Social and legal ramifications of a child crisis line

The article suggests the importance of a crisis line for children as a way of making it easier for them to report when they are abused or neglected. The Childhelp Line set up in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1982, has shown that such a service is effective in reaching critical child and family situations not previously known to helping professionals. The Line is manned by carefully selected and trained volunteers. This has proved to have significant advantages, particularly in the absence of mandatory reporting of child abuse. The article also looks at the ambivalence towards the Childhelp Line expressed by parents, children, counselors, and the community, and at the legal issues raised by the service.