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Childline

Childline is the UK’s free, 24-hour service for children and young people. Run by the NSPCC, Childline gives children and young people up to the age of 19 confidential support with whatever is worrying them.

If you think a child or young person needs some support, you can always let them know that Childline is there.

What is Childline and how does it support children?

Childline provides support to children and young people online, on the phone, anytime.

Online information and support

The Childline website provides information and advice on a wide range of topics that children and young people may be worried about.

It also has wellbeing resources like the calm zone, art box, mood journal, games and a mental health first aid kit that children can use to work through their feelings and experiences.

Ask Sam allows young people to write in with their question or problem and a few letters each week are answered on the website providing advice on specific issues.

The Childline message boards provide peer support for young people to share their experiences, ask a question and seek support from other young people in similar situations. All messages are anonymous and are checked by a moderator before being posted.

"I used to think Childline was a place for people with abusive parents, but what I have learnt is that it is a community of understanding strangers who can help you with anything. I can’t express how truly grateful I am for the effort they have put into helping me.”

Girl, 11

1-2-1 support

We also provide direct support to children and young people who contact us.

When young people get in touch with Childline, on the phone, via email or through online chat, they speak to a volunteer Childline counsellor who’s there to listen. Childline counsellors are trained to make young people feel heard, empower them to make positive changes, and safeguard them against abuse or neglect.

“I’m so grateful to Childline for listening to me. I feel like I can talk about all the things I’ve been going through and can say exactly how I feel knowing that I won’t be judged. Childline have helped me loads! Thank you for all your support!”

Girl, 14

Volunteer for Childline

Could you listen to children when they have no where else to turn? Find out more

Volunteer for Childline

Could you listen to children when they have no where else to turn? Find out more

Confidentiality and referrals

Our confidentiality promise is an essential feature of Childline. It creates a safe space for children to speak to us about anything, without the worry that this information will be shared with others.

We work with children and young people to build trust and empower them to access the right support, based on their individual needs.

There are times when Childline’s confidentially promise does not apply and we need to share information with other agencies to keep children safe.

The confidentiality promise does not apply when:

  • the child asks Childline to share information
  • the child or someone else’s life is in danger
  • the child tells us they’re being abused by someone who is known to them by virtue of their professional role or social standing
  • the child is seriously hurting someone else
  • where the age of capacity of the child, or third party, shows that they do not have the ability to make an appropriate decision to promote their safety
  • Childline is required to share information by law, for example, for a court case.

Referrals to other agencies

Most contacts to Childline remain confidential, as we encourage young people to find confidence to talk to their trusted support network. Sometimes, however, to get the right support for the young person Childline needs to contact external agencies and advocate for the young person. Childline always aims to do this with the young person’s consent.

Volunteer for Childline

Could you listen to children when they have no where else to turn? Find out more

Volunteer for Childline

Could you listen to children when they have no where else to turn? Find out more

Ongoing support: regular contact and complex needs

When a young person comes through to Childline, they do not always talk to the same counsellor. To make sure we are offering a consistent service, all our counsellors are trained in the Childline counselling model. We recognise there are some young people who turn to Childline on a regular basis or present with complex needs that require further assessment, support and oversight.

Connect Team

All our counsellors make notes on our system to allow any future contact to be tailored to the individual needs of the young person. When the threshold for regular contact is reached, our Connect Team review of the young person’s complete history and presentation. This may lead to guidance being given to counsellors who respond to the young person’s contacts in future. Sometimes it will lead to a Connect Plan being created.

Connect Plan

When a young person has a Connect Plan, they are allocated a Childline Supervisor who has regular oversight of their contacts to Childline and continually reviews their needs and the best ways for the service to support them.

Supervisors may liaise and work with other professionals in the young person’s life including social workers, school staff, care home staff and mental health practitioners, to make sure agencies’ efforts to safeguard the young person are joined up.

The Connect Team always aims to involve the young person with their Connect plan, where possible, and work together to help them get the support they need. The team will also advocate for children and young people when needed, such as by attending multi-agency meetings.

Partnership working

Childline is always looking for opportunities to collaborate with external agencies to better support children and young people.

If you would like to discuss partnership working opportunities, please contact workingtogether@nspcc.org.uk

Volunteer for Childline

Could you listen to children when they have no where else to turn? Find out more

Volunteer for Childline

Could you listen to children when they have no where else to turn? Find out more

Evidence and insight

Statistics and insight briefings

We share qualitative and quantitative insight into children and young people’s experiences on a range of topics based on contacts to Childline and to our Helpline for anyone concerned about a child.

Research and evaluation

We conduct research to help us improve our services and share our learning.

Podcast episodes

We discuss safeguarding and child protection topics with a range of experts in our NSPCC Learning podcast series.

Listen to the episodes where we talk to Childline colleagues about their work supporting children and young people.

 

Volunteer for Childline

Could you listen to children when they have no where else to turn? Find out more

Volunteer for Childline

Could you listen to children when they have no where else to turn? Find out more

Childline campaigns and posters

Childline posters

Download and share digitally or print and display our series of Childline posters so wherever children and young people are, they know how to contact Childline if they want to talk

> See our range of posters

Childline campaigns

We run campaigns to:

  • promote Childline to children and young people affected by specific issues
  • raise awareness of young people’s experiences amongst adults around them.

> Download posters from some of our campaigns on our poster page

Loneliness

Our Day in the Lonely campaign raised awareness of how loneliness can affect a young person’s mental health and showed the different ways young people can get support from Childline – including emailing a counsellor and using moderated peer-to-peer message boards. This campaign was funded by our partner, Lidl GB.

Child sexual exploitation

The Full Story campaign showed the impact of sexual exploitation and raised awareness of the confidential and non-judgemental support Childline offers, to help young people feel more in control.

Mental health

Our We All Feel It campaign raised awareness of how some people, including boys, find it harder to talk about their mental health, and how Childline understands and can support them if they’re feeling alone.

Feeling different

Our Nobody is Normal campaign reminded young people who feel different that Childline is here for them if they feel left out or isolated.

Volunteer for Childline

Could you listen to children when they have no where else to turn? Find out more

Volunteer for Childline

Could you listen to children when they have no where else to turn? Find out more