Reports of abuse and neglect have steadily risen since the Indiana child abuse Hotline was centralized in 2010. Last year, the Hotline received 225,152 reports of alleged child abuse or neglect, compared to 202,493 reports in 2014.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month, and the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) works closely with local Hoosier child advocacy groups in each county to educate communities on the role we all play in protecting children from abuse and neglect. In short, if you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, don’t wait! There is no need to spend time debating whether what you see or hear is abuse or neglect, just make the call to 800-800-5556. There are trained child abuse and neglect Family Case Managers to take your call and assess the information.
When DCS gets involved, our priority is ensuring child safety. If we are involved, that means a child has already been harmed by abuse or neglect. As of the end of February 2017, there were 23,289 children in need of services (CHINS). To put that number in perspective Bankers Life Fieldhouse, where the Indiana Pacers play, has a seating capacity of just over 18,000. That is 23,289 children too many.