The Florida Abuse Hotline is handling thousands more calls than usual because of a new law. The state has had to make some hotline changes in order to keep up.
The new law requires anyone who witnesses a child being abused to report that abuse to the hotline.
Department of Children and Families secretary David Wilkins unveiled a whole new Florida abuse hotline, one that now doesn't just collect tips but cross-checks parents' names with criminal records, making it much easier for investigators to tell which cases need immediate and very serious attention.
“The call center operation is now the first step in the diagnosis of what's happening to a potential child in our state, whether they're being abused or neglected, and they are now performing that initial diagnosis to help the investigator get to the scene of that situation quicker,” said David Wilkins, DCF Secretary.
The overhaul is designed to eliminate all the hang-ups in collecting and sharing information, with the goal of preventing abuse and saving lives.