Enter the waiting room

We’ve got great advice and things you can do while you wait

Use our website to stay calm or distract yourself

You could play a game, use the Art box or read our info and advice

Speak to a counsellor

You can talk to the counsellor about whatever you want to

Calling Childline for free on 0800 1111 is usually faster than starting a 1-2-1 chat. Talking on the phone can be scary sometimes, but our counsellors are here to support you.

There are still lots of ways to get support from Childline:

• use the message boards to talk to other children and young people
• send a message to a counsellor from your locker
• find new ways to cope using the Calm Zone
• get advice on getting to sleep.

If you can't wait for a chat, sending a message instead can really help.

Sending a message is free, and we’ll usually reply within a day. Writing to a counsellor can give you the space to say what you want and ask questions.

You can say as much or as little as you feel able to. If you’re not sure what to write, you could start by including:

• a little about yourself, like your name and how old you are
• what’s been happening or what’s on your mind, and how it makes you feel
• any questions you might have, and what you’d like to happen in the future
• a title that says what you’d like to talk about.

You don’t need to write a lot if you don’t want to, but it can help to include all the information the counsellor might need to know – if a counsellor needs to ask for more information, it can take longer to get help.

Talking to Childline is confidential. This means that whatever you say stays between you and Childline. We would only need to say or do something if:

• you ask us to
• we believe your life or someone else's life is in danger
• you're being hurt by someone in a position of trust who is able to hurt other children -  like a teacher, religious leader, sports coach, police officer or doctor
• you tell us that you're seriously hurting another person
• you tell us about another child who's being hurt and is not able to tell someone or understand what is happening to them
• we're told we have to by law, for example for a court case.

Find out more about our confidentiality promise.