A Co Antrim man who trained as a Childline counsellor has been speaking about how he is using his new skills to help support children and young people during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lee Colligan, from Carrickfergus, has been a volunteer with the NSPCC-run service for around 18 months, and is part of a dedicated team of staff and volunteers who are answering calls and email contacts at Childline’s Belfast base.
Lee and his colleagues at Childline, who have been granted key worker status by the Northern Ireland Executive, are now urging the public to continue to support children during this challenging time. To adapt to the ever-changing situation, the NSPCC has launched its emergency appeal ‘We’re still here for children’.
The NSPCC is urging the public to visit its website and donate £10 to help fund vital services like Childline so the charity can continue to answer calls and be here for the young people who desperately need someone to talk to, especially when home isn’t a safe place.
Between January 21, 2020 and April 8, 2020, Childline delivered over 2,200 counselling sessions across the UK to children and young people who were concerned about COVID-19.
At Northern Ireland’s two Childline bases at Belfast and Foyle, 246 counselling sessions on coronavirus took place.
Lee said during this Coronavirus pandemic, it is clear to see our young people are very anxious and worried about the whole situation.
“Young people are concerned about the unknown with the virus, and the fact it could affect them or someone they care about. The fact children are now at home and don’t have their school as a support network is causing them much distress.
“For many young people schools and the support of their teachers is essential for their mental health. This coupled with the fact they can no longer see their friends is leaving them very lonely,” he said.
“I would estimate that the majority of all my recent contacts are mentioning the Coronavirus to some degree. The unknown of the virus and everything that comes with it appears to be overwhelming for many of our young people.”
Lee (31), who works in the education sector and who also plays football for Carrick Rangers FC, has been working with young people for well over a decade, and he has seen many mental health struggles.
“People close to me were struggling with their mental health, so I wanted to better equip myself with more knowledge and understanding of mental health so I could best support the people close to me.
“This led me to apply to go through the Childline training programme and go on to counsel our young people. I am just so grateful Childline is there to support all young people no matter their problem, we will always believe them and support them,” he added.
Meanwhile, despite Childline having to close the night service for the first time and having a 30% drop in volunteer hours, due to counsellors having to self-isolate, it’s battling to still be there for children across the UK.
The NSPCC is growing increasingly concerned about the number of children who will experience abuse or neglect due to the impact of coronavirus, with families struggling with lockdown, job losses and school closures.
In the past few weeks Childline has heard from children whose parents have lost their jobs and are under growing financial pressure, as well as from young carers struggling to look after their siblings whilst their parents fall sick with symptoms. Childline is also hearing from children who have had suicidal thoughts and talk about feeling trapped and isolated.
To support the appeal, the NSPCC has launched a new TV ad which features a Childline counsellor talking after a shift about the vital importance of the service.