County departments of social services receive and evaluate reports to determine whether disabled adults are in need of protective services. Reporting Suspected Abuse and Neglect While most of us want nothing but the best for our children, child abuse and neglect are too common.Protecting Seniors with the North Carolina Department of Justice. NC law protects disabled adults of any age from abuse, neglect and exploitation. You do not need anyone's permission to file a report. Juvenile court is part of the District Court division of the North Carolina state court system. Chatham County DSS is committed to protecting disabled adults in the county, and will complete a thorough evaluation of all reports meeting statutory criteria. Abuse is the intentional maltreatment of a child and can be physical, sexual or emotional in nature. Abuse is the intentional maltreatment of a child and can be physical, sexual or emotional in nature. Adult Protective Services investigates allegations of abuse, caretaker neglect, self-neglect, and exploitation of elderly and disabled adults.