Definitions
Care, Services, and Support
- Childhelp®: National Child Abuse Hotline. Crisis intervention, information, and referrals to emergency, social
service, and support resources. The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7
days a week with professional crisis counselors who, through interpreters,
can provide
assistance in 170 languages. All calls are anonymous and confidential. Telephone: (800) 4-A-CHILD (800) 422-4453.
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC): 24-Hour Hotline. A hotline to assist the public in reporting missing and exploited children and in providing information to help locate these children. Telephone: (800) THE-LOST (800) 843-5678.
- National
Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC): Help for Crime Victims.
Contact information for local services
for victims of all types of crime. Search by type of
crime (e.g., child abuse, child sexual abuse) or special
need (e.g., language, disability), among other criteria.
- National Runaway Safeline (NRS). Telephone: (800) RUNAWAY (800) 786-2929 or chat live on the NRS website for
confidential support and referrals to service providers.
- National Safe Place Txt 4 Help. Adolescents in crisis can text SAFE and their current location (street address, city, and state) to 69866. They will receive the address of the nearest safe place site and a phone number for the local youth shelter. If there is no local shelter or safe place, they will be referred to the National Runaway Safeline.
- Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): National Sexual Assault Hotline. Free, confidential counseling 24 hours a day in partnership with rape crisis centers across the country. Telephone: (800) 656-HOPE (800) 656-4673. The hotline also offers an online interface. Or search by state or zip code to find a local crisis center.
- Also see the Community Services Locator: An Online Directory for Finding Community Services for Children and Families.
Websites
- KEY RESOURCE Child Welfare Information Gateway. Information and tools for child welfare professionals and others who work to help protect children and strengthen families. Select Child Abuse & Neglect from the left sidebar for definitions, statistics, and resources about signs and symptoms, risk and protective factors, perpetrators, the impact on individuals and society, and child fatalities. Select Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect for resources that help agencies and communities strengthen families, raise awareness, and implement prevention programs. Select Responding to Child Abuse & Neglect for resources about child abuse and neglect reporting and potential responses from the child welfare system. Also view state-specific resources, publications, training tools, an online library, and an event calendar. Some resources are available in Spanish.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Child Maltreatment Prevention. Webinars, reports, articles and other tools about preventing physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect by a parent, caregiver, or other person in a custodial role (e.g., clergy, coach, teacher). Includes definitions, data and statistics, risk and protective factors, prevention strategies, and information about the consequences of child maltreatment.
Child Maltreatment: Facts at a Glance. (2012). [Data brief].
Essentials for Childhood: Steps to Create Safe, Stable, and Nurturing Relationships. (2013). [Guide, fact sheet].
Understanding Child Maltreatment. (2012). [Fact sheet].
- Child Welfare League of America (CWLA). Background information, facts and statistics, and publications about child maltreatment and child protection. Includes legislative information and advocacy tools about child welfare services.
- FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention. Training and technical assistance information and resources for staff at federally funded
community-based child-abuse-prevention programs and for other professionals working
to prevent child maltreatment and support families. Includes an online learning center, evaluation tools, publications, a conference
calendar, and a listserv.
- Military OneSource: Child Abuse and Domestic Abuse. Information for military families about reporting options, how to find help, safety planning, helping victims and those in crisis, and financial assistance.
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
Information and resources for professionals and families about missing children, child molestation, child pornography, child prostitution, and child safety and prevention. Some materials are available in Spanish.
- National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome (NCSBS). Information about shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma for parents, health professionals, legal and law enforcement professionals, and educators. Includes educational materials, including materials for military families, training tools, and prevention programs. Most materials are available for purchase.
- National Children's Advocacy Center (NCAC). Online training courses, webinars, and ask-the-expert audio clips for law enforcement,
criminal justice, child protective service, and health professionals about
working as a team to recognize and support children and adolescents who are
victims of child abuse. Includes annotated bibliographies and resource lists by the Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO) on a wide range of child abuse topics.
- National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW). Information about and reports and instruments from this nationally representative, longitudinal survey of children and families who have been the subjects of investigation by Child Protective Services.
- Prevent
Child Abuse America. Program and research information
and materials
that promote positive parenting
and a communitywide approach to
child abuse prevention. Includes contact information
for state chapters.
- Stop It Now! Educational materials, media messages, training tools, and community-based program
strategies about preventing child sexual abuse.
- Children's Safety Network (CSN). 2008. MCH Approach to Preventing Child Maltreatment. Newton, MA: Children's Safety Network (CSN). [Report].
- Hymel KP, Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect. 2006. Distinguishing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome From Child Abuse Fatalities. Elk Gove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). [Clinical report].
- Olson S, Stroud C, Rapporteurs. 2012. Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Related MCH Library Resources
Child Maltreatment: Resource Brief, 2nd ed. (April 2013).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Library.
Reviewers: Olivia Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Library; [ADD REVIEWERS' NAMES].
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Library.
