Whether you’re feeling anxious, sad or scared, there’s one 24 hour service always there for young people: Childline. With young offenders calling from prison simply because they want someone to talk to, this is the reality that Nottingham Chidline Volunteers are facing on a daily basis.
With 78 volunteers in Nottingham currently, the service is in need of more volunteers to ensure that they can help all young people. Founded in 1986, Chidline has a confidentiality promise excluding extreme cases where someone may be in danger.
Nottingham Childline volunteers based in Cranmer Street, Mapperley, have spoken out about the importance of the work they do. Within the last year, the Nottingham Childline team has delivered more than 13,600 counselling sessions where they have supported children through a variety of problems including abuse and neglect, mental and emotional health, suicidal thoughts and more.
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Counsellor Sarah Leverton-Smith, who has worked for Childline for the past 16 years, said: “There’s always cases of self harm but what I’m seeing now is more people ringing with anxiety and issues with gender which people are now more happy talking about.
“I used to do admin for the charity and wrote up the case notes so I can see how things have changed.” Sarah recalled a stand-out telephone call she remembers. She said: “I was talking to someone in prison who felt really frustrated, they were in there for sexual assault but thought the other person was 16.
“They only had a few days left in prison but wanted to go straight. People are naturally judgemental but it was nice to get into their mind and talk to them.”
Training takes about 12 weeks for those wanting to become a volunteer. Every shift has a trained supervisor supporting volunteers. There's no limit on the amount of volunteers they take and the team are appealing for people to commit to volunteering if they’re in a position to do so.
Throughout Sarah’s time at the service, she has had many roles including: admin, fundraising and being a part of school services. Sarah added: “Realising that you’ve made a difference and that someone feels better is the best part of the job, it can be intense but it’s rewarding.”
Max Baker has worked for Childline for the past four years. After seeing a poster in a coffee shop, Max searched online for more information about the service and eventually did his training to become a volunteer.
Max said: “It’s brilliant, it’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done, I used to do the Tuesday evening shift with the same people and it became a community. Everyone’s here to support children, everyone has the same goal in mind.”
Max is now a Childline Volunteer Coordinator. He continued: “There’s no way to describe the job, you just feel lucky to be able to make a difference.
“I have no magic powers but knowing you’re helping people makes you want to keep going.” Max explained a phone call he’ll never forget. He said: “It was one of my first contacts and a young person was struggling with suicidal feelings but didn’t have the courage to tell his mum.
“We were on the phone for around an hour until he agreed to bring mum into the room and told her how they were feeling. There’s something so powerful about just chatting to people.”
Max spoke about common calls and said: “Mental health, self harm and suicide are more common than we think, every shift we have those contacts. During the summer holidays and when going back to school can be busy too.
“During Covid there were young people in abusive households who wanted to go to school and then there were children who were being bullied who didn’t want to go to school.”
Carrie Oliver is a Childline Supervisor. Speaking about her job she said: “It’s rewarding, it’s an odd one to talk about and there’s a lot to process."
Carrie continued: “There’s a lot of different contacts and some can be quite challenging. Volunteers are important because they equal the impact of young people to support, they make the biggest difference especially at the minute where we’re experiencing an explosion for the need of mental health services.”
To become a Chidline Volunteer click here.
For any other support, advice or help, the Samaritans are always there to speak to. You can ring them any time on 116 123
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