Helpline Numbers

CHILD ABUSE/MENTAL HEALTH

Boys Town National Hotline (800)448-3000 (800)448-1833 (TDD) Provides short-term intervention and counseling and refers callers to local community resources. Counsels on parent-child conflicts, marital and family issues, suicide, pregnancy, runaway youth, physical and sexual abuse, and other issues. Operates 24 hours.

Child Find of America, Inc. (800)426-5678 Looks for missing and abducted children. Operates 24 hours. (800)292-9688 Provides crisis mediation in parental abduction. Provides prevention information. Operates 24 hours.

CHILDHELP/IOF Foresters National Child Abuse Hotline (800)4-A-CHILD (800)2-A-CHILD (TDD) Provides multilingual crisis intervention and professional counseling on child abuse. Gives referrals to local social service groups offering counseling on child abuse. Has literature on child abuse in English and Spanish. Operates 24 hours.

Covenant House Nineline (800)999-9999 Crisis line for youth, teens, and families. Locally based referrals throughout the United States. Help for youth and parents regarding drugs, abuse, homelessness, runaway children, and message relays. Operates 24 hours.

National Child Safety Council Childwatch (800)222-1464 Answers questions and distributes literature on safety, including drug abuse, household dangers, and electricity. Provides safety information to local police departments. Sponsor of the missing kids milk carton program. Operates 24 hours.

National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information (800)394-3366 (703)385-7565 (in VA) Serves as a national resource for the acquisition and dissemination of child abuse and neglect materials and distributes a free publications catalog upon request. Maintains bibliographic databases of documents, audiovisuals, and national organizations. Services include searches of databases and annotated bibliographies on frequently requested topics. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

National Hotline for Missing Children (800)843-5678 (703)235-3900 (in VA) Operates a hotline for reporting missing children and sightings of missing children. Offers assistance to law enforcement agents. A service of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 7:30 a.m.-11 p.m.

National Resource Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (800)227-5242 Provides general information and statistics about child abuse. Sponsored by the American Humane Association. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

National Runaway Switchboard (800)621-4000 Provides crisis intervention and travel assistance to runaways. Gives referrals to shelters nationwide. Also relays messages to, or sets up conference calls with, parents at the request of the child. Operates 24 hours.

National Youth Crisis Hotline (800)448-4663 Provides counseling and referrals to local drug treatment centers, shelters, and counseling services. Responds to youth dealing with pregnancy, molestation, suicide, and child abuse. Operates 24 hours.

Runaway Hotline (800)231-6946 Provides information and referral for shelter, counseling, medical and legal services, and transportation back home. Operates a personal, confidential message relay service between runaways and their families. Operates 24 hours.

CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Human Growth Foundation (800)451-6434 (703)883-1773 (in VA) Provides parent education and mutual support, funds research, and promotes public awareness of the physical and emotional problems of short-statured people. Offers brochures on child growth abnormalities. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

CHILD EDUCATION

National Association for the Education of Young Children (800)424-2460 (202)232-8777 (in DC) The National Association for the Education of Young Children is neither a helpline nor hotline. The association publishes books, posters, and brochures for teachers and parents of young children, birth through age 8. Sponsors conferences and public awareness activities concerning quality programs for the education of young children. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Depression Awareness (800)421-4211 Provides free brochures about the symptoms of depression, its debilitating effects on society, and information about where to get effective treatments. Operated by the National Institute of Mental Health. Operates 24 hours.

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