Childline and NSPCC Helpline insight briefings

Every day Childline and the NSPCC Helpline answer hundreds of calls from children, young people, parents, professionals and families. We offer help and support and we give children and young people a voice when no-one else is listening.

Our helplines also give us a unique insight into the things that are concerning children and young people and how these issues affect them.

The insights briefing series uses data from Childline counselling sessions and NSPCC Helpline contacts to highlight the key issues in child protection and the impact these have on children and families. 

The impact of financial pressures on young people

This briefing uses insights from Childline counselling sessions and Helpline contacts to share children and young people’s voices and experiences of financial pressures.

> Read The impact of financial pressures on young people

Young people’s experiences of online sexual extortion or ‘sextortion’

This briefing uses insight from Childline counselling sessions and NSPCC Helpline contacts to highlight how children and young people are being targeted online by so-called ‘sextortion’ crimes.

> Read Young people’s experiences of online sexual extortion or ‘sextortion’

Insights on responses to children experiencing online harm and abuse

This briefing uses insights from Childline counselling sessions and NSPCC Helpline contacts to share the responses children receive after experiencing online harm and abuse.

> Read Insights on responses to children experiencing online harm and abuse

Barriers for professionals to reporting abuse and neglect

This briefing shares experiences of adults working or volunteering with young people where they faced barriers to reporting abuse and neglect, identifying gaps in knowledge and confidence for some professionals.

> Read Barriers for professionals to reporting abuse and neglect

Challenges young people are facing around sexuality and gender identity

This briefing highlights the pressures some young people who are LGBTQ+ will face as they explore their sexuality and gender identity.

> Read Challenges young people are facing around sexuality and gender identity

Young people’s experiences of in-patient mental health care

We look at the challenges young people face in accessing and undergoing in-patient mental health care in the UK.

> Read Young people’s experiences of in-patient mental health care

Coercive control

We share what parents, carers, children and young people have told our helplines about experiencing domestic abuse in the form of coercive and controlling behaviours.

> Read The impact of coercive control on children and young people

Legal but harmful content online

This briefing focuses on children's experiences of pornography and content promoting or glorifying eating disorders, self-harm and suicide. 

> Read Children's experiences of legal but harmful content online

Domestic abuse

In 2020/21, contacts to the NSPCC Helpline from parents and carers concerned about children and young people experiencing domestic abuse increased by a third on the previous year. This briefing looks at what parents and carers told us about the impact of domestic abuse on children's safety, behaviour and mental health.

> Read The impact of domestic abuse on children and young people briefing

COVID-19 and child welfare

Children and young people have been hugely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. These briefings take a closer look at the impact of children and young people.

> Read the briefings on the impact of COVID-19 from our library catalogue

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