National child abuse hotline adds texting, online chat to make reporting easier

The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is hoping to reach more youth who need help by offering a way of communicating that is more comfortable for people of all ages today: texting and online chat.

It’s not just about the technology. It’s also about feeling safer.

“A child who has been sexually abused, it’s really hard to say those words out loud, especially to a stranger,” said Michelle Fingerman, longtime Childhelp hotline director, in a phone interview Friday from Phoenix. “It gives them another option.”

The hotline, established by the nonprofit Childhelp in 1982, works in conjunction with state child abuse hotlines. State hotlines do not offer a texting option.

Idaho doesn’t have a dedicated child abuse hotline but people who call the Idaho CareLine (dial 2-1-1) can get referrals to the central intake for Child Protection. In fiscal 2018, Idaho Child Protection received 23,599 referrals from residents concerned about child abuse and neglect.

Childhelp counselors are experts at crisis intervention, answering questions about signs of abuse, and connecting people to resources in their home states and communities. They do not take reports or investigate allegations.

“A lot of people Google ‘abuse and neglect,’ and they get us because they can’t find their state hotline,” Fingerman said. “We get a lot of calls because people are confused about how do I even report child abuse.”

Based in Phoenix, the Childhelp phone bank is staffed by 45 counselors, most of whom have master’s-level training. It operates around the clock.

Childhelp receives about 100,000 calls per year, including about 250 per year from callers in Idaho. Children calling about themselves or friends typically make up less than 10 percent of those calls.

With help from a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Childhelp began offering texting as an option on Feb. 1. About 85 percent to 90 percent of those who have texted the hotline are younger than 18.

“We knew if we wanted to connect with the children earlier in the abuse cycle, we had to do something different,” Fingerman said.

A child who is just 10 years old texted the hotline last week, she said.

As part of the same effort to make the hotline accessible who don’t feel comfortable calling, Childhelp is making online chat available nationwide starting on Monday, April 29.

Contacting Childhelp via text and online chat is confidential. They don’t gathering information about those who contact them.

The Childhelp National Child Abuse hotline is: 1-800-422-4453 (both calls and texts). The online chat portal will go live Monday at www.childhelphotline.org. The Idaho line to report child abuse, neglect or abandonment is: 1-855-552-5437.

This story was originally published April 26, 2019 at 3:37 PM.