My friend has got punched by his stepmom on several occasions?

recently, my friend has told me that he has gotten a fat lip, an almost broken nose, and 2 black eyes from his stepmom. he has younger brother sisters, and a older brother but none of them get this treatment but him. we told him we wanted to help him, like tlk to a school counsler or ask a friends mom who works for DSS but he says no, because he has been through foster care before, when his biological parents got divorced, and he doesnt want to go through tht again. what should we do? will DSS remove his stepmom?, or remove the kids from their parents? should we start with a school counsler, or go straight to a more serious person?