Casey Family Programs, the nation’s largest operating foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care in the United States, has published a new article about how helplines can support children and families.
The article explains that while child welfare systems currently rely on mandated and voluntary reporters to share suspicions of child maltreatment through calls to a child protection hotline, many jurisdictions are examining their hotline data and re-examining their mandated reporting procedures in order to reduce reports to these hotlines when situations do not warrant child welfare assessment, investigation, or involvement.
The article argues that child protection hotlines are neither equipped nor designed to effectively deal with the overwhelming number and variety of family conditions presented in the reports they receive, leading to investigation backlogs which distract agencies from their mandate to keep children at high risk of maltreatment safe from harm and those already victims of maltreatment safe from further harm.
Instead of the reporting hotlines, different helplines, whether they are operated or supported by child protection agencies, or operated separately like Safe & Sound’s TALK Line, can provide solutions for families at risk of child welfare involvement, including those experiencing economic stress, by connecting children and families to upstream services.
Ensuring that mandated reporters know how to access helplines, in addition to the families themselves, is critical in the goal to decrease unwarranted calls to the child protection hotlines. This is central to Safe & Sound’s Community Pathway initiative, a scalable, upstream, community-based model designed to reduce child welfare and criminal justice involvement by providing timely, trusted, and trauma-informed care.
The article goes on to outline the other conditions that will support the success of a family support helpline with examples from across the United States. You can read the full article, which includes a list of different helplines nationwide, on the Casey Family Programs Website.
The TALK (Telephone Aid in Living with Kids) Line is a 24-hour parent & caregiver support warmline providing early interventions, support, and community-based referrals to parents and caregivers experiencing any kind of stress or support with parenting or providing care to kids. The TALK Line is primarily staffed by trained and supervised volunteer line operators. We respond to incoming calls and also conduct regular follow-up with parents and caregivers with heightened needs.
Need support in parenting or providing care to kids? Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 415‑441‑KIDS (5437)