Tag: Dame Esther Rantzen

Concern for the future is Scottish teenagers’ most common worry, Childline reveals

CHILDLINE SERVICE MARKS 40 YEARS

  • New NSPCC polling shows a third (33%) of young people in Scotland worry about ‘what the future will bring’.
  • And almost one in three teenagers (31%) said mental health was a top concern, while around one in five cited the state of the world (21%).
  • As Childline marks its 40th anniversary on October 30th, the service is reminding children and young people its counsellors are ready to support them with any worries.

One in three teenagers in Scotland (33%) say they are worried about what the future will bring, making it the most common concern among young people in the country today according to new NSPCC polling released to mark Childline’s 40th anniversary.

The survey of 262 teenagers in Scotland, conducted by Savanta, also found that around one in five young people (21%) are troubled by the state of the world and around one in three (31%) said mental health was a top concern. Only 15% cited social media and being online as a major worry.

In a parallel poll, 256 adults in Scotland – who were teenagers when Childline launched in 1986 – said social media and being online (76%), body image and appearance (50%) and mental health issues (49%) were the main reasons why it was harder being a teenager now than when they were growing up.

The new polling comes as Childline marks 40 years of supporting children and young people across the UK and just weeks after Childline Founder and President, Dame Esther Rantzen, sadly died.

On Thursday 30th October 1986, Childline opened its telephone lines and received 50,000 attempted calls from young people seeking help and support.

Since the launch of Childline, the service has delivered over 6 million counselling sessions to children on a range of topics, including abuse, online harms and bullying.

During its early years, physical and sexual abuse were the most common reasons young people contacted Childline for help. Today, and for the past decade, mental health has consistently been the number one concern.

The way children access support has also changed significantly over the last forty years. In Childline’s first decade, more than half of contacts came via telephone boxes, with the remainder made through landline phones.

Today, almost three quarters of Childline contacts take place online, with trained counsellors providing support through one-to-one chats alongside the service’s telephone helpline.

Rebecca Wilcox, Deputy President of Childline, said: “I’m not sure even my ever-prescient mother could have predicted just what a huge impact Childline would make on young people’s lives when she launched the service in 1986.

“Since then, millions of children have benefitted from this unique service, and from having somewhere safe to go. Childline is confidential, open 24 hours a day, and there for young people whenever they needed help and felt they had nowhere else to turn.

“40 years on, Mum leaves behind an incredible legacy, and it is now up to all of us who support Childline to carry on this vital work and continue to listen to children and provide a space for them that they can trust. We must always ensure we are here for children and young people now, next year and long into the future.

“I am so proud and thankful to be part of Childline and its ongoing journey. Thank you to all those Childline volunteers, staff and supporters who work tirelessly to ensure that no child ever feels alone. Thank you from both mum and me. “

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Childline, actor, producer and NSPCC’s Ambassador for Childline, Natalie Dormer, has released a podcast celebrating the service.

Natalie Dormer, Actor, Producer and NSPCC’s Ambassador for Childline, said: “These last months after interviewing a cohort of the incredible Childline Volunteer Counsellors across the country for my documentary podcast CHILD ON THE LINE, and talking to Childline staff and brave past contacts, I am in deep gratitude more than ever for the helpline and the courage that children and young people find to reach out.

“It is striking to explore what is so very different from previous decades for the contacts, yet what fundamentally remains constant: Our responsibility to listen to our children.”

Chris Sherwood, CEO of the NSPCC, said: “Young people are growing up in a world that often feels fast paced and constantly changing. Our findings reveal how many are grappling with concerns about the future, the world around them and their mental health, which reinforces why Childline remains as important as ever.

“Forty years after Childline was founded by the remarkable Dame Esther Rantzen, our counsellors around the UK continue to provide a safe, confidential space where children and young people can talk openly about anything that is troubling them. Whatever their concern, Childline will be there to listen and help them find a way forward.”

Childline is reminding young people that it is there for them 24/7 via the phone on 0800 1111 and online through the 1-2-1 chat service on the Childline website.

