Help available for children as summer holidays puts strain on family relationships
This is according to children’s charity, the NSPCC, which revealed that in Scotland, Childline’s Glasgow and Aberdeen bases were contacted 6,877 times on the issue in the last 12 months.
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Hide AdChildline in Glasgow dealt with 4,810 contacts about family relationships, while in Aberdeen 2,067 young people got in touch over the issue.
Counselling sessions about problems in the home delivered by the charity’s Childline service reached a peak during July and August with more than 100 contacts a day from worried children and young people.
To make it easier for young people to contact Childline, the NSPCC has unveiled a new website -www.childline.org.uk - which enables simpler access from mobile and tablet devices.
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Hide AdIt also allows users to create a ‘mood journal’ so they can record, in confidence, how they feel each day and counsellors can respond if they have any concerns.
Last year (2015-16) there were more than 39,000 sessions delivered by Childline counsellors concerning problems in the home, with nearly one in five (18 per cent) of all conversations taking place during the school summer holidays. Matt Forde, NSPCC Scotland national head of service said: “It’s vital that children realise the Childline service is always just a phone call or a few clicks away.”
Children can also contact Childline free of charge on 0800 1111.