Child's Voice Appeal
In September 2008 the NSPCC launched the Child's Voice Appeal – a three-year £50m fundraising appeal to expand its Helpline and ChildLine services.
The NSPCC provides two telephone-based services:
ChildLine - 0800 1111 - for children and young people
NSPCC Helpline - 0808 800 5000 - for adults concerned about the safety or welfare of a child.
For latest fundraising figures and Appeal news see www.childsvoiceappeal.org.uk .
What difference has the Appeal made so far?
How can people help support the Appeal?
What is the Government doing to help?
How will any change of Government affect the funding?
How the NSPCC Helpline protects children
What difference has the Appeal made so far?
Thanks to the public’s support of the Child’s Voice Appeal so far, we have:
- counselled over 1 million calls to ChildLine (April 2008 – December 2009). That’s the equivalent of over 11 capacity crowds at Wembley stadium, or 33,000 classrooms full of children.
- answered more than 50,000 calls to the NSPCC Helpline from adults with concerns about a child.
- developed and launched new features on our ChildLine website. Children can now receive live, confidential online counselling through ChildLine.org.uk. Already, over 15,000 1:1 chat sessions have taken place (1 September to 31 December 2009).
- installed new networks and PCs so that ChildLine could offer online counselling for the very first time, and invested in new technologies for the NSPCC Helpline to improve the reporting of children identified as at risk of abuse.
- recruited more than 300 additional volunteers to ChildLine, with 35 more supervisors to support them, and 15 additional practitioners for the NSPCC Helpline.
- opened a new ChildLine centre – our 14th – in Edinburgh and moved three to bigger premises (Glasgow, Aberdeen and Prestatyn).
The Child’s Voice Appeal has already helped us protect more children, build our capacity and develop our ChildLine service so that young people can access help in the way they feel most comfortable.
Why is this Appeal needed?
The NSPCC needs more funds both to run existing services and further develop them. We need funding to recruit and train more ChildLine volunteer counsellors, and for paid supervisors to support them and help on child protection calls. We need funding so that NSPCC Helpline practitioners can continue to help protect the most vulnerable children in our society. We need funding so that we can market and encourage more adults to contact the NSPCC Helpline, manage and further develop the ChildLine online site, and to further invest in our infrastructure.
£30 million has been provided by the UK Government, however the Child’s Voice Appeal needs to raise a further £50m by March 2011 if we are to deliver these services for children.
77 pence in every pound donated is spent directly by the NSPCC on activities to end cruelty to children in the UK. Every donation brings us one step closer to our vision of answering every call to the Helpline and ChildLine, first time, whatever time of day or night they come.
How can people help support the Appeal?
The most cost effective and easiest way to give to the Child’s Voice Appeal is online at www.childsvoiceappeal.org.uk. We are also asking existing supporters to consider adding a little extra to what they currently give.
And we hope people will want to join in our national events and local fundraising activities - details will be regularly updated at www.childsvoiceappeal.org.uk, as well as more information about celebrities supporting the appeal.
What is the Government doing to help?
The UK Government is contributing £30 million up to 2011 towards funding the NSPCC's free 24-hour helplines, including ChildLine. This is a hugely important source of income but we must raise a further £50million if we are to deliver these services for children.
The Government funding covers some of the costs associated with expanding the ChildLine and Helpline services, but it does not replace the funding we need every year to run our telephone-based services and provide support for children.
We will continue to rely on the generosity of the public – who provide 87 per cent of our funds each year – to maintain our vital services which will help us secure better lives for many children.
How will any change of Government affect the funding?
Any change of UK Government will not affect the £30 million funding, this is secure to 2011.
How the NSPCC Helpline protects children
People can call the free NSPCC Helpline – 0808 800 5000 – when they have concerns for the welfare of a child or think a child is being abused. Or they can phone to seek advice and support on parenting issues.
The NSPCC Helpline provides specialised support, advice and information for anyone who has concerns about a child to ensure that they receive the protection they need.
On average each day, there are around 38,000 children at serious risk of abuse who have a child protection plan. But the frightening reality is that this is likely to be only the tip of the iceberg.
If these children are to be protected, we must be there to answer adults when they phone the NSPCC Helpline with their concerns.
How ChildLine helps children
Children can call ChildLine – 0800 1111 – free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year about anything that is troubling them. Children call about a range of issues from family relationship problems, exam stress and bullying to the more harmful like physical and sexual abuse.
Many of these calls are requests for information/sign-posting and some may be children testing the service, perhaps building up to speak out about their problems. Of all calls that are answered, almost 1 million calls per year are passed to a queue to speak to a trained counsellor, of which only 500,000 get through.
The top six problems that children call about are:
- bullying (17%);
- family issues (12%);
- physical abuse (11%);
- sexual abuse (8%)
- facts of life (6%)
- and concern for others (5%);
Of those children who were counselled by ChildLine, 21 per cent were aged five to 11 years old, 53 per cent were aged 12 to 15, and 26 per cent were aged 16 to 18.
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Worried about a child?
You may be their only hope. Call the NSPCC Helpline now on 0808 800 5000
