ChildLine
Encyclopedia
ChildLine is a free 24 hour counselling service for children and young people
up to 18 in the UK provided by the NSPCC
. ChildLine deals with any issue which causes distress or concern, common issues dealt with include child abuse
, bullying, parental separation or divorce
, pregnancy
and substance misuse.
, presenter of That's Life!
, a popular consumer TV show, suggested to the BBC that they create "Childwatch", a programme about child abuse, the aim being to try to detect children at risk before their lives were in danger. Viewers were asked if they would take part in the survey in an edition of That's Life!, A helpline was opened after the programme so that any child currently suffering abuse could call for help. Rantzen, together with her BBC producers Sarah Caplin
and Ritchie Cogan, therefore suggested they should create a helpline specifically for children in danger or distress, to be open throughout the year, 24/7, and launch it on the programme. The project was made possible by a benefactor Ian Skipper who underwrote the charity for the first three years.
ChildLine joined the NSPCC
in February 2006, and extra resources were pledged in an attempt to ensure that no child's call goes unanswered.
, staffed largely by volunteers. The bases are located in Glasgow and Aberdeen (where the service is provided by the Scottish children's charity Children 1st), Manchester, Liverpool, Prestatyn, Birmingham, Nottingham, London, Belfast and Foyle, supported by the online only centres at Leeds and Cardiff. A restructure in 2011 saw the closure of the ChildLine bases in Exeter and Edinburgh, with Swansea relocating to Cardiff. As many as 4,500 children phone ChildLine every day, though only 2,500 of these callers can be answered. Since the merger with the NSPCC the service has expanded, and depends on public generosity to pay for the children's phone calls.
Unlike most other freephone helplines, Childline offers confidentiality to children unless their lives are in immediate danger. This is seen as one of the greatest strengths of the service, as it allows children to discuss their problems "safely" in the knowledge that no intervention will take place without their consent. The tragedy of child abuse is that the majority of children suffer in silence because they have been told that if they seek help they will not be believed, or they are threatened into silence, or they fear that intervention will inevitably shatter such happiness as they have, for example, break up the family. Children who ring ChildLine to disclose abuse are often encouraged to seek help from "trusted adults", the aim being to protect the child from harm causing as little ancillary damage as possible. ChildLine's counsellors are trained to use role play and empathy to build children's confidence. ChildLine offers its own training programme for volunteers who come from widely varied backgrounds, but must be over 16. Many counsellors have worked for years for the charity.
Calls to ChildLine do not appear on phone bills. Despite most mobile phone operators charging for freephone 0800 calls, calls to ChildLine's number are not charged by any UK mobile network. Calls are free, can be made at any time, day or night and children can ring about any problem, if a problem is important to children and young people, it is important to ChildLine.
ChildLine raise funds through several channels, including direct donations through the NSPCC, partnerships, events such as The X Factor ChildLine Ball and through third-party fundraising organisations such as Justgiving
.
under contract to the NSPCC
, and is available to all children and young people in Scotland up to 18 years of age. It has bases in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.
's Childline India Foundation
, Ireland
, Botswana
, Namibia
, South Africa
, Trinidad and Tobago
, Gibraltar
and Zimbabwe
. There is also a ChildLine service in Lithuania
. Some of these are independent charities; others have been set up by existing children's charities or more general helplines.
Childline in Ireland is run by the ISPCC
(Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) it was set up in 1989. In 2006 a text and online service, in association with Zamano
, was established to increase the availability of the listening service for children in Ireland.
NSPCC - Official site
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
up to 18 in the UK provided by the NSPCC
NSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
. ChildLine deals with any issue which causes distress or concern, common issues dealt with include child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
, bullying, parental separation or divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
and substance misuse.
Confidentiality
ChildLine's intention is to always keep calls confidential. ChildLine counsellors only take action if the situation is very serious or life threatening. Counsellors do not record calls but write down case notes of calls and sometimes counselling supervisors may also listen in to calls to make sure that they can help the best they can.History of Childline UK
In 1986 Esther RantzenEsther Rantzen
Esther Louise Rantzen CBE is an English journalist and television presenter who is best known for presenting the BBC television series That's Life!, and for her work in various charitable causes. She is founder of the child protection charity ChildLine, and also advocates the work of the Burma...
, presenter of That's Life!
That's Life!
That's Life! was a magazine-style television series on BBC1 between 26 May 1973 and 19 June 1994, presented by Esther Rantzen throughout the entire run, with various changes of co-presenters. The show was generally recorded about an hour prior to transmission, which was originally on Saturday...
