DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Governor John W. Hickenlooper, members of Colorado’s legislature and child advocates today marked National Child Abuse Prevention Month by asking Coloradans to report suspected child abuse and neglect to Colorado’s first statewide child abuse and neglect hotline – 1-844-CO-4-KIDS. Colorado’s new child abuse and neglect hotline began operating on Jan. 1, 2015, and has already received 54,381 calls from concerned citizens, resulting in 8,196 screened-in reports of child abuse and neglect.
The statewide hotline is the result of Governor Hickenlooper’s Child Welfare Plan “Keeping Kids Safe and Families Healthy.” The hotline serves as a direct, immediate and efficient route to Colorado’s 64 counties and two tribal nations, which are responsible for accepting and responding to child abuse and neglect inquiries and reports. All callers speak with a call-taker 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
“Children are undeniably Colorado’s most precious resource,” said Governor Hickenlooper. “It is our responsibility to do everything we can to protect our children and ensure their safety.”
“Everyone in our state plays a vital role in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, and we need to spread that message,” said Reggie Bicha, Colorado Department of Human Services executive director. “Thanks to the hotline, it’s easier than ever to pick up the phone and make a call if you see something that concerns you. You dial the number, we’ll make the call.”
To learn more about the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline and how to identify the signs of child abuse and neglect, go to CO4Kids.org.
