Family Support

Listed below are tools for identifying child abuse prevention and intervention services, community violence prevention and intervention services, dating violence prevention and intervention services, domestic violence prevention and intervention services, faith-based support services, family support groups, marriage and family therapists, respite care for caregivers or families of individuals with disabilities or other special needs, services for military personnel and their families, and sudden and other unexpected infant death prevention and intervention services.

See the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the National Mental Health Information Center for locating substance use treatment services and other mental health support services for families.

Also see the 2-1-1 Information and Referral System and your local telephone book to identify community-based family support organizations.

Child abuse prevention and intervention services

  • Childhelp USA®: National Child Abuse Hotline. Provides hotline services 24 hours a day with professional crisis counselors who can listen, provide emotional support, and help connect callers to local emergency, social service, and support resources to help children in the midst of abuse, troubled parents, individuals concerned that abuse is occurring, and others requesting child abuse information. Telephone: (800) 422-4453 (4-A-CHILD®).
  • Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): Get Help Now. Operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, which provides free, confidential counseling 24 hours a day in partnership with rape crisis centers across the country. Telephone: (800) 656-4673 (HOPE). The hotline also offers an online interface. Or, search by state or zip code to find a local crisis center.
  • Also see the MCH Library resource brief Child Maltreatment.

Community violence prevention and intervention services

  • National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC). Offers a hotline for information and referrals to local services for victims of all types of crime. Information is available in more than 180 languages. Telephone: (800) 394-2255 (FYI-CALL); (800) 211-7996 (TDD).
  • Office for Victims of Crime: Directory of Crime Victim Services. Comprises an online database to help health and social services professionals and individuals locate non-emergency crime victim services in the United States and internationally. Search by location, type of victimization, service needed, and agency type.
  • PAX/Real Solutions to Gun Violence: SPEAK UP. Offers a hotline to anonymously report a weapon threat at school. Telephone: (866) 773-2587 (SPEAK-UP).
  • Also see the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).
  • Contact your local police department. The phone number is listed in the local or county government section of your phone book (i.e., the blue pages).
  • Also see the MCH Library knowledge path Adolescent Violence Prevention.

Dating violence prevention and intervention services

  • National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. Offers adolescents experiencing dating abuse support and resource referrals by a trained peer advocate 24 hours a day. Telephone: (866) 331-9474; (866) 331-8453 (TDD). Or, chat online from 4pm to 2am CST.
  • See the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).
  • Also see the section Dating Violence Among Adolescents in the MCH Library knowledge path Domestic Violence.

Domestic violence prevention and intervention services

  • National Domestic Violence Hotline. Offers crisis intervention, safety planning, information about domestic violence, and referrals to local services to victims of domestic violence and those calling on their behalf. Telephone: (800) 799-7233 (799-SAFE); (800) 787-3224 (TDD).
  • See the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).
  • Also see the MCH Library knowledge path Domestic Violence.

Faith-based support services

  • Contact your local church, synagogue, temple, or other religious institution. For telephone numbers and addresses, check the yellow pages of your telephone book under the sections for religious organizations, churches, and synagogues and temples. Also check under the section for social service organizations where the local offices for faith-based organizations that offer family services are listed (e.g., Catholic Charities, Islamic Society, Jewish Federation, Salvation Army).
  • American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC): Find a Counselor. Search by state to find a pastoral counselor who is an AAPC member.
  • Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS): MOPS Group Search. Search by city, state, or zip code to find a Christian-based support group for mothers of infants and young children.

Family support groups

  • American Self-Help Group Clearinghouse: Self-Help Group Sourcebook Online. Contains information about national and international self-help support groups for chronic illnesses and disabilities, bereavement, parenting, caregiver concerns, and other stressful life situations. Use the sourcebook to find or start a support group in your community.
  • Boys Town National Hotline. Offers a 24-hour crisis, resource, and referral line. Trained counselors can respond to questions from adolescents and parents about suicide prevention, depression, school issues, parenting troubles, runaways, relationship problems, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, chemical dependency, and anger, among other topics. Telephone: (800) 448-3000; (800) 448-1833 (TDD).
  • Family Voices in Your State. Links to contact information for the Family Voices network member in each state for information about services and community connections for families with a child who has special health care needs.
  • GrandFacts. Presents a collection of state fact sheets for grandparents and other relatives taking on primary responsibility for raising their grandchildren. The fact sheets contain information about the range of local support services, benefits, and policies they need to fulfill their caregiving role.
  • Mothers of Supertwins (MOST): Local Parent of Multiples Support Groups. Register to get a list of support groups.
  • National Black Child Development Institute: NBCDI Affiliate Offices. Click on a city to locate NBCDI affiliate chapters that provide direct services at the community level to improve child welfare services, advocate for universal early care and education, build family support services, press for educational reform, and provide information on children's health to improve and protect the quality of life of African-American children and families.
  • National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs: Find a Local Club. Search by zip code to find a local support group for parents of multiples.
  • Parent to Parent USA (P2P-USA): Statewide Parent to Parent Programs. Presents contact information for parent-to-parent programs in states that have such programs. The programs provide emotional support and information to families of children with special health care needs, most notably by matching parents seeking support with a trained and experienced veteran parent who has shared the experience of disability in the family.
  • See the MCH Library list Family Resource Centers for information about national organizations that can connect families to local support networks. Also see the collection of family resource briefs.
  • See NICHCY's State Specific Resources to find organizations for parents.
  • See the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health and the Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) and Community Parent Resource Centers (CPRCs).

Marriage and family therapists

  • American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT): TherapistLocator.net. Search by name, city, state, and zip code to find an AAMFT marriage and family therapist member.

Respite care for caregivers or families of individuals with disabilities or other special needs

  • ARCH National Respite Network: National Respite Locator Service. Contains contact information for state respite coalitions and a locator service to assist parents, caregivers, and professionals in locating respite services in their state and local area to match their specific needs.
  • Also see the Home Health Care and Hospice Care Section.

Services for military personnel and their families

  • Military OneSource. Offers a 24-hour toll-free information and referral service for military personnel and their families on issues such as child care, personal finances, emotional support during deployments, relocation information, or resources needed for special circumstances. Telephone: (800) 342-9647.
  • Specialized Training of Military Parents (STOMP). Search by state to find contact information for volunteers in each state who are parents of children with special needs and have experience in raising their children in military communities and traveling with their spouses to different locations. Telephone: (800) 572-7368 (5-PARENT) (Voice or TDD).
  • Also see the 2-1-1 Information and Referral System.

Sudden and other unexpected infant death prevention and intervention services

  • First Candle/SIDS Alliance. Provides a nationwide 24-hour toll-free hotline in English and Spanish on ways to help infants survive and thrive and for bereavement support. For expectant and new parents, parents who have experienced the death of an infant, and professionals working with families. Telephone: (800) 221-7437.
  • State SIDS and Infant Death Program Contacts. Click on a state for contact information to learn about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome research and risk-reduction efforts in your state.
  • Also see the MCH Library knowledge path Infant Mortality and Pregnancy Loss.