Dame Esther sends message of support to children in Scotland

  • December 2020 saw Childline deliver a record number of counselling sessions across the UK for a single month*
  • NSPCC launches its ‘Here for Children’ TV Christmas Appeal
  • On 21st December, NSPCC supporters will take to the streets to walk 5K so the NSPCC can be here for children this Christmas, as landmarks across the UK, including the Glasgow Science Centre and the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh, light up green in support of the charity 

Childline is here for every child struggling or feeling alone this Christmas, is Dame Esther Rantzen’s message to children in Scotland after UK counselling sessions about loneliness peaked during last year’s festive period.

The NSPCC-run service Childline, which has bases in Aberdeen and Glasgow, can today reveal the service delivered a record number of almost 600 monthly sessions about this concern to children across the UK last December.

From April 2020 to March 2021 there were 6,039 counselling sessions about loneliness with children from across the UK, marking an all-time high for a single year. This is an increase of nearly half (49%) over the past four years.

The NSPCC has long highlighted that many children and young people struggle with loneliness and isolation. The data released today suggests that these feelings were exacerbated during the pandemic, as schools were closed, and they were forced to stay at home. Children shared with Childline’s counsellors that these experiences were particularly acute over the festive period, as households were unable to mix.

Dame Esther Rantzen, Founder of Childline said: “At Childline we know how painful Christmas can be for some children, particularly when the media is filled with pictures of families happily celebrating together, and they are feeling alone and unloved. A child once described it to us as like looking through a shop window where everything inside is warm and bright, and you are outside where it’s cold and dark. 

“The festive period can be especially difficult for children who are struggling with their mental health or are in homes that are unsafe. Given the impact of the pandemic, it is no surprise that this year we’ve seen record numbers of children from across the UK get in touch with us about loneliness.

“The lockdowns exacerbated these feelings for some young people, especially when schools had to close, and they couldn’t see the friends and family they loved and needed.

“Last Christmas was one of the toughest in living memory, bringing with it great sadness and challenges for many children. And we want to remind children in Scotland who are struggling or feeling alone that our Childline counsellors, working from bases across the UK including Glasgow and Aberdeen, are there for them whenever they need to talk to someone, and that they can contact us by phone or on-line, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.”

The charity can also reveal that loneliness is particularly affecting younger children. In 2020/21, there was a 47 percent increase in counselling sessions with children aged 11 and under when compared to the year before.

Young people who contacted Childline about loneliness also talked about being unhappy, feeling unloved and generally low. Some described it as a dark experience that was overwhelming. As well as loneliness, the top reasons children turn to the service for support with their mental health include anxiety and stress, low mood, and depression.

Childline is staffed by 1,200 Childline volunteer counsellors across the UK and last month celebrated its 35th birthday.

A 14-year-old boy from Scotland told a Childline counsellor: “I self-harmed a couple of days ago after being clean for a year and it triggered a panic attack. I think I self-harmed because I felt lonely and bored.

“I just don’t know what to do anymore and really regret what I have done. I am bored with life and am lonely because I don’t get to see anyone because of COVID. I don’t have the energy to arrange to meet up with anyone.”

In response to concerns about children this Christmas, the NSPCC has launched its ‘Here for Children’ TV Christmas Appeal. The advert sees Childline counsellors taking calls at Christmas from children struggling with loneliness and isolation, suicidal thoughts and feelings and physical abuse.

Christmas can be a very challenging time for children who suffer from abuse, neglect and are struggling with their mental health. Cut off from school and other support, it is vital they have somewhere to turn.

The NSPCC is reaching out to the public to support its Here for Children Appeal and make a donation, so Childline counsellors can answer a child’s call for help this Christmas.

Despite the challenges of the past 18 months, as well as seeking support from Childline counsellors, young people accessed Childline online resources, information, and tools to support their mental health in ways and at times that were most convenient and helpful to them.

Childline saw huge increases in the number of young people using the website to access information, advice and resources.

Landmarks light up green as people walk for children

On the 21st December, which is the longest night of the year, hundreds of people will walk 5K to support the NSPCC.

On this night, landmarks across the UK, including Glasgow Science Centre and the Camera Obscura in Edinburgh, are also supporting the charity by lighting up and turning the NSPCC’s trademark green colour. The people taking to the streets to walk and the landmarks lighting up green represent the hard-working Childline counsellors who are there for children, offering a beacon of light in their darkest times.

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, Childline can be a lifeline. When a child feels like they have nowhere else to turn to, it’s vital that the NSPCC is here, ready to listen and support children across the UK.