Dame Esther Rantzen called for more people to volunteer for Childline after visiting Glasgow and Edinburgh to mark the 30th anniversary of the vital service.
To celebrate the special birthday the Childline founder visited the Scottish Parliament on yesterday evening where she met First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy Presiding Officer, Christine Grahame MSP and Minister for Child Care and Early Years, Mark McDonald MSP.
Pupils from Gallowhill Primary School, in Paisley, who received the NSPCC Childhood Champion Award earlier this year, also attended the event and were given a special award from Dame Esther.
The following day she visited Childline’s Glasgow base to thank volunteer counsellors, fundraisers and supporters including Scotmid.
The base currently has 201 volunteers, but is appealing for more to come forward to meet demand from children and young people who need counselling over the phone or online to deal with problems which include bullying, abuse, family issues and mental illness.
A total of 640,799 counselling sessions have been handled at the Glasgow Childline base since it opened in 1990. In 2015/16, the Glasgow Childline base carried out 33,753 counselling sessions with children and young people calling from across the UK.
According to Childline’s annual report, volunteers last year (2015-16) held 13,687 counselling sessions with children living in Scotland who contacted them seeking help, advice and support. Not all of those who use the service reveal where they live so the true figure could be higher.
Low self-esteem (2,157 counselling sessions), family relationships (1,565) and self-harm (1,039) were the concerns most frequently raised with volunteers.
Dame Esther’s visit to Glasgow was part of a UK-wide tour of Childline centres to mark the free helpline’s 30th birthday. At the Glasgow base she spoke about her experiences of setting up the service. She also called on people to volunteer and to help make a difference to children’s lives.
Dame Esther said: “It is wonderful to see Childline thrive. The charity saves so many lives and protects so many children from pain but we could not do it without the warmth and compassion of our Glasgow-based volunteers who are so skilled and committed.
“I have seen the difference Childline makes after speaking to many young adults who have used the service when they were children. The ways children contact us has changed dramatically since 1986 but the help our counsellors provide has not. It gives children hope and literally transforms lives.”
Minister for childcare and early years Mark McDonald said: “We want all of Scotland’s children to get the best possible start in life and have a safe and happy childhood, in short we want to make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up.
“While this may be a simple ambition it can only be fully achieved in partnership with organisations like Childline. The work they do has been changing the lives of young people for 30 years but the service they provide is as vital today as it was in 1986. This government is proud to support them, and the volunteers who work tirelessly to improve the lives of our young people, day in and day out all year round.”
Deputy presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, Christine Grahame MSP, added: “It was a privilege to welcome Childline to the Scottish Parliament to celebrate 30 years of vital support to children and young people across Scotland and beyond.
“The service has made such an important contribution to the lives of four million young people in this time.”
Since it was set up in 1986 Childline has counselled four million children in 12 bases around the UK, with a dedicated network of 1,400 trained volunteer counsellors. The average number of contacts has more than trebled since 1986 and more than two thirds of children who contact Childline now do so online.
Elaine Chalmers, head of Childline for Scotland, added: “Childline has come a long way over the last 30 years, from a phone-only service to also offering a live online presence as well.
“We have evolved and have been able to stay relevant to young people’s needs because we take time to listen to them and to let them feel that they matter. Our counsellors let the young people who contact us know that the things going on for them are important and that help is available. I feel privileged to be able to work along with our wonderful volunteers to deliver a service that is available to any young person 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year.”
Ian Barclay, 70, a retired lawyer from Glasgow, has been a volunteer for 20 years and he has found it one of the most rewarding roles he has undertaken.
He said: “When I first started working at Childline in 1996 young people would call from a phone box or a landline. Now with the internet this has all changed.
“When Dame Esther first set up the charity there was obviously a huge gap and it was desperately needed. This is still the case – especially with the internet. It’s no less vital today than it was 20 years ago.
“There are calls that stay with you and these are the ones you think about after your shift has ended. Our aim is to listen and to empower these young people to make their own decisions. There are times when it can be hectic with one call after another but there is a great support here. Being a Childline volunteer is an important job as we are here to help children who need someone to talk to.”
