Contacting Childline

You can talk to us about anything. No problem is too big or too small. Call us on 0800 1111 or chat to us online.

You can also speak to Childline in Welsh.

Speaking to Childline

Childline is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, so you can speak to us any time.

Our counsellors are here to listen and support you with anything you’d like to talk about. You can call us for free on 0800 1111 or speak online using the 1-2-1 chats. If you’re deaf, you can also use BSL via an interpreter.

You can also send us a message after signing up for a private Childline account. We’ll answer your message within a day.

Some young people have told us that calls from an 02 network aren't connecting to Childline. If you have an 02 mobile and need to speak to Childline, please dial 116 111 or chat to us online whilst 02 work hard to fix the problem.

How 1-2-1 chat works

You can speak online to our counsellors any time using the 1-2-1 chats. Send messages back and forth and get support with anything that’s on your mind.

Watch below to see what using 1-2-1 chats look like:

Using 1-2-1 chats

contacting us at night

Contacting Childline at night is a little different. When you get through to a counsellor between midnight and 7:30am you’ll still be able to talk, but your 1-2-1 chat might only last for up to 15 minutes. This helps make sure everyone gets a chance to talk.

When we’re very busy later in the evening, we might also give you a shorter 1-2-1 chat than during the day, this is just to make sure we’re giving everyone a chance to talk.

At night, the counsellor will ask you what you’re hoping for and your counsellor will ask questions to help you think what’s best.

After your 1-2-1 chat, it can help to look at our advice on going to sleep, or spend some time reading letters to Sam.

If it's difficult to get through to us and you feel you need urgent help, you can also call 999.

Signing to a counsellor

There are lots of ways to get support from Childline if you're deaf. You can have a 1-2-1 chat, send an email to a counsellor or use BSL via an interpreter.

Using BSL with SignVideo

SignVideo lets you contact a counsellor through a BSL interpreter. You can use it between Monday – Friday, 8am - 8pm and on Saturdays, 8am - 1pm.

How to use SignVideo:

  • open SignVideo and click "allow webcam"
  • if an error message appears that says that your browser is not supported, just click 'close and don't show again'.
  • when you're connected, an interpreter will appear on your screen
  • you can chat to the interpreter in BSL
  • they'll translate your conversation to the counsellor.

Contacting Childline when you’re d/Deaf

Speaking to Childline in other languages

Childline can only talk to you in English or Welsh, but you can use our accessibility tool to translate the website into lots of different languages.

Contacting us in Welsh / Childline ar gyfer pobl ifanc sy’n siarad Cymraeg

We have fewer Welsh speaking counsellors, so we can’t always speak to you straight away. If you would like to talk, call or contact us online and let us know you want to speak to someone in Welsh. We’ll check if there’s a Welsh speaking counsellor available or talk to you about alternatives.

You can also send a message from a Childline account in Welsh and we’ll reply as soon as we can. Remember, in an emergency you should always call 999.

Contacting Childline outside the UK

Childline is a UK charity, that means that we’re only able to support children and young people in the UK, Channel Islands, and Guernsey.