About CALiO™

The Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO™) is a service of the National Children’s Advocacy Center developed as a resource collection for professionals working in fields associated with child abuse. Since its launch in 2004, CALiO™ has provided authoritative resources that contribute to evidence-based practice, informed decision making, and more effective services.

Read about CALiO™'s history and its impact upon the child maltreatment field in this May 2025 article from the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children.  

Twenty Years of Research-Informed Practice through the Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO™)

How can CALiO™ help you? View the video below to find out from some CALiO™ users.

CALiO™ users testimonials

CALiO™ is one of the largest professional resource collections available today, providing access to published knowledge, educational materials, and resources related to child maltreatment.

Since 2014, CALiO™ has greatly expanded its services to professionals beyond the Children’s Advocacy Center community. The expanded CALiO™ Collections offers open access to high-quality information resources for professionals who work in social services, healthcare organizations, law enforcement, youth services and private practice across the U.S. and around the world, combatting child maltreatment.

The Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO™) can help you work smarter and faster. How? CALiO™ provides a comprehensive collection of research literature, databases, statistical references, how-tos and much more in one easy-to-use location.

Many of the resources in CALiO™ are available only to the staff and multidisciplinary (MDT) team members of Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC) around the United States. However, a growing collection of resources called CALiO™Collections is freely accessible to healthcare professionals, law enforcement personnel, prevention professionals, educators, and others who are not associated with a CAC. CALiO™Collections includes publications from government agencies as child welfare organizations, videos, audio files, professional journal articles, reports, and more. CALiO™Collections resources are freely available from the CALiO™ homepage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where is the login to the registered CAC access resources?

A: The login box is located at the top right corner of the CALiO homepage.

Q: I forgot/lost my login information. How can I get this?

A: Contact Muriel Wells at mwells@nationalcac.org.

Q: Is my CAliO log in also used for the Virtual Training Center (VTC)?

A. No. CALiO logins are assigned to each CAC.  You may create a personal login to the VTC.

Q: What does it mean when I see the word “Embargo” following a journal title?

A: “Embargo” is imposed by some journal publishers. This means that the articles are not available electronically through this institution’s subscription for a period of time after publication. The embargo period varies among journal publishers and journals. Embargo periods are usually 6 months, 12 months, or 18 months after print publication. Contact your librarian for newer articles.

Q: Am I eligible to access the full collection?
A: Access to the full collection is provided to children’s advocacy center staff and MDTs, state chapters, Regional CACs, and VOCAA partners.

Q: May I use my CALiO login for the online trainings?
A: No. The online trainings in the NCAC Virtual Training Center are accessed via a personal login set up by each user.

The Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO™) provides information on this site, and in response to specific requests, for educational purposes only. The information provided by CALiO™ is not a substitute for professional counseling, legal advice, qualified social service or the advice of a professional healthcare provider. The health information available on this site complements and does not replace the relationship that exists between you and those professionals.

The NCAC’s CALiO™ wants you to learn as much as possible about issues involving child abuse and neglect and wants your online visit to be safe and secure. We take your privacy very seriously. Only those online visitors who expressly request information and services will receive e-mail communications or any other materials from CALiO™.

Information provided to the CALiO™ librarian is held in strictest confidence, within the parameters defined by law. CALiO™ may use cookies to assist with navigation and searching on this site. These cookies are temporary; present only during your visit.

If you submit information using forms on this site, or by e-mail, telephone or postal mail, CALiO™ will only use personally-identifiable information in response to your request. However, if it is deemed appropriate, your request for information may be referred to another NCAC professional who is in a better position to respond. Aggregated data concerning use of this site and CALiO™ may be used to track trends and plan more effective services.

CALiO™  makes every effort to ensure that the information provided on this site is correct and complete; and endeavors to provide the highest quality information resources and professional library services. However, the NCAC is not responsible for the accuracy of published information or the content of resources available in its collections and offers no guarantee of the comprehensiveness or accuracy of the services and resources available. CALiO™ endeavors to link to useful external websites, but has no control over the accuracy of information or delivery of services from those sites.

You are responsible for your activities and conduct while on this site, and for the use of any information obtained from CALiO™. You agree that the NCAC and its affiliated entities, agents and employees are not liable for damages, costs or expenses (including attorney fees) that you may incur as a result of your access to or use of information obtained from CALiO™.

The National Children’s Advocacy Center is committed to the accessibility of its electronic and information technologies for individuals with disabilities by meeting the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 requires that individuals with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to those who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on us. More information on Section 508 can be found at www.section508.gov.

If you have feedback or concerns related to the accessibility of this webpage and resources contained within it, please contact Muriel Wells via email at mwells@nationalcac.org or phone at 256-327-3854.

Some of the resources available on the CALiO website require Username and Password for access. These are subscription journals and databases governed by contractual licenses with the publishers. Just as the library of a university limits access to its core clientele (students, faculty, staff), access to CALiO subscription resources is similarly limited.

To obtain login privileges for your CAC, directors simply fill out this short Registration Form and submit it to the National Children’s Advocacy Center at calio@nationalcac.org

Once the registration form is reviewed for eligibility and accuracy, access will be activated. The executive director will receive a welcoming e-mail message that contains instructions and policies, and provides a Username and Password for use by professionals on the multidisciplinary team and CAC staff. The Username and Password can be obtained only from the executive director. CALiO staff will not provide a Username and Password to any other individual.

Individuals cannot register for access to CALiO subscription resources.

The executive director (or equivalent top administrator) of an NCA Accredited or Associate Member Children’s Advocacy Center or State Chapter office, within the United States may register their agency/office to enable access for their professional staff.

Developing CACs are not eligible for access. Support for developing CACs is provided by the staff of their Regional CAC and their State Chapter office.

Once a CAC or chapter is registered, members of the multidisciplinary team and administrative staff may be provided a Username and Password by the executive director. If you are a professional in one of the eligible offices, contact your executive director to inquire about access.

Access the following form to request new CALiO login information:

Forgot CALiO Login Information