In 1982, although child abuse had received some media and political attention already, Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson were determined to continue the fight against child abuse. Every time they were able to look into the eyes of a child the organization saved, it was only a reminder of all the other children that still needed their help.
With this continual dedication, the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-Child), was brought to life, and so was the most comprehensive, school-based child abuse prevention education curriculum ever created, the Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe program.
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline®
The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. It is primarily funded by individuals and companies like you, and has given assistance to more than 2 million help seekers. Serving the U.S. and Canada, the hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with professional crisis counselors who—through interpreters—provide assistance in over 170 languages.
Below you can see the annual Hotline Impact reports and difference the Hotline has made in the lives of millions.
Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe®
The innovative Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe program is the most comprehensive school-based child abuse prevention education curriculum, covering various types of abuse – physical, emotional, sexual, neglect, bullying, cyberbullying, and online predators – for kids in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. It all started when Childhelp acquired the “Good Touch, Bad Touch” program and entered the arena of child abuse prevention education, rounding out its services to the full continuum it encompasses today. With research partners at Arizona State University and Northcentral University, funding partners, and experts in curriculum development, the program was expanded to fully scripted, developmentally appropriate lessons, accompanied by comprehensive facilitator training modules. Today, the Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe program is listed as evidence-based in the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC) and is used throughout the United States, its territories, its military installations across the world, and in over a dozen other nations. Lessons are available in English and in Spanish, and program facilitators receive a variety of additional materials to learn about child abuse prevention topics and to help keep kids safe from various risks.
Below you can see the first annual Childhelp Speak Up Be Safe Impact report and the difference the curriculum has made in the lives of children, here in the US and across the globe.
