Child Helpline service

Child Helpline Service - 112

Childline Services is defined in Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act, 2015 under section 2(25) as a twenty-four hours emergency outreach service for children in crisis which links them to emergency or long-term care and rehabilitation service.The service can be accessed by any child in crisis or an adult on their behalf by dialing a toll free number. 

The Childline service which started with the Child Helpline number 1098 is now being integrated with Women Helpline, Child Helpline with ERSS-112 (Emergency Response Support System)  as part of the broader vision of One Nation One Helpline. 

Childline - 1098

Ministry under erstwhile Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme was supporting this 24x7 helpline Childline 1098 service, through Childline India Foundation (CIF) and its partner NGOs. The Childline Services was rendered in 568 districts, 135 Railway Stations and 11 Bus Stands through a network of 1000+ units.

Challenges faced

The response time by CIF is about 60 minutes to respond to children’s distress calls. The system lacks interoperability with other services like Police, Fire, Ambulance which leads to loss of precious time in distress situations. Furthermore, the CIF network could cover only 568 districts which had left almost 200 districts uncovered under ChildLine.  

Child Helpline - Integration with ERSS 112

To address the challenges, Government has taken a decision to integrate Child Helpline with ERSS-112 so that the responsibility of the administration towards children is taken over and made functional through responsible and responsive administration.

The Child Helpline system run in collaboration with the States and UTs will have positive effect on strengthening the Service Delivery structures under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015 as amended in 2021.  The technical integration with the ERSS-112 is expected to usher in seamless flow of information which will aid repatriation and restoration of children in vulnerable situations within the district, state and across the States and UTs effectively.

A comparative table of features of the old system and the new Child Helpline is given below:

Ministry has issued guidelines of Mission Vatsalya Scheme subsuming erstwhile Child Protection Services (CPS) Scheme according to which the Child Helpline will be run in coordination with State and District functionaries including Police, Counselors, Case Workers and integrated with the Emergency Response Support System 112 (ERSS-112) helpline of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Ministry has also issued detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) of Child Helpline to all States/UTs for implementation of Child Helpline Services in the country. A 24x7 dedicated WCD Control Room (WCD-CR) will be setup for Child Helpline in each State/UT and will be integrated with ERSS-112. Further, at the district level, Child Helpline (CHL) Unit at District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) will be available round the clock to provide outreach service for children in crisis linking them to emergency and long-term care and rehabilitation services. States/UTs as per the SoPs of Railways would continue in setting up of Child Help Desk/Kiosk/ Booth at the selected Railway Stations and Bus Stands.

Ministry has entrusted the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Kerala as a Total Solution Provider (TSP) for automation of Child Helpline-1098 and its integration with ERSS-112.

Call Protocol: The incoming calls to 1098 will be classified into three categories - Emergency calls, Non-Emergency calls and Information calls. All Emergency calls can be forwarded from 1098 to 112 or vice versa on the switch of a button. Non-emergency calls may be transferred to respective CHL units at DCPUs and Information calls will be handled at WCD CR itself or may be transferred to CHL Units of DCPUs for providing information to the caller. All calls on 1098 will land on the WCD-CR of Child helpline in respective States/UTs and emergency calls will be forwarded to ERSS-112. 

The transition of Child Helpline is in progress and is being made operational by taking over of Childline in 09 States/UTs in phase-wise manner.

Source : PIB

1098 Tele Helpline Model

CHILDLINE stands for a friendly 'didi' or a sympathetic 'bhaiya' who is always there for vulnerable children 24 hours of the day, 365 days of the year.

A phone number that spells hope for millions of children across India, CHILDLINE is India's first 24-hour, free, emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance

Whether you are a concerned adult or a child, you can dial 1098, the toll free number to access our services. We not only respond to the emergency needs of children but also link them to services for their long-term care and rehabilitation. We have, to date, reached out to over three million children across the nation through such calls.

Childline works for the protection of the rights of all children in general. But its special focus is on all children in need of care and protection, especially the more vulnerable sections, which include:

• Street children and youth living alone on the streets
• Child labourers working in the unorganised and organized sectors
• Domestic help, especially girl domestics
• Children affected by physical / sexual / emotional abuse in family, schools or institutions.
• Children who need emotional support and guidance
• Children of commercial sex workers
• Child victims of the flesh trade
• Victims of child trafficking
• Children abandoned by parents or guardians
• Missing children
• Run away children
• Children who are victims of substance abuse
• Differently-abled children
• Children in conflict with the law
• Children in institutions
• Mentally challenged children
• HIV/ AIDS infected children
• Children affected by conflict and disaster
• Child political refugees
• Children whose families are in crises

The Vision that Moulded CHILD-LINE

A child - friendly nation that guarantees the rights and protection of all children.

CHILDLINE in action

The activities of CHILDLINE include

• The CHILDLINE team receives & 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
• After the emergency needs of the child have been addressed, CHILDLINE explores options with the child to study, learn a trade, go back home etc. Based on the decision of the child, CHILDLINE links the child to an appropriate organisation in the city.

CHILDLINE Today

The CHILDLINE is in response to the Child Rights Convention. CHILDLINE is seen as a one point window, connecting children in need to various NGO's working for child related issues. CHILDLINE works towards ensuring that all children in need of care and protection are aware of and have access to services, that are child friendly, available when they want it and encourage them to participate in decisions that affect them.

The country's first toll-free tele-helpline for street children has grown into a national child protection service that operates in over 573 districts in India.

Source :http://www.childlineindia.org.in/

Related resources

1. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
2. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
3. Defining Child Protection