Frequently asked questions:
What is it like to talk to ChildLine?
How can I contact ChildLine?
How does ChildLine work?
Technical questions
Did you know that ChildLine started over 25 years ago?
Visit the ChildLine birthday page for interesting facts about ChildLine and what young people say about the service.
What kind of person will I talk to?
ChildLine counsellors are trained staff and volunteers who all have experience of listening and talking to children and young people.
A ChildLine counsellor is someone who:
- will listen to you and knows it takes courage to contact us
- is aware of the sorts of problems you might be worried about
- won't judge you or put you down
- is not easily shocked
- is supported by a ChildLine Supervisor
- you can trust.
Counsellors are also human beings with different jobs, families and friends. They may be gay, heterosexual, bisexual, of any ethnicity or religion, have a disability or long term illness. They have all been children and had different experiences of childhood but they will never assume things about your situation or how you may be feeling. The focus will always be you and because of this, counsellors do not talk about themselves or answer personal questions. They are real people who care and want to be there for you.
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What should I say?
It can be hard to talk if you are upset or feeling hurt and you might not know what to say. Your ChildLine counsellor will give you plenty of time and help you as much as possible to talk about what's wrong so that we can support you.
There are a few things that you can do before you call, which might make talking easier:
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If possible make the call from somewhere safe where you won't be interrupted.
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If you use a public phone or make the call outside, try and stay somewhere quiet without too much noise. This will help your counsellor hear you properly.
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You can call at any time, but it might help if you have a think about what you want to say before you call.
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What do I have to tell?
You don’t have to tell us anything - what you choose to tell us is up to you.
We might ask you some questions to try and understand how you are feeling or to help you talk about it. You don't have to answer them if you don't want to.
Tell us if you are finding it difficult to talk about what's wrong. You can call back at anytime, even if you didn't talk the first time you called.
When you call us, you are in control. You can end the call at any time. If you want to call back later, that's fine, we are here for you 24 hours a day.
The more you talk about what is happening and how it makes you feel, the more we can understand and help you but you are always in control of what you tell us.
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Will ChildLine tell anyone what I say?
ChildLine is a private and confidential place for you to talk. This means that what you say stays between you and ChildLine. We would only say something if…
- you ask us to
- we believe you or someone else’s life is in immediate danger
- you are being hurt by someone who has a position of trust and access to other children e.g. a teacher or policeman.
We want to keep you safe. However, we also understand the sort of situations you might be in. If we do need to tell somebody, we’ll try and give you as much control over what happens as possible. The last thing we want is to make things worse for you.
Read our confidentiality promise for more information
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How can I contact ChildLine?
There are a number of ways in which you can contact ChildLine. You have a choice between which one you are most comfortable and confident with. This might change depending on your mood, what you want to talk about or even how much time you have.
Call free on 0800 1111
- When you ring us your call will be answered by a friendly person on switchboard. They will then direct your call through to a counsellor. The counsellor is there to listen and help you talk about your reason for calling.
- If the person at switchboard believes you to be in immediate danger they may tell you they are ending the call so you can dial 999 to get emergency support for yourself.
- Calls are free and confidential and won’t appear on the phone bill, including mobiles.
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1-2-1 chat
- 1-2-1 chat works like MSN – where you can chat with a counsellor online about what’s worrying you.
- Once you have set up a free ChildLine account, log in to your locker and go to the online chat waiting room.
- A counsellor will be with you as soon as possible but while you are waiting you can watch videos or play games on the site.
- After your 1-2-1 chat remember to close your internet browser down so no one will see what you have been looking at.
- If you want to keep browsing the ChildLine site then you can do this by returning to the homepage.
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Send us an email
- To email ChildLine, you will need to sign up to your Locker on the ChildLine website. Unfortunately, you can’t use your own hotmail or gmail address. This is to keep you safe and your emails private.
- In your Locker, you will find your own ChildLine email inbox. Here you can send a counsellor an email and see your reply.
- When you want to send us an email or see a reply we have sent, you need to go to the ChildLine email inbox in your Locker.
- You can access your ChildLine email at any time.
- We will reply to you as soon as we can, usually this is within 24 hours but at busy times this may take longer. This might mean that if you want to get a quick answer or talk about something with a counsellor that email might not be the best way to do this.
When you talk to ChildLine by calling, emailing, or chatting online we will make a few notes about what you tell us. These will only be seen by ChildLine staff and volunteers.
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ChildLine message boards
- The message boards are for you and other young people to share information and experiences and find out what other people think.
- You can support other people with their problems and get help with yours.
- There are boards you can use for fun stuff and if you would like to post a picture or poem, that would be great too!
Ask Sam
- Whether you’re worried about boyfriend/girlfriend problems, want advice on how to stay safe online or support if you or your friends are being bullied, you can ask Sam.
- Sam reads every letter that comes through. Unfortunately, because of the number of letters we receive we are unable to reply to all of them.
- Every week Sam will post a reply to a number of letters, selecting the most popular topics that week so you are bound to find an answer. Sometimes, the counsellors may help out in posting replies - this is so we can answer more letters.
