Tag: 24/7 support

Childline delivered over 200 counselling sessions to children in Scotland over the 12 days of Christmas last year

  • Landmarks across Scotland will light up green next week as a reminder that Childline will be there as a lifeline for children this festive season.
  • Childline will remain open 24/7, including Christmas day.

Childline delivered 240 counselling sessions to children in Scotland during the 12 days of Christmas last year1, the NSPCC-run service reveals as it prepares to support young people round the clock this festive holiday.

As this year’s festive season fast approaches, Childline counsellors know that while many children will be looking forward to spending time with their loved ones, for others Christmas can be a challenging time.

Next week, on the longest night of the year (Friday, December 22), landmarks across Scotland including Glasgow and Dundee science centres, Glasgow Botanic Gardens, The Falkirk Wheel and Camera Obscura Edinburgh will join dozens more across the UK in lighting up green to create a striking visual reminder that Childline is there for children and young people in their darkest hours.

For some, spending an extended amount of time at home with their family can lead to tensions or amplify existing issues and this can leave many children feeling upset and isolated.

Concerns that children shared with Childline last Christmas included:

  • Increased family conflict.
  • Facing their first Christmas without a loved one.
  • Struggling to cope with their own mental health or family members who have mental health issues.
  • Concerns about parents or carers drinking more than usual over the Christmas period.
  • Feeling worried or guilty about Christmas placing additional financial pressure on their family.
  • Struggling with eating or body issues, such as feeling pressure to eat more than usual, worried about eating in front of other people or having to hide disordered eating habits.

A few of the young people in Scotland who contacted Childline last year said:

“My parents argue a lot and sometimes hit each other. It makes me feel scared and my mum threatens to leave. It’s worse at Christmas, or any special days.”

“My mum is threatening to kick me out of the house because she said I ruined Christmas.”

“I went to stay with my dad over Christmas. my mum’s been acting really weird with me since I got back.”

Childline volunteer, Jess Copner (53) from Aberdeenshire, has volunteered on Christmas day for the past two years and is on duty on Christmas Eve this year. The mum and secondary school teacher said: “I did a shift last year which started at 7.15am so I had to be very organised and did lots of food preparation and gift wrapping beforehand.

“As my children are older they were just getting up when I got back, so I didn’t miss out on much at home.

“Volunteering for Childline is not completely altruistic, I also get a lot out of it. It’s great to give something back, especially at Christmas, it makes me feel good to know I’m helping others.”

Adeniyi Alade, service head of Childline, based in Aberdeen, said: “Sadly we know Christmas is not always a happy time for children. Hundreds of young people in Scotland contact Childline every year during the festive break.

“For some young people the issues they face all year round can become worse at this time of year, with societal pressures and expectations being added to existing problems.

“With schools closed for the holiday, children also have limited access to wider support networks which can increase feelings of loneliness and isolation.

“Christmas can also place a number of extra pressures on families, from financial to emotional, and for those children who are struggling with a range of issues our trained counsellors can provide a real lifeline.”

To enable the charity to be there for all children this festive season, visit the NSPCC website to donate to the charity’s Christmas appeal. Just £4 could help a counsellor answer a call.

You can also help raise vital funds for the service by rallying your friends and family to sign up to the Walk for Children and walk 5k on the 22nd of December.

The Childline service is here for children every day, even on Christmas Day. Children can contact Childline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. When a child needs help and Christmas means abuse, Childline is a lifeline and it’s vital that our counsellors are here and ready to listen and support children across the UK. 

Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or childline.org.uk

Pet first aid becomes lifesaver for seriously injured dog

Two-year-old Labrador Reggie was out enjoying a Sunday evening walk with his loving owner when disaster struck, and PDSA’s pet first aid advice had to be put into practice.

While running through the woods with his canine brother, Ronnie; Reggie sliced his paw open on some broken glass that had been discarded on the ground.

With blood pouring from his cut paw, over a mile from the car and unfortunately no supplies on hand, Reggie’s owner, Jess, utilised her recently learnt pet first aid knowledge to wrap the serious wound with a makeshift bandage.

