Shaun Friel
Director of Childline
“Childline is a flagship service that offers children and young people a confidential and child centred space to talk about their concerns at any time and through a medium where they remain in control.”
“Childline is a flagship service that offers children and young people a confidential and child centred space to talk about their concerns at any time and through a medium where they remain in control.”
Children don’t always know who to trust with their worries. Without a safe place to turn, they can put their trust in the wrong person or keep their fears to themselves. Home isn’t a safe place for every child, and the pandemic made even more children feel trapped, lonely, and unsure who to trust. Our Childline service is a confidential place for children to contact – over the phone or online – whatever their worry.
As a Childline volunteer you’ll get the opportunity to:
In 2020/21, we delivered 76,000 counselling sessions to children and the young people contacting us for the first time. Childline is always here to listen, whatever their worry.
Childline is a free service, here for every child and young person - whenever they need support or advice. We've delivered an average of around 17,000 counselling sessions a month since the first national lockdown began.
Whatever’s on their mind we’re here to listen – 365 days a year. And we couldn’t keep the service running without the help of our volunteers.
The Childline Virtual Base was established in October 2020 to support the increasing number of children and young people contacting Childline by e mail, and to increase accessibility of volunteering to those who do not live near a physical Childline base. The Virtual Base has 300 home-based volunteers from all four nations of the UK responding to e-mails from young people. Volunteers give a weekly four hour shift online and are supported by supervisors.
As a Childline volunteer you'll be there for young people when they feel they have no one else to turn to, by giving a regular shift of up to 4 hours each week (plus initial training over 12 weeks) at one of our 12 Childline bases across the UK. These are in: Aberdeen and Glasgow (Scotland), Belfast and Foyle (Northern Ireland), Cardiff and Prestatyn (Wales) and Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Nottingham and Salford (England).
You’ll receive training to prepare you for the opportunity and a supervisor will be around at all times to support you during and after your shifts. Every shift includes a briefing and debriefing alongside other volunteers, and our supervisors will also give you regular one-to-one support and group supervision.
Have a look at our open opportunities near where you live:
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