- If you need to get a quick answer, writing to Sam may not be the best way to get in touch with ChildLine. To chat to a counsellor more quickly, call 0800 1111 or use 1-2-1 chat instead.
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Will I have to wait to talk to a counsellor?
ChildLine works hard to make sure that we are here to help you when you need us. Sometimes it can be busy and there might be a lot of people wanting to get through on 1-2-1 chat or the phone at the same time. We understand that it can be difficult to have to wait when you need to contact us but please be patient, we care about everyone contacting us and someone will talk to you as soon as possible. You are very important to us.
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Will the counsellor give me their name?
Every call to ChildLine is focused on you. To make sure that this is the case counsellors are asked not to share personal details with you. However, counsellors will give you their name if this will help you to feel more comfortable talking to them and if it’s important to you. If you want to know the name of the counsellor you are talking to please ask them.
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Are counsellors scripted?
Calls to ChildLine are not scripted. Every call, chat or email is answered by a real person who cares and wants to support you.
- All ChildLine counsellors do have the same training - this is to make sure that everyone is prepared to be able to help you.
- This does mean that counsellors may talk in a similar way or ask similar questions, for example they will ask you how you feel about what is happening for you. This is to make sure that they understand how this affects you and not to make assumptions.
- You are in control and if there is something you need from the counsellor, or something is not working for you please say. ChildLine is there for you and want to understand what you need from us.
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Does ChildLine work differently during the night?
ChildLine does work a little bit differently during the night. The reason for this is because there are fewer counsellors than during the day. We always want to take your calls or chats but this is not always possible during the night. No matter how big or small your worry is it is important to ChildLine but at night we sometimes struggle to answer every 1-2-1 chat or call quickly or talk to you at that time. This does not mean you are not important to us.
If you need ChildLine straight away at night please call 0800 1111. We will ask if you are safe, this is so we can provide the best service for all children and young people by keeping those who are in danger safe. The safety of all children and young people will always be our priority.
If we cannot take your call or chat during the night remember you can still email ChildLine, post on the message boards and use Ask Sam.
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What do we mean by being safe?
If you feel that in some way you are at risk of harm, either from yourself or someone else then you may not be safe.
We will talk to you about what you feel is making you unsafe and do one of three things:
1) If the risk to your safety is immediate we may advise you that you need to call 999 and we will end the call with you so you can do that and be made safe.
2) If we feel you are safe or the risk to you is not too great or immediate we may ask you to contact us again the next day so we can support you better by having longer to talk to you.
3) If you are not safe but we feel that talking to you will change that, we may talk to you until we feel you have been made safe by a change in your circumstances or in how you are feeling.
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Can I contact ChildLine in Welsh?
We currently don't offer a full Welsh speaking counselling service. However, we do have a number of Welsh speaking counsellors at ChildLine. If you contact us (by phone or online) and let us know you'd like to speak to someone in Welsh we can arrange a time for you to speak to a Welsh speaking counsellor.
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How do I create an online account?
- To ensure your privacy, choose a nickname that no-one else knows. Choose a nickname that you don't use anywhere else on the web.
- Please don’t use an inappropriate nickname. If you use a nickname that is rude, vulgar or offensive you will not be able to post on the message board.
- Never use your own name or family name when you register for an account.
- Keep your password private. Don’t give it to anyone, not even a trusted friend.
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Why has my nickname been rejected?
ChildLine is a place where you are free to talk about any subject, even ones that are very personal and might put you at risk. To allow you to do so safely, we take your anonymity very seriously and make sure that nothing you post on the ChildLine website could identify you. If your nickname is one that you use for other message boards, forums or social networking sites, this may identify you to anyone reading. It is really important for your own safety and confidentiality that you choose a different nickname for the ChildLine website.
If you have chosen a nickname which could identify you, like your real name, then we will send an email to your personal inbox to let you know and to ask you to change it. We will also do this if your chosen nickname includes swearwords or something that we think is inappropriate. This may mean that your message board posts or gallery images won’t be accepted until your nickname is changed. You can find out more about what nicknames aren’t allowed in the House Rules.
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Why can’t I log in?
Very rarely, you may find that you no longer have access to your account when you try to log in. The reason for this may be:
- We are concerned that someone else had access to your account. You may want to think about whether you have ever shared your password with someone, which we strongly advise you not to do.
- There may have been some technical problem that has locked your account.
If you do find you can’t log in to your account, please feel free to create a new account and talk with us again. Please note that we will not be able to access any of the information you might have given us with your old account, so please be patient with us.
We will do our best to let you know if we are going to close your account for any reason.
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I don’t live in the UK, why can’t I sign up for a ChildLine account?
ChildLine is a UK based charity and only has limited numbers of counsellors. We are only able to provide a counselling service to young people in the UK. This means that only young people in the UK can sign up for an account and use the 1-2-1 chat, email and message boards on the ChildLine website. All young people are welcome to read our advice and use the rest of the website.
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