When to Call Adult Protective Services vs. 911
Use 911 for an immediate threat; use Florida’s Abuse Hotline to report suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect of a vulnerable adult.
Start here
Call 911 when someone may be in immediate danger, seriously injured, missing, threatened, or needs urgent medical help. Call Florida’s Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873 to report reasonable suspicion that a vulnerable adult is being abused, neglected, exploited, or cannot protect themself from self-neglect.
What to have in front of you
- Adult’s name, age, address, and current location
- Why the adult may be vulnerable
- Specific facts, dates, injuries, losses, threats, or unsafe conditions
- Alleged responsible person’s name and access to the adult
- Witness and emergency-contact information
What to say when someone answers
“I am reporting suspected [abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect] of a vulnerable adult. The specific facts are [facts], the current danger is [risk], and the adult is at [location].”
Small but useful: Write down the person’s name, the date, the exact next step, and when you should call again.
Do this in order
- 1
Call 911 first if delay could increase immediate harm.
- 2
Report facts to the Abuse Hotline; you do not need to investigate or prove the case yourself.
- 3
Write down the report confirmation and preserve records without confronting a dangerous person.
- 4
Continue reporting new immediate incidents to 911 and material new facts to the appropriate agency.
What happens next
DCF screens hotline information and may assign Adult Protective Services to investigate or provide protective intervention. Law enforcement handles crimes and immediate public-safety response.
If they say “we’ll put you on the list”
If one agency says the issue belongs elsewhere, ask what immediate safety step it recommends and make the other report yourself. A routine social-service referral is not a substitute for 911 during active danger.
Official sources
Checked August 9, 2026. Programs, hours, funding, and enrollment lists can change. Confirm details directly before relying on them.