The purpose of 1-800-CHILDREN is intended for public awareness and education. Many callers in Minnesota use 1-800-CHILDREN as a result of public awareness and education efforts. In these cases, callers are requesting more information about what they can do to help prevent child abuse. Sometimes callers use 1-800-CHILDREN because they are reaching out for help.   Specifically, the 1-800-CHILDREN phone number provides direct contact with someone at the Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota Office who will offer supportive listening, information, and referrals for families experiencing problems or stress. Back To Top | Close

Basic Information and Materials Requests: 1-800 CHILDREN staff can give a caller basic information on child abuse and prevention and can send a caller brochures on things such as “shopping with your children”, and “parent survival tips”. Referrals for Services: The 1-800 CHILDREN staff can offer referrals to a variety of community resources and agencies specializing in a variety of areas. Support: 1-800 CHILDREN staff can offer a listening ear and non-judgmental support to callers who would like to talk and vent to someone about the issues that they are dealing with. Sometimes these callers simply need someone to listen and provide non-judgmental support. Crisis Assistance: While we do not promote 1-800-CHILDREN as a crisis line, and are not really equipped to handle callers in crisis, we do on rare occasions get true crisis calls. Our response to crisis calls is an immediate referral to appropriate resources or services. Reporting Child Abuse: If a caller suspects child abuse is happening to a child they know, they can call 1-800-CHILDREN for help in learning what steps they can take and we can also assist them in making a call to report the abuse, if needed. Back To Top | Close

Parents, grandparents, and caregivers: Our phone line provides support to parents, grandparents, and caregivers who need parenting tips, have questions about child development or want to find referrals to organizations that provide family support in their respective areas. Abuse Survivors: Our phone line offers general support to survivors of abuse and refers them to local resources such as support groups and counseling services. Children: Our phone line gives children a confidential place to receive support and referrals for issues such as violence, personal development, family problems, etc. The Community: Our phone line is a resource that educators, students, faith organizations, agencies, and professionals can utilize in order to acquire information on child abuse and prevention, as well as find referrals to community services and professionals who assist victims and abuse survivors. Back To Top | Close

The 1-800-CHILDREN phone line is available Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm. At other times, resources are offered to our callers through our voicemail system. After business hours, people can leave a message or they can call http://www.childhelpusa.org/  -  Child Help USA, a 24-hour resource line. Back To Top | Close