Colorado Child Abuse Hotline A Success But More Calls Needed From The Community

DENVER (CBS4) - Jan. 1 will mark one year since the start of Colorado's statewide hotline for reporting child abuse. The hotline replaced a patchwork system that allowed victims to fall through the cracks of the safety net system -- sometimes with fatal consequences.

Things are fully operational at the call center but the Department of Human Services wants to see the number of calls increase from where it is today. More calls mean more people are looking out for the welfare of Colorado Children.

Since its opening in January last year there have been just more than 26,000. That's out of the 200,000 calls made to various counties and agencies across the state.

RELATED: Report Abuse With Colorado Child Abuse Hotline

The child abuse hotline was created to streamline the way child abuse is reported. No matter where a person is the number is always the same -- 1-844-CO-4-KIDS. Aside from the easy-to-remember number there is a person waiting to answer calls 24 hours a day, 365 days a year -- and they don't have to know for certain abuse is going on. The reporter can simply call to report suspicions and let the trained staff take it from there. But the first step is making the call which staff would like to see more of.

"The majority of the calls that we are still receiving … come from their mandated reporters," said Laura Solomon, Intake Administrator for the Division of Child Welfare. "What we'd like to see is an increase in the number of community members who may have some worries, some concerns about families that are out there and have held back from making calls for whatever reason."

Those who choose to call can remain anonymous.