8/17/2019 Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Indiana Child Abuse &
Neglect Hotline
2016
Joanie Crum, Montgomery County
Director
8/17/2019 Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
How do you report suspected child abuse orneglect?
Call the Indiana Child Abuse & NeglectHotline, 24/7.
800.800.5556
Child Abuse & Neglect
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Who should report?
• Indiana is a mandatory reporting state. Any
person who has reason to believe a child is
being abused or neglected shall make a report
• Medical professionals, teachers & law
enforcement officials have a higher duty to
report abuse or neglect
Child Abuse & Neglect
8/17/2019 Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
What is the purpose of the hotline?
• Supports one singular purpose: to help
protect children from abuse & neglect
• Provides a single point of contact for allchild abuse & neglect reports throughout
Indiana
Child Abuse & Neglect
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Child Abuse & Neglect
• Central point of contact for all child abuse and neglect reports
throughout Indiana
• Five locations across the state:
− Marion County− Saint Joseph County
− Blackford County
− Lawrence County
− Vanderburgh County• Staffed 24/7/365 by 105 specially trained Intake Specialists:
– 12 weeks of training before taking reports
8/17/2019 Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Reporting: Call 800.800.5556
An intake specialist:
– Directs caller immediately to 911 or law enforcement
if child is in imminent danger
– Listens and asks questions using intake guidance tool
– Captures report information – Sends report to local county office to determ
ine next
steps
Child Abuse & Neglect
8/17/2019 Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Child Abuse & Neglect
Intake specialist will ask questions about:
Child’s current safety, circumstances & identifying information
• Name of Child Involved
• Age of Child
• Parent/Guardian/Custodian’s Name
• Addresses & Phone Numbers
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Child Abuse & Neglect
• Substance Abuse Issues
• Domestic Violence
• Mental Health Concerns
• Weapons in the Home
Always report suspected abuse even if you don’t know answers to
all the questions.
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
After the call:
• The intake specialist will use the structured decision making
tool to evaluate risks & help determine whether an assessmentis needed
• A thorough review of any known child protective services
history with the family is also completed & included in the
official intake report• Intake report is sent with a recommendation to the local county
office
Child Abuse & Neglect
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
ACTION:
Per Indiana law, certain criteria must be met before a family
case manager can be dispatched to a home:
• If the allegations meet any or all criteria, a family case
manager will be assigned to complete a thorough assessment.
Response times vary:
• IMMEDIATELY/1 hour (imminent danger)
Child Abuse & Neglect
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
• 24 hours
• Up to 5 days
• Any calls with similar allegations to a current
assessment/open case with a family are referred to thefamily case manager or supervisor for follow-up.
Child Abuse & Neglect
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Non-Assessments: Calls that lack “legal sufficiency”
If allegations do not meet those standards, action may still take
place:• Intake specialist can refer caller to prevention services &
resources
• All reports including those not assigned an assessment arereviewed 24/7/365 by a Hotline supervisor
Child Abuse & Neglect
8/17/2019 Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
• Local office director or the local office review team
can also check reports not assigned an assessment orreverse a decision
• Local child protection teams can review all reports for
their local community & request a decision be reversed
Child Abuse & Neglect
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Child Abuse & Neglect
Impact in Helping Children:
• More than 202,000 reports of child abuse or neglect
received in 2015
• Calls answered promptly:
– Law enforcement – answered in 15 seconds (on average)
– General calls – answered in 21 seconds (on average) – 65 percent of all calls answered in less than 8 seconds
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Hotline Process:
Child Abuse & Neglect
• Report source calls Hotline
• Intake specialist answers phone
• Intake specialist uses intake guidancetool to gather information
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Child Abuse & Neglect
• Information is documented in casemanagement system.
• Intake specialist completesstructured decision making tool.
• Intake specialist makes arecommendation.
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Child Abuse & Neglect
• Supervisor reviews report
• Report sent to local office
• Local office makes a decision to assessor not to assess
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
• Report child abuse to the Hotline: 800.800.5556
• Offer to help your relatives/friends/neighbors who areunder stress & may need some assistance. Perhaps you can
babysit, cook, provide transportation, mentor, etc.
• Become a foster parent: Call 888.631.9510
• Become an adoptive parent: Call 888.25ADOPT
How you can help
8/17/2019 Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
• Become an adoptive parent: Call 888.25ADOPT
• Purchase “Kids First” specialty license plate: Yourinvestment will help fund prevention services
• Community Partners: Local number needed here
How you can help
8/17/2019 Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Public Online Training and Information Course
• Learn the meaning of child abuse and neglect in Indiana.
• Recognize and report child abuse and neglect in Indiana.
• Learn who is required to report child abuse and neglect in
Indiana.
• Learn what happens once DCS receives a report of child abuse
or neglect.
Children are never protected by adult silence!
How you can help
8/17/2019 Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Online Reporting Training Tool
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Children thrive in safe, caring, supportive families and communities
Any Questions?