Specially trained volunteers at the NSPCC’s Childline service have started delivering counselling sessions by phone from the charity’s base in Cardiff for the first time.
For more than 35 years, Childline – a free and confidential children’s counselling service – has been there for children and young people up to 19-years-old across the UK.
From 12 bases and a virtual team counsellors offer support, guidance and reassurance to children and young people whenever they need it, responding to contacts from across the UK.
Now, the Childline team in Cardiff is changing the way it provides that support, by introducing a phone-based service. Previously, this team has only worked on Childline’s online support.
Louise Israel, Childline Team Manager at the NSPCC’s Cardiff hub, said: “All Childline volunteers across the UK undergo high quality training to support young people. Even so, we are giving additional training to all our volunteers so they feel prepared and ready to talk to children and young people by phone as well as online.
“While a small number of volunteers will remain focused just on our online service, the rest will also take phone calls.
“The first group of volunteers completed their training last month and have very quickly adapted to this way of working. The rest of our volunteers will be joining them as they complete their training.
“Our volunteers are essential to Childline being able to meet the needs of the children and young people who contact us.”
The Cardiff base was one of just two Childline sites (along with Leeds), to pilot online-only counselling sessions in 2011, when it became clear that around 75% of contacts to Childline came via the website.
Since then, online counselling has continued to prove the most common way for young people to seek support but calls to Childline continue to be the most convenient way for some children and young people to get help.
Michala Thomas, Childline Supervisor at the Cardiff base, said: “Being able to hear a child’s voice and their emotions is completely different to chatting online with them.
“Both the child or young person and the counsellors can get so much more with hearing each other’s voices and the care within it.
“It’s so important for us to acknowledge children and young people’s courage in picking up the phone to a stranger and talking about things they may never have shared with anyone before. You might be the first person they’ve spoken to about something and it’s a privilege they’ve chosen Childline – and chosen you to trust in that moment.”
Borbala Martos, a Childline volunteer counsellor in Cardiff, said: “Taking that first phone call was quite daunting but as soon as I heard their voice I focused on what they wanted to say, trusted my skills and was able to really engage with them very quickly.
“While children and young people are very good at communicating online to give us a sense of who they are and how they are feeling, when I heard their voice I could really hear and feel the emotions in what they were saying, which helped me to connect with them even more.
“I felt very humbled by the trust they gave and how much they were able to say at such a difficult time for them. I’m really glad that we are able to be here when they need us and having phone calls in Cardiff now means we can be there for even more young people in future.”
Tracey Holdsworth, Assistant Director at NSPCC Cymru, said the Childline team at the Cardiff hub were a huge asset to the charity.
Tracey added: “We have made some changes to the Cardiff hub over the last year which have given the Childline team the opportunity to expand and for the introduction of voice calls.
“This is a really positive move, and I’m sure the experience our counsellors have built up over the years will help to support children and young people across Wales and the whole of the UK when they need it most.”
Anyone interested in volunteering for Childline can find out more by attending a virtual or face-to-face Volunteer Information Meeting.
The next will take place at the Cardiff base in Diane Engelhardt House, Treglown Court, Dowlais Road, Cardiff, from 6pm on Monday, December 4.
For more information about volunteering visit www.nspcc.org.uk/support-us or search online for ‘volunteering with Childline’.
Alternatively, email [email protected].
Children and young people can contact Childline about any worries by calling 0800 1111 or visiting the site.
