The Quality Improvement Center on Helplines and Hotlines hosted its first national convening in Atlanta in early September 2026. The event brought together approximately 140 mandated reporters, child protection staff and leadership, people with lived experience of the child welfare system, researchers, practitioners, and more. The gathering had two aims: first, for the Center to
“Oklahoma is providing $3 million in state funding to the 211 hotline, ensuring consistent support for the service that connects residents to essential resources. The hotline operates 24/7, offering assistance by phone, text or online chat for necessities such as housing, utility assistance, substance abuse support, mental health services and transportation. “Good morning, thank you
“In Santa Cruz County, there’s a new approach that prioritizes community support to help families, led by the Child, Youth & Family Well-Being Partnership. The Child Youth & Family Well-Being Partnership brings together County agencies and nonprofits to provide coordinated mental health, social and family support services with a focus on preventing crises, supporting education and
“Around 800,000 people across the state dialed Ohio’s non-emergency hotline 211 last year, according to data collected by nonprofit United Way. Now, even more people will soon have access to the hotline’s resources. Maryam Kiefer is the senior director of public policy at the United Way of Greater Cleveland, which is one of 13 regional hubs
“The Mesa County Department of Human Services, through its Child Protection Hotline, has launched a new pilot program called the Mesa County Warmline to help better serve the community. ‘The Mesa County Warmline is an opportunity for people who are calling our child protection hotline and they don’t need to make a report of abuse
“Since 2019, calls and online requests for help to the state’s 211 hotline have increased 300% and staffers are struggling to keep up with the influx in calls. The state is now stepping in to help. Gov. Ned Lamont recently allocated an additional $2.6 million to increase call response. The increased need for assistance has led to
“In recent years, a quiet but massive change has taken place in the nation’s largest local child welfare system. A growing number of calls to the CPS hotline prompt a referral to a food bank or homeless shelter — instead of a social worker investigation. Public hospitals no longer report new moms for using drugs.
“It could be degrading name-calling or humiliation, or survivors of domestic abuse needing to talk about how a partner has isolated them from friends and family. At other times, they say they’re being physically harmed and lack the money to flee. Often, they simply need someone to share with who won’t judge them for being
“Helplines, also are known as warmlines, support lines, or care lines, are designed to connect families to community and government services that can prevent safety issues from escalating to the level of child welfare system involvement. Unlike general information or resource lines, helplines are proactive and offer intensive support, making referrals and following up with
“Helplines provide referrals to community and government resources that support parents and other caregivers in raising their children safely and successfully. By connecting children and families to upstream services, helplines can be an effective strategy in efforts to prevent child welfare system involvement. Creating the right path to provide support Child welfare systems currently rely on
