ChildLine's new developments for South West children

Children in the South West are being urged to talk about their feelings as the NSPCC announces new developments to its ChildLine service.

Research shows that one in three children say they felt either sad, depressed, lonely, worried, stressed, scared or angry most of the time.

Though the majority of children are able to turn to their parents or friends for help when they need it, ChildLine call figures show that not all children have such a strong support network.

The South West regional base in Exeter received around 3,000 calls last year.

One young caller said he had knots in his stomach concerning his mum and dad who argue a lot of the time. He said that his mum works all night and his dad works all day. He has older siblings and a younger one who was too young to understand what was going on. He said he felt as though it was his fault that his parents argue and that his dad gets angry with him and he feels he is bullied. The caller said that his dad beats his mum and pulls her hair. It makes him feel angry when his parents fight and argue. He said he tried talking to his grandparents but they don’t listen. The caller said he sometimes feels invisible and was also concerned about unpaid bills in the house.

Though youngsters can continue to call ChildLine on 0800 1111, there are also new ways they can now receive help and support.

Children can make contact with ChildLine through the website www.childline.org.uk by email, online message boards or one to one chat with counsellors.

Children’s services manager at the South West ChildLine base in Exeter, Cheryl Marshall said: “While many children are happy most of the time, it is important that they have a strong network of family and friends to offer them support when they do have problems.

“Some children aren’t lucky enough to have this support, or find it difficult to talk about their feelings, so can end up suffering in silence.

“ChildLine provides trusted and confidential support for those children who feel isolated, and now thanks to UK government funding and public support, we have been able to develop the service to do it in the way that suits them best. “