To ask if Childline is an effective intervention?

[Nimbostratus100]

Does anyone have any experience of Childline?

Is this a helpful option to be advertised to children vulnerable to exploitatin?

If anyone has any insight or experience, I would be very interested

Thank you

YABU - not a helpful organisation

YANBU - a helpful organisation

Evening bump, in the context of supporting children vulnerable to running away/ exploitation, etc

Is Childline a helpful organisation to promote in schools, public transport hubs, etc?

Has anyone been helped by them, or know of any children helped by them?

Thank you

I find it really hard to know - it does seem to be promoted quite a lot, but I have never come across anyone with direct experience. So hard to know if this is something to be promoted further, or not

Why?

I rang them as a teen. I was due to see a psychiatrist, and I was scared to death about it. Had no one to talk to, so I rang them. I was on the phone for over an hour, and they put my mind at ease.

well, because of the thread on the missing teenage girl, just descending into a bunfight about peoples egos.

People do care about missing children,

and there are 80 000 a year in the UK

so I started a thread to collect ideas about what we can actually constructively do to help children ( I am thinking girls, but not exclusively girls)

And promoting Childline more widely is one suggestion

But would like to know if it is effective - and I dont know if it is effective, that is why

well thats good, thank you for sharing

Ok

My opinion is that it's effective short term but not long term. I rang them when I was a teenager going through a scary time when a sibling was diagnosed with cancer, ignored by parents and psychologists appointments within the nhs were cancelled by my 'mother'

I remember feeling better at the time but there's not that ongoing support long term. I suppose they have their limitations though.

I agree with you by the way, but just wanted some context before sharing

I was quick to respond to this as label them as 'disgraceful'. But on slower viewpoint that's only because I had dealings with the organisation when I was a vulnerable child seeking help and my experience was disgraceful and that's down to the advisors I spoke with. I could have a completely opposite view if I'd spoke to others who could have provided help and support to me. It's very difficult to gauge.

I know of children you rang them and disclosed abused and their location. The children were removed that evening.

I contacted them once to report vulnerable children in a bad situation. I had their names, their parents names and address. They asked questions about schools etc that I couldn’t answer and then didn’t do anything. The boyfriend ended up killing their mother and they’re safe with their father now, I hope

mixed reports then

But at least they do seem to have the contacts to intervene directly to move a child to safety - as opposed to other organisations such as The Samaritans which are emotional support only