarding a specific employee’s behavior, contact the constituent services office for that employee. Below you will find a list of contact information for all nine agencies. 
  • For complaints regarding the Department of Children’s Advocacy or any of its divisions, please contact the State Office of Inspector General at 1-855-723-7283.
  • For complaints regarding civil rights violations, visit the Department of Justice website at www.justice.gov and see link to submit a complaint.
  • For complaints regarding fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, misconduct, violations of state or federal law, and wrongdoing in state government, contact the Office of Inspector General at 1-855-SCFRAUD (1-855-723-7283).

Pursuant to S.C. Code of Laws Section 63-11-2290, the Investigations Unit is required to transfer a complainant to the appropriate agency if the complainant’s submission is related to abuse, neglect or an open matter with another agency.

The law requires that a complainant work with the agency about which they are complaining to give that agency an opportunity to resolve the issue. For this purpose, we will provide you with that agency’s phone number to speak with someone in their Constituent Services office.

If a complaint is not resolved by the relevant state agency within a reasonable period of time in light of the circumstances, if the resolution is determined to be unsatisfactory to the State Child Advocate, or if the complaint reasonably causes the State Child Advocate to believe that a child may be in need of immediate assistance, then the State Child Advocate may conduct an investigation of the complaint.

The length of the investigation depends on the complexity of the issues and may also include monitoring to ensure that the matters are fully addressed. Some calls do not result in investigations but are resolved with referrals to specific contacts and resources.

No. You must request this information directly from the agency. Pursuant to S.C. Code of Laws Section 63-11-2250, any and all information and records acquired by the Department of Children’s Advocacy in the exercise of the offices’ purpose and duties are confidential and exempt from public disclosure.

Should your complaint fall outside the purview of the Investigations Unit, please reach out directly to the appropriate state agency's constituent services office: