A call coming into a CHILDLINE centre is attended to by one of the 7-team members who work in shifts of nearly eight hours each. This ensures that the calls coming in are attended to, all 24 hours at the phone-receiving centre.

Depending on the nature of the call, be it by a child or an adult, the team member responds to it effectively. This response could be by going to meet with the child first and then linking him or her to medical help, shelter, repatriation, rescue from abuse or even intensive counselling.

If the team member feels that some time will be involved in reaching out to the child in terms of physical distance, then assistance from a support organisation that is located in the vicinity of the caller is sought.

After the emergency intervention measures are taken by the CHILDLINE agency the next step is to link the child with long-term rehabilitation. This involves referral and networking with other organisations providing specialised services.

In this process from Response to Rehabilitation, the children’s participation is an integral component.

We follow a three-pronged strategy in order to effectively respond to a child’s need in consonance with the child protection issues.

• Firstly we listen to children and respond to their immediate needs.

• Secondly we conduct sensitization programmes with the allied systems such as the police / doctors / nurses / medical attendants etc.

• And finally, we advocate for overall child-friendly systems.

When a child calls…
CHILDLINE conceives of the Response to Rehabilitation continuum as an important framework for ensuring the best possible intervention for children in need of care and protection. Children’s participation in this process is an integral component.


Dialling 1-0-9-8 (Ten-Nine-Eight) Child/Concerned adult calls CHILDLINE 1098 or comes directly to the phone receiving centre.



Hello CHILDLINE
The CHILDLINE team receives and responds to the calls

Crisis Intervention
Direct Assistance: medical, shelter, protection from abuse, repatriation, death, missing children, intensive counselling.
 

On Phone: Emotional Support and guidance, information and referral to services for the caller, information about CHILDLINE, silent calls.



Long-term rehabilitation
Referral and networking with other organisations providing specialized services, repatriation, creating a volunteer base
for long-term follow-up of children