Kids Help Line
Kids Helpline always there when needed most
Kids Helpline, a service of yourtown is reminding the community during National Child Protection Week that we all can play a part to promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. yourtown CEO Tracy Adams said that this year’s child protection week theme of every conversation matters resonates strongly with all that Kids Helpline stands for.
“It’s hard for children and young people to lead happy lives, if they are not safe. Current data has revealed that children and young people are contacting Kids Helpline in increasing numbers relating to child abuse as a common topic when reaching out to Kids Helpline counsellors. Up from one in fifteen in 2022-23 to one in fourteen in 2023-24.” Ms Adams said: “Child abuse was the topic raised by 4,924 contacts to Kids Helpline counsellors in FY2023-24. This represented 7% of all Kids Helpline contacts over the twelve-month period. This translated to 1 in 14 contacts raising Child Abuse as a concern when connecting with a counsellor. A large proportion of emergency or crisis interventions by our counsellors related to child abuse, representing 30% of all 4,047 emergency interventions in 2023-24. An emergency intervention occurs when a counsellor engages with an external service (e.g. police, ambulance etc.) to assist children and young people who experienced harm from child abuse or who they believed were at risk of child abuse harm, over the same twelve-month period.”
“Kids Helpline is committed to the safety and wellbeing of young people and knows that critical conversations may need to take place at any time. It is for that reason that Kids Helpline is there 24/7 at no cost to children and young people – it has become a vital safety-net within the child protection ecosystem” she said. “We need to acknowledge the courage that is shown by children and young people who reach out for support for themselves and for others. Ensuring that supports are provided in the ways that young people want to engage is key, and there is a need to ensure that there is no ‘wrong door’ to how that support is accessed. Our counsellors play a critical role in ensuring that support can be found when other services are closed or at capacity. Kids Helpline has developed a peer-to-peer social platform ‘My Circle’ where young people can have a positive and safe online experience with their peers, while being supported by a trained Kids Helpline moderator.”
If we are to leave no child behind, then every opportunity must be taken to ensure the conversations about child protection is something that happens every day, and not just during Child Protection Week.