Clark County's child abuse reporting hot line is ripe for help itself.

An independent review of hot line operations released on Tuesday confirmed the preliminary findings made public in October -- of the 1,500 calls received during a five-day period in June, only about 9 percent involved child abuse emergencies.

The bulk of the caller load was made up of nonabuse-reporting inquiries from parents, requests for driving directions from Department of Family Services staff, or personal calls to hot line workers.

"The Clark County Family Services hot line is not a hot line at all," consultant John Goad said in his evaluation. "Rather, it is a reception center that, almost as an aside, screens referrals of child abuse and neglect."

The report also found hot line supervision was inadequate, as was training for staff. Lack of adequate training can lead staff members unprepared to make the right decision on whether a call should be investigated.

"Overall, good decisions were made in 77 percent of the referrals considered," Goad said in the report. "The hot line was far more likely to screen referrals in that should have been screened out (13 percent of the time) than it was to screen referrals out that should have been screened in (only 2 percent of the time)."

The report makes 12 recommendations for improving hot line efficiency, many of which already have been set in motion. Tom Morton, director of Clark County Child and Family Services, said staff members have been directed to call clerical workers -- not the hot line -- from the field should they require assistance. Supervision of the hot line also will be expanded in January, as part of an overall improvement plan for the department.

Family Services is recruiting for 121 new positions that can be filled Jan. 1. Many of those jobs will be dedicated to the formation of 24-hour Child Protective Services response teams that can respond to hot line emergencies around the clock.

The report does identify deficiencies, Morton said, but those deficiencies are being improved upon.

Complaints about the hot line this year have centered on the length of time it takes for callers to get through. Even mandatory reporters, such as doctors, teachers and law enforcement have reported trouble in using the hot line. That prompted Clark County to initiate the study, which cost about $19,000.

Morton said Goad will continue to work with Family Services on improving hot line operational procedure.