National Hotline for Missing Adults 1017

"The Smile of the Child" operates the “National Hotline for Missing Adults 1017”.

The Hotline receives anonymous and branded reports on missing adults and in cooperation with the competent bodies immediately activates its search mechanism to locate them, while providing free-of-charge support to the family members and caretakers of the missing.

The Hotline operates in implementation of the Cooperation Agreement undersigned between the Organization and the competent actors, the Ministry of Citizen Protection and the Hellenic Police, and in compliance with the statute of the Organization, concerning the management of cases of disappearances of adults from 18 to 60 years,

• who are at risk (mental deprivation, psychological problems, etc.)
• are gone missing after accidents and natural disasters (fire, earthquake, shipwreck, landslides, floods, etc.),
• are going through serious health problems and/or are under medication treatment (experiencing orientation problems, psychological problems, suicidal tendencies, mental deprivation, etc).

The 1017 Hotline is staffed exclusively by qualified social workers and psychologists and:

• It has a nationwide reach
• It is available on a non-stop 24/7 basis, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• Calls are free from landline and mobile phones, while calling from prepaid phones does not require available units.

At the operational level, the 1017 Hotline utilizes:

• the Search & Rescue Team "Thanasis Makris" with the participation of certified canine teams
• a customized fleet of vehicles (jeeps, ATVs, ambulances, motorcycle)
• the "Odysseas" Mobile Lab of Information, Education, and Technology which transforms into an Emergency Operational Center for crisis management
• while through the Hotline 1017, two more systems get activated
  o The Missing Alert Hellas, the National Coordinating Program for early and valid notification of citizens in cases of disappearance of adults, up to 60 years, as well as
  o The Missing Alert App, an advanced mobile phone application that contributes to the faster detection of missing persons.

Calls are received in 8 call centers, nationwide, which are interconnected as one, and are equipped with state-of-the-art hardware and software, ensuring a maximum waiting time of 12sec. for each call.

The Call Centers are situated at

• Attica: Maroussi, Kareas, Agia Paraskevi and Piraeus
• Out of Attica: Thessaloniki, Patras, Kavala, Heraklion
• while they are interconnected with the Centers of Direct Social and Medical Intervention of the Organization throughout Greece, namely in Larissa, Corfu, Chalkida, Corinth, Pyrgos, Rethymnon and Chania.

It is worth noting that "The Smile of the Child" also operates a Disaster Recovery Area at the Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the under any conditions.

The Hotline 1017 is also interconnected with the SAWA Help & Support Line in Palestine, is a member of the Child Helplines International (CHI), and experiences interpreters can also serve Arabic-speaking persons in our country.

“The Smile of the Child” operates the National Hotline for Missing Adults 1017 from 2021, on approval and numbering granted by the National Committee of Telecommunications and Post.