Briefing Sheet: The Helpline of Stop It Now!

The Helpline toll-free, confidential phone (1.888.PREVENT), email and chat response service provides information, referrals and support for individuals concerned about possible child sexual abuse. Anyone with questions about child sexual abuse can contact the Helpline for calm, respectful and balanced support and guidance. 

Stop It Now!’s professional staff offers callers a broad range of resources – from information about behaviors that can make children vulnerable about how to recognize inappropriate behaviors and warning signs that indicate a child may already have been sexually abused. Using the latest research and statistics, facts are shared to counter the myths and stereotypes that often confuse the public’s understanding of sexual abuse and that hamper society’s efforts to prevent abuse.

With support and education, adults are able to learn about sexual abuse and how to develop a safety plan for their families. They are able to find language for an effective conversation when they have concerns and to identify specialized treatment options for themselves or someone they care about, and learn how to report those concerns to authorities when appropriate.

Adults with concerns about themselves can find out that help is available, and where to get that help, and adults who care for children can ask questions about children’s sexual development and behaviors so they are better prepared to respond to warning signs in their families and communities. The Helpline provides resources for:

• Awareness and Education
• Planning and Prevention
• Responding and Protecting
• Support and Treatment

Hope and empowerment are vital to any Helpline contact. Stop It Now! views child sexual abuse as a preventable social problem. Adults are reminded that their actions can make a difference either in stopping a child from being harmed further or in preventing abuse from happening at all. This message is relayed in every response to every contact to the Helpline.