Childline appeal for more volunteers
Demand on the service continues to rise
Last updated 28th Jun 2019
Article by Sonal Lad
In the lead up to the summer holidays, the charity NSPCC and Childline are expecting a surge in calls and messages from children during this period.
With an increase in demand for Childline services, the service manager of the Manchester base Anna Krala says that more volunteers are needed because more than half of young people who want to speak to someone are unable too.
She explained that, after the surge of calls during the exam period from children suffering from stress, the holidays bring another set of new problems such as being home alone, isolation and anxiety.
“It’s a mix of problems during the holidays and then the added stress of returning back to school from the fear of having to go to a new school or college or troubles from the previous year such as bullying.”
Childline, which was created by Esther Rantzen in 1986, is the leading charity fighting to end child abuse and run by thousands of volunteers around the country and joined the NSPCC in 2006.
The service that runs 24 hours a day, all year long costs around £30,000 a day to run and 90% of their funding comes from donations and relies on volunteers to provide help to children.
The services have already helped over 4 million children and impacted their lives in a positive way.
Karen Wernham was one of the first to use Childline when it started after suffering sexual abuse from her father after her parents split up and said it changed her life.
Karen attempted to take her life several times but, on this one occasion, walked to a local park and phoned up Childline after seeing Esther Rantzen talk about it on the television show That’s Life.
She said: “The lady that I spoke too was gorgeous, and she made me realise that everything wasn’t my fault and that life was worth living.”
When Karen first contacted the helpline, the only method to do this was over the phone.
Since then, they have adapted to changes in lifestyle by introducing new ways of contacting the service either through the website or a mobile.
Between 2018/19, more than three-quarters of the 20,982 sessions the volunteers in Manchester delivered was done online.
From these figures, statistics from the Manchester base show that 8% of those children under the age of 11, 43% were between the ages of 12-15, 28% were 16-18 and the rest were unknown.
The main issues volunteers heard were those surrounding mental health, family relationships and suicidal thoughts through an increase in pressures and dangers for young people.
Karen said that support of Childline and the volunteers meant that she could face up to what happened to her when she was at her lowest point.
She is now hoping that, by telling her story, she can help other children come forward and contact the service if they need help or someone to talk too.
“Speak to Childline. They’re there, they are listening and it’s important that you make that first step because, by speaking, barriers start coming down and you can start getting on with your life.”
Anyone wishing to volunteer their time to Childline can visit the NSPCC website at www.nspcc.org.uk/what-you-can-do or go to their local NSPCC base for information