, a popular consumer TV show, suggested to the BBC that they create "Childwatch", a programme about child abuse, the aim being to try to detect children at risk before their lives were in danger. Viewers were asked if they would take part in the survey in an edition of That's Life!, A helpline was opened after the programme so that any child currently suffering abuse could call for help. Rantzen, together with her BBC producers Sarah Caplin
Sarah Caplin
Sarah Caplin is a British producer and television executive at ITV, married to TV presener Nick Ross for 25 years. and is a former employee of the BBC...
and Ritchie Cogan, therefore suggested they should create a helpline specifically for children in danger or distress, to be open throughout the year, 24/7, and launch it on the programme. The project was made possible by a benefactor Ian Skipper who underwrote the charity for the first three years.
ChildLine joined the NSPCC
NSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
in February 2006, and extra resources were pledged in an attempt to ensure that no child's call goes unanswered.
UK Operations
ChildLine has 12 counselling centres around the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, staffed largely by volunteers. The bases are located in Glasgow and Aberdeen (where the service is provided by the Scottish children's charity Children 1st), Manchester, Liverpool, Prestatyn, Birmingham, Nottingham, London, Belfast and Foyle, supported by the online only centres at Leeds and Cardiff. A restructure in 2011 saw the closure of the ChildLine bases in Exeter and Edinburgh, with Swansea relocating to Cardiff. As many as 4,500 children phone ChildLine every day, though only 2,500 of these callers can be answered. Since the merger with the NSPCC the service has expanded, and depends on public generosity to pay for the children's phone calls.
Unlike most other freephone helplines, Childline offers confidentiality to children unless their lives are in immediate danger. This is seen as one of the greatest strengths of the service, as it allows children to discuss their problems "safely" in the knowledge that no intervention will take place without their consent. The tragedy of child abuse is that the majority of children suffer in silence because they have been told that if they seek help they will not be believed, or they are threatened into silence, or they fear that intervention will inevitably shatter such happiness as they have, for example, break up the family. Children who ring ChildLine to disclose abuse are often encouraged to seek help from "trusted adults", the aim being to protect the child from harm causing as little ancillary damage as possible. ChildLine's counsellors are trained to use role play and empathy to build children's confidence. ChildLine offers its own training programme for volunteers who come from widely varied backgrounds, but must be over 16. Many counsellors have worked for years for the charity.
Calls to ChildLine do not appear on phone bills. Despite most mobile phone operators charging for freephone 0800 calls, calls to ChildLine's number are not charged by any UK mobile network. Calls are free, can be made at any time, day or night and children can ring about any problem, if a problem is important to children and young people, it is important to ChildLine.
ChildLine raise funds through several channels, including direct donations through the NSPCC, partnerships, events such as The X Factor ChildLine Ball and through third-party fundraising organisations such as Justgiving
Justgiving
JustGiving is a private for-profit company formed in 2000 for the administration of charitable donations. The company's website provides online fundraising tools to enable the electronic collection of donations.- Details :...
.
Childline Scotland
Childline Scotland is run by Children 1stChildren 1st
Children 1st is a Scottish charity which aims to give every child in Scotland a safe and secure childhood. Also known as the Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children , Children 1st supports families under stress, protects children from harm and neglect, promotes children’s...
under contract to the NSPCC
NSPCC
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a United Kingdom charity campaigning and working in child protection.-History:...
, and is available to all children and young people in Scotland up to 18 years of age. It has bases in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.
International
Similar children's helplines using the name ChildLine have been formed in a number of countries. As of 2005 these included IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's Childline India Foundation
Childline India Foundation
CHILDLINE India Foundation is a non-profit organization that function as a nodal agency for CHILDLINEs across India. The goal of CIF is to reach out to marginalised children in need of care and protection...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. There is also a ChildLine service in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. Some of these are independent charities; others have been set up by existing children's charities or more general helplines.
Childline in Ireland is run by the ISPCC
Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is an Irish charity that advocates for children's rights and provides services for children in need...
(Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) it was set up in 1989. In 2006 a text and online service, in association with Zamano
Zamano
Zamano is a publicly listed internet and mobile technology company based in Dublin. Established in 2000, Zamano concentrates on mobile commerce, marketing and customer relationship management.- Business structure :...
, was established to increase the availability of the listening service for children in Ireland.
Telephone Number
The freephone number, 0800 1111 was one of the first 0800 numbers to be issued in the United Kingdom. Early allocated numbers were 10 digit, including the code. ChildLine's number is thought to be the only 8 digit 0800 number to be allocated.External links
- ChildLine UK - official site
- ChildLine set to join NSPCC
- Childline India - Official site of Childline India Foundation
- Childline Ireland - Official site
- Childline Japan - Official site
- Childline Trinidad and Tobago - Official site
NSPCC - Official site