Child abuse hotline calls are way down

(MissouriNet) — Since March 11, the state has had a drastic decline in the number of calls made to the Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline. Sara Smith, Deputy Director of the Missouri Children’s Division, says the daily call average this time of year is usually 650 calls per day. She says the hotline is getting about less than half that number each day.

(as said) “This is even lower than what we even see in the summer when school is out,” says Smith. “Probably because some daycares have also closed and after-school activities and churches, which are some of our other pretty important reporting parties.”

Smith says the hotline had about 154,000 calls last fiscal year.