Childline delivered 682 counselling sessions a month last year to young people from Scotland

•     Last year Childline delivered almost 8,200 counselling sessions to children and young people from Scotland  

•      In more than 700 of these sessions the young person said that Childline was the first place they had shared their concerns

•     Almost all these counselling sessions were conducted online – 59% via 1-2-1 chat and 41% via email.      

•     The NSPCC calls on the public to play their part for children by getting involved in Childhood Day.

The NSPCC’s Childline service delivered nearly 8,200 counselling sessions last year to children and young people from Scotland, with poor mental health, difficulty with family relationships and friendship issues some of the top concerns.

As the charity prepared for its third annual Childhood Day on Friday (June 7th) it issued a rallying call for families to come together to celebrate childhood by signing-up or joining in on one of the many fundraising activities taking place around the country.

In 2023/24 Childline delivered 8,190 counselling sessions to children and young people from Scotland dealing with a range of worries. Almost all these counselling sessions were conducted online – 59% via 1-2-1 chat and 41% via email – highlighting the changing way in which the service is now provided.

In more than 700 sessions the young person said Childline was the first place they had talked about their concern, reinforcing how vital the service continues to be for children.

The new data released by the NSPCC gives an indicator of the issues and problems facing children and young people in 2024. It also highlights the need for children and parents to find fun ways to spend time together and have conversations about what is taking place in their lives.

Childhood Day brings people together across the UK, Jersey and the Channel Islands to celebrate the joys of being a child, while also encouraging people to play their part to help keep children safe.

This year, for the first time ever, we are held a Childline Sports Day in Glasgow’s Golden Jubilee Hotel. This fun-filled event saw 13 teams battle against each other in physical and cerebral activities to win the coveted Sports Day trophy.

There were lots of fun interactive moments, with live linkups from the other Childline sports day events taking place in Manchester and London, to bring everyone together, and a silent auction, donations, raffle, BBQ, drinks and live entertainment.

While children from Festival Park Day Nursery in Lorne Street, Glasgow, visited Kinning Park Care Home residents on Childhood Day on Friday (June 7) for a day of “intergenerational connection” to show the benefits of interaction between young and old, such as children learning from their elders as well as helping to improve the residents’ mental health. The day includde story time, nursery rhymes and games.

Anne Marie Vernel, Depute Head of Festival Park Day Nursery, said: “The children have been building up relationships with the residents over the past few months and thoroughly enjoy visiting the care home. The children also welcomed the residents into the nursery last month and they were very excited about the visit.

“It’s lovely to see the two generations meet and share stories. History is brought to life when the children hear about what life was like for them when they were growing up, and I’m sure the residents areinterested to hear about childhood experiences today as well.”

People can also get involved by volunteering at a Childhood Day collection, taking on the charity’s Childhood Day Mile or donating directly – including at cash donation points in Lidl GB stores. Additionally, on 7th and 8th June Lidl GB donated £1 to the NSPCC for every customer that spends £10, scans the Lidl Plus app and submits their donation.

Collections took place before the Taylor Swift concert at Murrayfield stadium tram station and at Aberdeen beach Asda yesterday (Saturday).

Further collections will take place across Scotland over the coming days: at Central train station, Glasgow, on Thursday, June 13,  at Braehead Shopping Centre, Glasgow, on June, 14 and 21, at the Foo Fighters concert in Glasgow outside Hampden Park stadium on Monday, June 17 and in Glasgow City Centre on Friday, June 7 with the Rock choir.

All the funds raised from Childhood Day will go towards ensuring the NSPCC can continue to deliver services like Childline to those children who need support and feel they have nowhere else to turn.

Childline often hears from young people about how much the service means to them and positively impacts their lives.

One young person aged 14* from Scotland told Childline: “I want to say thank you so much Childline, you’ve really helped me. I know I can come back anytime for reminders on helping my mental health, or check the website, it’s so good!”

Rebecca Wilcox, President of Childline, said: “As a mother, as well as the President of Childline and a volunteer for the service, I believe it’s incredibly important for young people to have a safe space where they can discuss anything that might be troubling them.

“Childline will always be here for every young person, no matter the nature or size of their concern.”

Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC CEO, said: “Every day Childline continues to be a safe port for hundreds of children struggling with a widening range of issues and concerns.

“Events like Childhood Day play an essential part in providing the support we need to keep Childline running day and night for young people, some of whom have nowhere else to turn.  

“As well as raising vital funds for the NSPCC Childhood Day also encourages children and families to celebrate childhood.

