TV presenter shines light on Childline’s volunteer shortage
It’s been an absolute pleasure to visit Childline
TELEVISION presenter and radio broadcaster Jennifer Reoch recently paid a visit to Childline’s Glasgow base.
She met with volunteer counsellors to gain insight into how they assist children and young people.
This Childline base, part of the UK child protection charity NSPCC, experienced a 40% decrease in volunteer numbers during the Covid- 19 pandemic.
Since the lockdowns came to an end, the rebuilding of the network has been steady but difficult.
As a result, the charity now has less counsellors to take calls for the free helpline while demand is growing.
There is a pressing call for new volunteers to come forward and assist with the charity’s work.
The former Miss Scotland winner used her visit to learn from the Childline counsellors about their duties, as well as the nature of the issues that children and young people bring to them for advice and support.
It’s clear that demand is high with a child reaching out to Childline on average every 45 seconds.
There has been a rise in the number of children communicating about their mental and emotional wellbeing over the last few years.
Some 105,366 counselling sessions were held across the UK in 2022/ 23 in relation to mental/ emotional health, suicide or self- harm. This made up 55% of all counselling sessions.
During the same time period, Childline delivered 4627 counselling sessions on all mental and emotional health and wellbeing topics to children who said they lived in Scotland. This made up 54% of counselling sessions for children in the country.
The Glasgow base is in dire need of volunteers, with a goal to double its current volunteer number from its present figure to 210.
This increase will ensure it can give support to children seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Jennifer said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure to visit Childline, everyone has been so warm and welcoming.
“Talking to volunteers and staff has given me such a better understanding of how vital this service is, and the massive number of calls and interactions they have with young people across the country every day.
“They are an amazing team with brilliant
camaraderie and the support they provide to children and each other has really impressed me.”
Childline Glasgow team manager Lauren Burke said: “I welcome anyone who is interested in volunteering with Childline, to sign up to one of our volunteer information meetings and join our cause to help keep children safe.”
For individuals interested in contributing their time and skills, contact details and additional information can be found on the NSPCC website or directly through volunteerrecruitment@ nspcc. org. uk.
Childline offers comprehensive support to children 24/ 7 through the helpline number 0800 1111 or through an online chat available on its website.