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Childline's Connect Team
Find out more about our Connect team, the reason they’ve contacted you, and how they can help you in the future.
What is the Connect Team?
Our Connect team is here to make sure the people who speak to us regularly are getting the best support.
When you’ve spoken a few times, it can be tough having to speak to new people or having to repeat yourself. Sometimes that can make it hard to get the best support.
By speaking to the Connect team, the counsellors who support you will be able to get to know you better. They can also make a plan with you about how we can best help. You can find out more about how they want to support you in the message they’ve sent.
What happens next?
The message you’ve received from the Connect team will explain more about what’s happening and what you can do next. You can reply to that whenever you’re ready.
The Connect team will then make a plan with you about how we can support you in the future and will explain more about how to speak to them.
We’ll keep reviewing this plan about every 6 weeks to see if there’s anything we can do differently.
Questions about the Connect Team
Find out more about how the Connect team works:
Why was I contacted?
The Connect team will contact young people who have spoken to Childline a few times and who they think might benefit from speaking to counsellors who know them better.
Everyone who contacts Childline is different, so offering you support here is to help make sure we’re meeting your individual needs.
When can I speak to the Connect team?
The Connect team is available 365 days a year, and are open at specific times:
- Monday to Friday: 4:15pm - 11pm
- Saturday and Sunday: 12:45pm - 7:30pm
If you’re in crisis or struggling when the Connect team isn’t around, you’ll still be able to contact us. You’ll get through to the other Childline counsellors who will be there to help you cope.
How do I get through to the Connect team?
The Connect team will explain more about what to do when you contact them, but you can speak to them however you feel comfortable, including:
- on the phone
- using 1-2-1 chats
- by sending a message from your account
- via BSL using SignVideo
Can I keep using Childline at other times?
The Connect team will only be available to help you when they’re open, but if you’re struggling or in crisis then you can still contact Childline.
If you contact at times when the Connect team aren’t around, they’ll focus on helping you in that moment and with anything that’s happening right now.
You’ll also be able to get support from other parts of our website, like the Calm Zone.
Is the Connect team still confidential?
Yes. Our confidentiality policy will still be the same. You can find out more about what we can and can’t keep confidential here.
Will you need to speak to people in my life?
There may be times when we’ll ask whether we can speak to the other professionals working with you. This might be to:
- help you get support in other parts of your life
- make sure the support everyone is giving you is the best possible
- support you to open up to people in your life that can help
- speak on your behalf to make sure your voice is being heard.
Whether we speak to someone in your life is your choice. Childline is a confidential service, which means we’ll only talk to other people in a few specific circumstances. Find out more about our confidentiality promise.
Lots of young people who have used the Connect team have said they’ve found it helpful to have Childline in contact with the other people supporting them. The Connect team will talk to you about whether we can speak to professionals in your life, and how you feel about this.
Why is there a Connect team?
From 2023-2024, we spoke to over 1,000 children and young people across the country to find out how we can improve Childline in the future. One of the things you told us was how it can be hard to talk to us lots of times.
The Connect team has been supporting lots of young people already. From October, 2024 we’ve made some changes to make sure they can support people even more.
What if I have other questions?
When you’re speaking regularly to the Connect team, you can ask them questions any time. You can also send a message from your account and someone in the Connect team will usually reply within 3 days.
If you contact us through voice calls, we will arrange a call with you to answer your questions.
