Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

I get quite a few letters from young people who live outside the UK because you don't need a Childline account to write to me. Childline counsellors only talk to people who live in the UK, but sometimes you might need to talk to us when you’re abroad or on holiday. If you already have a Childline account and go on holiday you can still talk to a counsellor. If you live in Germany permanently then there should be a version of Childline there, though they might not speak English.

To talk to a Childline counsellor you need to live or be in the UK. This is so that we can help you more easily if there was a situation where you were unsafe. We want to make sure that you're getting the best support and a similar helpline in your own country could probably do that better. To find a helpline in your country you can look at the list of world helplines on Child Helpline International.

There are still some ways you can get advice from Childline if you’re abroad. Letters to me can come from anywhere in the world and I'm happy to answer them wherever you’re from. Many problems young people have are shared wherever you live, though my answers will usually give advice based on how things are in the UK. It’s important to check if things work differently in your country.

We have lots of advice and information content anyone can look at as well. Sometimes this advice’s specific to the UK but most of the time it’ll be the same for you wherever you are.

I'm sorry that Childline counsellors can't help you if you live in Germany but there are helplines just like us in most countries. If you live in Europe you can dial 116 111 from 28 different countries and it will call the children's helpline in your own country. If you dial it in the UK you’ll come to Childline.

I hope that helps, thanks for your letter.

Take care,

Sam