The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. Serving the United States, its territories, and Canada, the hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who, through interpreters, can provide assistance in over 200 languages. The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, literature, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. All calls are confidential.

The hotline has received more than 2 million calls since it began in 1982. These calls come from children at risk for abuse, distressed parents seeking crisis intervention and concerned individuals who suspect that child abuse may be occurring. The hotline is also a valuable resource for those who are mandated by law to report suspected abuse, such as school personnel, medical and mental health professionals and police and fire investigators.

What to expect when calling the hotline:

When calling 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453), a qualified crisis counselor will answer and assist you, if you:

• Need help and want to talk to a counselor.
• Are in physical or emotional crisis and need support and encouragement.
• Need to be connected to the best possible resources in your area.
• Have questions about the signs of child abuse.
• Need to find out how to report known or suspected abuse.
• Have questions about the reporting process and what you might expect through the process.
• Want to learn about Childhelp programs that will address you or your child’s needs.
• Want to learn about resources available to parents, grandparents and caregivers.
• Need emotional support as a survivor of abuse.
• Want a referral to an agency, counseling or other services near where you live.
• Want literature mailed to you. (Allow two weeks for delivery via the U.S. Postal Service.)
• Want information on how to make a donation to Childhelp.
• Childhelp crisis counselors cannot come to the home where the abuse is happening and take away the child or teen who is in danger of being hurt and put them in a new home.
• The Childhelp Hotline crisis counselors can’t make the child abuse report for you, but we are here to help you through it.

Childhelp counselors can assist you by providing options based on the situation you describe. They cannot tell you what to do or guarantee that a specific outcome will occur.

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