Children who are suicidal have been contacting the NSPCC’s vital telephone service, Childline to seek help.
The organisation has also been contacted by children who have talked about feeling trapped and isolated.
And now, actress and star of Game of Thrones, Natalie Dormer, has urged everyone to support the NSPCC’s emergency appeal ‘Still Here for Children’.
Natalie is a Childline Ambassador and she said she is incredibly proud of the service and its frontline key workers and volunteers who are travelling to Childline bases to provide children with support.
The NSPCC is growing increasingly concerned about the number of children who will experience abuse or neglect due to the impact of COVID-19, with families struggling with lockdown, job losses and school closures.
And this is where the public can help.
“It is getting harder as more volunteers and staff are having to self-isolate or look after their own children or elderly relatives,” said Natalie.
“The last time I was at Childline there were children contacting us who were suicidal which frankly shocked me and highlighted the extreme situations Childline counsellors deal with every shift and also how many young people are dealing with difficult circumstances on their own. Some children are trapped in abusive homes and some are trapped with panic in their own thoughts,” she said.
Natalie is asking people to support the charity’s appeal.
“Now is no different – in fact, it is worse. So, to make sure Childline continues to be there for vulnerable children in their hour of need, I urge everyone to support the charity’s ‘Still Here For children’ appeal. This will ensure that with schools closed and when home isn’t a safe place, that children have somewhere to turn for help,” she said.
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 Coronavirus.
At Northern Ireland’s two Childline bases at Belfast and Foyle, 246 counselling sessions on Coronavirus took place.
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.
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 COVID-19 symptoms.
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.