Childline

The child helpline number 1098 can be dialed round the clock by any child or an adult person on their behalf, if they are in distress. They serve various functions like delivering emergency assistance, reach the child and depending on the need, they rescue her/him and hand over them to appropriate organization in case of extended rehabilitation and subsequent care and follow up. This is a unique service of Indian government together with civil society functioning in about 74 cities all over India. They exhibit unmatched service with their referral network of more than 3000 civil organizations, state government, youth, corporations, children and academic institutions. By 2020, they target to reach all the districts of India. Till date, they have served over 10 million calls and guided about 3 million kids.

With strong network in all 74 cities, they carry out various functions like:

• Responding to their toll free number 24X7 and reach out to children in there is a need for care and complete protection.
• Associating children with concerned services for detailed rehabilitation.
• To track all missing children by establishing a national network.
• Designing a national database to carry out child protection associated services.
• To create general awareness about their help line number.
• Appropriate training and further sensitization of varied Allied systems to serve children at their time of necessity, thereby preventing them from dropping out of the system.
• To carry out research, documentation, general awareness and appropriate advocacy on various issues linked towards child protection.
• To detect gaps in their services and stress social policy in order to seal those gaps.

CHILDLINE is an innovative project of MWCD (Ministry of Women and Child Development), India. Indian Government established CIF (CHILDLINE India Foundation) as subsidiary organization to detect and provide necessary services and also to regulate the outstanding service of various centers situated across India. CIF acts as perfect link between NGOs and Ministry. Ministry Secretary acts as Chairperson of CIF Governing Board. This is an effective platform clubbing various sectors like corporate sector, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, community and street youth, Department of telecommunications, UNICEF, Indian government, Ministry of Women and Child Development and concern affected individuals. In each and every city, CHILDLINE operated through perfectly structured network of various voluntary organizations that includes resource, collaborative, nodal and support organizations that are overall managed by City Advisory Board. This combined organization serves as round the clock call centers with a team of well trained youth regulated by professionally outstanding social workers. They respond to the call within minute’s time and take all the necessary action to safeguard the child. Their action includes approaching police station or Juvenile Justice Board or a Child Welfare Committee or a hospital in case of emergency help to make the child pass through the crisis. There is also an option for the child to go for an extended rehabilitation, if needed.