Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Thanks for your message. I can hear how worried you are about your friend. It sounds like it’s especially worrying for you that you’ve not been able to get in touch with her since Tuesday.

If you feel like she might be in danger and want to do something about it then there’s a few different options you might want to think about. Firstly you could talk to an adult you trust – this might be whoever looks after you or another family member, an adult friend or a teacher at school or college.

If you wanted to tell someone about what things are like at home for your friend then you could call the NSPCC helpline. ChildLine is part of a larger charity called the NSPCC and they are there to protect children. Their helpline is for people who would like to tell them about a young person that is being abused in some way so that the NSPCC can take that further if needed. If you wanted to you could stay anonymous which means nobody knows who you are. Their number is 0808 800 5000 and is free to call 24 hours a day.

It would be really important to think about what might happen if you told someone about your friend’s situation at home and to think about what your friend would want. Perhaps try to think about why she hasn’t told anyone else herself yet. Sometimes it takes time for people to feel ready to tell someone when they’re being hurt.

If you wanted to talk to us at ChildLine first you can call or chat to a counsellor online and we can go through with you what your options are and what, if anything, you’d like to do. Don’t forget that although I can hear you’re worried about your friend and it’s good that you want to help, what happens to her is not your responsibility no matter how much she tells you about her situation.

Thanks for getting in touch.

Take care,

Sam