A Better Way to “Talk” to Teens in Crisis? Child Abuse Nonprofit Childhelp Leads the Way with New Text and Online Chat Platform for Nationwide Abuse Hotline
PHOENIX (PRWEB) April 26, 2019 -- A national nonprofit focused on the treatment and prevention of child abuse is leading the way to help youth and families in need with an innovative new platform to connect them with trained professional counselors.
On Monday, Childhelp will launch the final phase of its nationwide initiative to reach youth in crisis by adding online chat services to its recently launched text platform. Now, both text and online chat services will be available 24/7 throughout the U.S. and Canada as part of the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline.
“We are here to save lives,” Childhelp Hotline Director Michelle Fingerman said. “To do that, we have to connect with youth using the ways they are most likely to reach out for help, in the exact moment they need that help.”
Early numbers strongly indicate the new Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline services are working to reach young people who exceedingly prefer text and chat as opposed to phone conversations, even in a crisis. Initial results show that while 90 percent of calls to the Hotline are from adults, 85 to 90 percent of those using the new text platform are under 18 years old.
In early testing, Childhelp found that it can take nearly an hour on average to establish the same type of vital information that can be established in mere minutes in a phone call. Childhelp counselors have created new protocols to better and more rapidly serve young people in need.
The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline has serviced more than 2.5 million calls over the last two decades. Trained counselors are available 24/7 in more than 170 languages to respond to any calls related to reporting abuse, abuse indicators and signs, and local resources for families and victims.
The initiative is made possible thanks to a new private-public partnership and $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children. The grant will also allow Childhelp to study the service alongside Arizona State University’s Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center to improve the future of the hotline and set the standard for other hotline servicers across the globe.
This year, Childhelp is celebrating 60 years and 10 and a half million children served since former Hollywood actresses Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson first created the organization to serve young people in need.
“We have always believed our work is never done until the silent epidemic in this country of five children dying every day from abuse has fully ended,” Childhelp Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO Sara O’Meara said. Childhelp Co-Founder, President and Vice-Chairman Yvonne Fedderson added, “Until then, we continue to work tirelessly to empower and provide new hope to children, showing them that they’re worthy of love despite whatever circumstance they are currently experiencing.”
“Childhelp’s wide array of national programs prove that the right combination of effective treatment and prevention can break the vicious cycle of abuse that often repeats from generation to generation,” notes Childhelp National Spokesperson and Vice President of Public Affairs Rebecca Cooper.
In working with Childhelp to bring a spotlight to the new hotline services, John Stamos – beloved actor and Childhelp supporter for more than three decades – accepted the role as Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline Spokersperson. “I’ve had an affinity toward children since early on,” Stamos told E! News in an interview announcing his role as spokesman last November. “I might as well do something good with it.”
About Childhelp®
Since 1959, Childhelp® has brought the light of hope and healing into the lives of countless children as a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping at-risk, abused and neglected children. Childhelp’s programs and services include residential treatment services, children’s advocacy centers, therapeutic foster care, group homes and child abuse prevention, education and training. For more information, visit http://www.childhelp.org.
About the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline
The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD) is dedicated to the prevention and intervention of child abuse. Serving the U.S. and Canada, the hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who—through interpreters—provide assistance in over 170 languages. The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. All communication is confidential.
Savannah Harrelson, Childhelp, http://www.childhelp.org, 208-861-1609, [email protected]
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