Find Help With a Personal Situation
All families face challenges. At times, individuals and families may need additional resources, tools, or information to manage difficult personal situations.
If you need to report suspicions of child abuse/neglect or have questions about mandatory reporting requirements, please find relevant links below:
The following questions address common issues that individuals and families face, including the need for financial, emotional, or legal support.
If you are experiencing a suicidal crisis or emotional distress, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988 to connect with counselors at over 200 crisis centers across the country who provide free and confidential support and crisis counseling. Services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The following resources are for informational purposes only, and their appearance on this page does not constitute endorsement by Child Welfare Information Gateway or the Children's Bureau. Information Gateway is not equipped to offer crisis counseling or intervene in or advise on personal situations.
You may find answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about child welfare issues on the Children's Bureau's FAQ webpage.
Information on available benefits may be accessed on the Benefits.gov website.
Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). If you are unable to speak freely, text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474.
Text HOME to 741741 to speak with a crisis counselor at the Crisis Text Line.
To report online child sexual exploitation, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline at 1-800-THE.LOST (1-800-843-5678).
The CyberTipline is the Nation's centralized reporting system for reporting suspected online enticement of children for sexual acts, extrafamilial child sexual molestation, child pornography, child sex trafficking, and more. To report other types of child maltreatment, see Information Gateway's How to Report Child Abuse or Neglect webpage.
To report suspected or potential human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Support is available in more than 200 languages.
Text HOME or HOLA to 741741 to speak with a crisis counselor at the Crisis Text Line.
Call the National Runaway Safeline at 1-800-786-2929 (live chat, emails, forum) or text 66008 for free, confidential services and support. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Call the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at 1-800-569-4287 or visit its Housing Counseling Services webpage to connect with key contacts in your State or area and/or find a HUD-participating agency.
211.org offers information in 180 languages about local resources. Calls to 2-1-1 are confidential, and service professionals are available 24/7.
For questions about child support, contact your local child support agency.
Contact information for State and Tribal child support agencies is available on the Administration for Children and Families' Office of Child Support Services website.
FindTreatment.gov, coordinated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, collects information on thousands of State-licensed providers who specialize in treating substance use disorders, addiction, and mental illness.
Warmlines are peer-run, telephone-based, confidential listening lines. The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers a warmline directory.
Call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262) for free, confidential, 24/7 service and to connect with professional counselors (in English and Spanish) before, during, and after pregnancy.
The Child Find of America Parent Help program (1-800-716-3468) offers free, confidential, telephone-based services to parents in conflict.
Call the National Parent and Youth Helpline at 1-855-4-A-PARENT (1-855-427-2736) to speak with a trained National Parent Helpline advocate who can listen, offer emotional support, and build on your parenting strengths.
Find helpful resources and supports near you by visiting the 1-800-CHILDREN website or by calling 1-800-332-6378. Information is available in more than 40 languages.
Visit the National Respite Locator Service on the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center website.
Many States have a kinship care contact that may be able to answer questions about available assistance. The Information Gateway website provides a list of State kinship care contacts and programs.
Use this search to access the Information Gateway State Statutes Series and statutes from individual States and Territories on issues related to a variety of child welfare topics.
The American Bar Association provides legal information, including State-specific services, legal hotlines, court resources, and more:
- Free Legal Answers (virtual legal advice clinic)
- Find Legal Help
- Parent Know Your Rights Guides
Direct your grievance to your State complaint office. Contact information is provided in Information Gateway's listing of Child Welfare State Complaints Offices.