Child-Abuse Hotline Center Gets Face Lift

The 18 county social workers who answer the more than 5,000 phone calls a month at the Child Abuse Hotline worked in what was affectionately known as “the pit,” a drab, overcrowded hole in the county’s Linda Vista building.

But now, thanks to the Child Abuse Foundations’s Resource Committee--which solicited the donation of carpeting, desks and paint--”the pit” has been transformed into a modern phone center that will handle the day-to-day crises of child abuse in the county.

“It was so demoralizing,” said Robin Mackenzie, who as committee chairwoman coordinated the contributions from local businesses. “It was crowded, cluttered . . . . Let’s face it, it was gross.”

Along with the face lift, the hot line center has also secured county funds for a new, more efficient phone system.

The 24-hour hot line acts as a first line of defense against child abuse, Mackenzie said, by alerting police or social workers to a potentially dangerous situation. Calls range from children who say they are being abused to teachers and doctors reporting suspected abuse cases.

“Most . . . are calls for help,” she said. “What they do is branch out to many different levels of help, such as the police or counseling.”

Founded six years ago by Norma Hirsh, the Child Abuse Foundation funds projects and organizations that offer programs directly helping children. The foundation’s resource committee is searching for money to fund a children’s waiting room at Juvenile Court.

“So often the children have to sit across the hall on a bench from the person they’re going to testify against,” Mackenzie said. “We want to eliminate that.”

The waiting rooms will be adjacent to the courtrooms and will be outfitted with toys and games, she said.

The Child Abuse Hotline number is 560-2191.