Childline counselling sessions about mental health issues peaked at 101,454 last year, as stagnant funding from Government prompts call to action.(1)
The number of children seeking help from the NSPCC-run service specifically for mental and emotional health, self-harm or suicidal thoughts and feelings rose 12%.(2)
The NSPCC is calling on Government to increase the amount of funding it gives to Childline to help meet this rising demand, to support children 24 hours a day and to help them before they reach crisis point.
Last year Government proposed in its Green Paper the introduction of mental health support for children and young people in schools.
However, two thirds of Childline counselling sessions about mental health issues took place outside school hours (5pm-9am), demonstrating the additional need for out of hours support.(3)
Some children told counsellors they are being directed to contact Childline after normal working hours by statutory services, such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) or local authority children’s services in England.
More than 50,000 referrals to CAMHS were rejected last year with many cases not meeting the clinical threshold.(4)
Childline plays an important role in helping children who are struggling with their mental health, but who do not meet the clinical threshold for access to CAMHS.
At present Childline counsellors can only respond to 3 out of 4 children who need their help, as more and more children are using online counselling which requires more time and resources to answer.
The charity is calling on Government to increase funding for the service so Childline can be there for every child who needs them whether that is during the day, night or at the weekend.