To help stem the bleeding, Jess ripped off a piece of her clothing and applied pressure to the cut. She then covered it with a poo bag, tied loosely round Reggie’s ankle, to keep it clean while they made their way back to the car.

Once home, Jess unwrapped the bandage to clean Reggie’s paw and realised it was still bleeding heavily. She immediately called the vet, who directed them to head straight to their out of hours service.

After being examined, the vet informed Jess that the deep cut had damaged a major blood vessel and would need stitches under general anaesthetic. Luckily the procedure went smoothly and just a few hours later, Reggie was discharged and able to go home for some well-needed rest and recuperation, while his paw heeled.

PDSA Vet Lynne James said: “It can be extremely worrying when your pet has an accident or gets injured, especially if you’re far from home and you haven’t got your pet first aid kit with you.

“In Reggie’s case, his owner did exactly the right thing and helped stem a potentially life-threatening bleed, preventing further contamination and infection to the wound – thanks to the lifesaving advice learnt from our pet first aid leaflet.

“Our guide covers everything from what to do if your pet is having a seizure, to how to cool your pet down safely if they develop life-threatening heatstroke.

You never know when disaster might strike so it’s very useful to be clued up on pet first aid – it could save a life in an emergency.”

Jess said: “After reading through all of PDSA’s pet first aid advice in the guide, we made sure we had a complete pet first aid kit for the dogs, but I didn’t have it with me on our walk. Despite that, the advice in the guide ended up really being a ‘lifesaver’ when Reggie cut his paw.”

PDSA’s pet first aid guide is available for FREE, you can download your own copy from PDSA’s website: https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-first-aid  

PDSA relies on donations to deliver life-saving treatment to hundreds of thousands of pets through its 48 Pet Hospitals across the UK. To help keep people and their pets together in times of need, the charity is urgently calling on the public’s support.

To find out more about PDSA’s vital work, or to donate, visit www.pdsa.org.uk

Edinburgh Crisis Centre supports people in crisis 24/7 despite lockdown

Leading mental health charity, Penumbra, whose team manage the Edinburgh Crisis Centre are continuing to support people experiencing a mental health crisis despite lockdown.

The charity is doubling up on efforts to make sure people across Edinburgh know there is a 24/7 crisis service available to them during the pandemic.

The Edinburgh Crisis Centre is managed by Penumbra on a daily basis and by a representative group involving Centre user representatives (supported by Advocard), NHS Lothian, City of Edinburgh Council, and the Edinburgh Carers’ Council as part of an ongoing Public Social Partnership.

The Penumbra team at the Crisis Centre supports around 2000 people each year.

People aged 16 and over living in Edinburgh can contact the Centre for support by email or freephone: crisis@edinburghcrisiscentre.org.uk  – 0808 801 0414. The team also have a facebook page.

Penumbra is one of Scotland’s largest mental health charities supporting 1800 adults and young people each week across Scotland. In addition to grassroots support services, the charity also campaigns nationally to promote positive messages around mental health and works with government to improve mental health policies. 

The charity is a member of the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group and is a partner in #UnitedToPreventSuicide.

Edinburgh Crisis Centre Manager, Barrie Hunter, commented: “Our team here at the Edinburgh Crisis Centre provides short term emotional and mental health support to people in the city who are in distress or who are at risk of suicide and self-harm, and we provide a safe and non-judgemental environment where people can talk in confidence.

“There’s constant demand for support from the Crisis Centre, and it’s not unusual that many of the calls that come in are from people who are extremely distressed and need support immediately.

“The pandemic has been daunting for everyone, but there’s a real risk that people already living with mental ill health could find themselves in real distress. The added pressures of dealing with the isolation, financial worries, and other impacts of lockdown are potentially creating a perfect storm for people reaching crisis.

“At any given time, 1 in 20 of us is experiencing thoughts of suicide. It remains a subject that we find difficult to talk about, but as a leading cause of death among young people and with men in their middle years particularly vulnerable, it’s vital that we open up. The one thing we can all do is talk openly about suicide and encourage conversations around mental wellbeing. 

“It’s important for people to know that even during lockdown they can still contact us for support 24/7.”

HELPLINE: 0808 801 0414