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Childline and NSPCC Helpline statistics

Data about calls and contacts to our helpline services

Childline provides confidential support to children and young people every day. And the NSPCC Helpline is there for anyone concerned about a child - whether that's parents or carers looking for advice or professionals in need of support or just a bit of reassurance.

How many calls does Childline receive? 

On average, a child contacts Childline every 45 seconds1.

Children and young people can contact Childline by telephone, email and online chat.

Children are also able to access a wealth of information and advice on our Childline website, as well as peer support and self-help tools, anytime they need it.

When children contact us to talk about their worries, our counsellors are there to listen and support. In 2022/23, our Childline counsellors provided 195,542 counselling sessions to children and young people.

What do children and young people contact Childline about?

Childline is there for anyone aged under 19 in the UK to talk about any issue they're going through.

In 2022/23, the top five main concerns that children and young people talked to our counsellors about were:

  • all mental and emotional health and wellbeing
  • family relationships
  • friendship issues
  • bullying and cyber bullying
  • school or education problems.

We produce briefings on the key issues that children and young people talk to us about, such as harmful online content, domestic abuse and coronavirus. These use insight from contacts received from Childline and the NSPCC Helpline.

> View the Childline and NSPCC Helpline insight briefings

References

This figure is based on an average calculated from the total number of times people tried to contact Childline by phone, by email or by online chat in 2022/23.
“I am just contacting to thank Childline for allowing me to talk about my problems.  I had been drinking alcohol before I called and I know I probably didn’t make a lot of sense, but you helped me to open up about the sexual abuse I experienced in the past and how to deal with it. Thank you, I will contact Childline again whenever I feel I need to talk.”

Boy, unknown age, Childline

How many people contact the NSPCC Helpline?

In 2022/23, our Helpline responded to 59,282 contacts from people who were concerned about a child's welfare.

Adults can contact the NSPCC Helpline by telephone, email or via an online form.

What do people contact the Helpline about? 

Like Childline, adults can contact the NSPCC Helpline whatever their worry about a child. Concerns about neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse and exploitation are the most common reasons for contacting the NSPCC Helpline.

Professionals working with children or young people can also contact the NSPCC Helpline for information and support.

> Find out more about how the NSPCC Helpline can support you

We produce briefings on the key issues that children and young people talk to us about, such as harmful online content, domestic abuse and coronavirus. These use insight from contacts received from Childline and the NSPCC Helpline.

> View the Childline and NSPCC Helpline insight briefings

References

“I contacted the Helpline after my children told me that their mother's boyfriend calls them nasty names, and sometimes hits or throws objects at their mum. The Helpline practitioners reassured me that I'd done the right thing by calling. They explained that they would share what I'd told them with the police and Children's Services who would ensure my children are being appropriately protected and cared for. I was so relieved someone listened to me and took me seriously.”

Father, NSPCC Helpline