 “This is why we are calling on communities, schools and families to take part in fun activities, such as the Childhood Day Mile – where they can hop, skip or jump a mile.”

Lidl GB is sponsoring the NSPCC’s Childhood Day for a third year as retail sponsor. Lidl GB has been partnered with the NSPCC for 7 years, raising over £9 million for the charity in this time.

It is currently supporting young people with their mental health by raising money for Childline. Lidl GB will be helping to raise awareness of Childhood Day, as well as holding its own events and activities with colleagues and customers across Great Britain to help raise vital funds.

Also sponsoring this year’s Childline Sports Day is O2. O2 connects millions of families across the UK and is committed to helping keep children and young people safe when gaming, studying and connecting with friends online.

As part of its sustainability strategy, the Better Connections Plan, the company is working to improve the digital skills and confidence of six million people by the end of 2025.

To find out more , visit:

www.nspcc.org.uk/support-us/charity-fundraising/childhood-day/

NSPCC launches new campaign to support children and young people who feel lonely

  • In response Childline is launching ‘Day in the Lonely’ campaign
  • Funded by Lidl GB, the aim of the campaign is to remind children that support is available 

New data published today by Childline reveals that the service is contacted 15 times a day on average by children across the UK who are struggling with loneliness – often a catalyst for mental health problems.

Between April 2021 and March 2022, the counselling service run by the NSPCC delivered 5,564 counselling sessions with children across the UK on this issue. 

With the support of retailer Lidl GB – which has fundraised for Childline since 2020 – the charity has launched a campaign this week called ‘Day in the Lonely’ to let children struggling with loneliness know that these feelings do not need to last.

Amidst the long-lasting consequences of COVID-19 and the drastic increase in the cost of living, the charity is encouraging young people – with the support of their parents – to speak about their mental health issues early on, so it does not escalate to crisis point.

The charity’s concern comes as it finds a 71% increase in calls from under 11s seeking support for loneliness compared to 2017/2018 figures.

Recently, a Childline counsellor was told by a 10-year-old girl: “I am so lonely as I have no friends at school anymore. I often cry myself to sleep at night…so I called Childline.  I have not told my parents how I am feeling because I don’t think they will take it seriously.”

A Childline counsellor was told by a 17-year-old girl from Scotland: “I have been feeling extremely lonely recently as I feel like all of my friends secretly hate me and don’t want me around no matter how many times they tell me they do like me. This has been something that is making me quite sad and I feel like I don’t have anyone to talk to, so I was just wondering if you have any advice for dealing with this?”

‘Day In the Lonely’

The ‘Day in the Lonely’ campaign includes three videos showing a day in the life of three young people and the different ways they experience loneliness, all of them based on real Childline calls.

One of the videos features Rob – who is feeling lonely and misunderstood despite having lots of people around him – being in a football team and regularly socialising.

Childline insight

Childline’s trained counsellors hear from lonely children who feel that way due to being left out of friendship groups and social media chats, whereas others say their loneliness stems from feeling negatively about themselves or feeling like their friends or family don’t understand them.

Young people told Childline that the national lockdown, due to the coronavirus pandemic, compounded feelings of loneliness

Counselling sessions on loneliness peaked during the pandemic in April 2020 to March 2021 when the service remained a frontline service supporting more than 6,000 young people who were grappling with this issue whilst spending an increased amount of time at home.

Since moving out of the pandemic, although the service has seen a slight drop in counselling sessions on this issue, the number of children needing support remains high.

Adeniyi Alade, Childline Service Head, based in Aberdeen, said“Sadly a high number of children and young people contact us because they are experiencing loneliness. At Childline, we know that this can have a profound impact on a child’s mental wellbeing and mental health.

“Many children tell us they feel alone, low and depressed, and that’s why we are encouraging children to talk to a trusted adult such as a parent, teacher or Childline counsellor so they can get the help they need quickly.

“There are many reasons why young people might feel lonely, but these feelings don’t have to last forever and getting support early can help to prevent the situation from getting worse.”

Mark Newbold, Lidl GB Senior CSR Manager, said: “It’s heartbreaking to see young people struggle with loneliness, and that is why at Lidl we are proud to have funded the NSPCC’s ‘Day in the Lonely’ campaign.

“We are committed to raising funds that mean more youngsters in need of emotional support can get the help they require as fast as possible.”

Children and young people can contact Childline for free, confidential support and advice 24 hours a day online at www.childline.org.uk or on the phone on 0800 1111