Colorado hotline expands reporting of suspected Child Abuse and Neglect

Child abuse reporting

State and local officials encourage Coloradans to report suspected child abuse and neglect.

People living anywhere in Colorado can call the state child abuse/neglect hotline: 1-844-CO-4-KIDS (1-844-264-5437), to speak to a representative 24 hours a day, every day.

People suspecting abuse of children or at-risk adults living in Boulder County can also call the county’s own hotline: 303-441-1309, also 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Information about Boulder County’s child welfare programs and services: bit.ly/1PmW8Uz

Colorado Department of Human Services information about preventing and reporting child abuse and neglect: bit.ly/1FiAkQH

With the approaching first anniversary of the launch of a toll-free statewide telephone hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, child-welfare officials are urging Coloradans to stay vigilant if they’re concerned about a child’s safety and well-being.

The Colorado Department of Human Services announced that as of Dec. 20, state and county officials had received nearly 205,000 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect since the hotline went live on Jan. 1 — both through the new state hotline and from people contacting counties’ and the state’s human services offices.

“There is a growing understanding in our community that we all play a role in keeping our kids safe,” state Department of Human Services Director Reggie Bicha said in a news release.

Bicha said the 1-844-CO-4-KIDS hotline is integral to help Coloradans spot and report signs of child abuse and neglect. “One call can save a child,” he said.

Of the total 204,983 calls received by Dec. 20 about possible child abuse or neglect, 26,461 were made on the state hotline, according to Department of Human Services spokesman Lee Rasizer.  Of that total, 4,516 came from Boulder County, 706 from Broomfield County and 5,395 from Weld County.

Under a system in which calls are evaluated and determinations made about whether further assessments and investigations are merited, and how rapidly those assessments and investigations need to be made, 88,441 of the total calls to the state’s hotline and Colorado counties were accepted for assessment and 32,709 were assessed and investigated, Rasizer said.

Accepted for assessment and possible further action, he said, were 1,678 of the original 4,516 reports originally received about possible child abuse or neglect in Boulder County, 183 of the 706 reports received about situations in Broomfield County, and 1,793 of the 5,395 reports about possible abuse or neglect in Weld County.

The state child abuse and neglect hotline links callers at all hours to the appropriate official.  All calls are confidential and will be routed to the county where a child resides.

Boulder County also has its own child abuse hotline, 303-441-1309, said Jim Williams, spokesman for the County Department of Housing and Human Services.  But in emergencies, call 911.

“The hotline technology allows callers to be connected around the clock with screeners who can discuss their concerns with them,” Williams said.