Kids Helpline
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Kids Helpline is a free, private and confidential, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people aged between 5 and 25 in Australia. Counsellors respond to more than 6,000 calls each week[1] about issues ranging from relationship breakdown and bullying to sexual abuse, homelessness, suicidal thoughts, depression and drug and alcohol usage. The service receives more than one million calls per year.[2]
Kids Helpline is primarily funded from the revenue-raising activities of BoysTown through its lotteries. BoysTown and Kids Helpline are initiatives of the De La Salle Brothers. Kids Helpline is also supported by their corporate sponsor Optus, state and federal funding, and through individual donations, fundraising events, trusts and funds.
In 2012 it had 4,427 counselling calls from Western Australia children, calls related to bullying rose by 75%.[3]
Contents
Counselling methods
Phone Counselling
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 1800 55 1800 are FREE OF CHARGE and do not incur any costs from phone carriers (when made within Australia from home or mobile phone services).
Web Counselling
Available 12pm to 10pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 10pm Saturday & Sunday (Queensland time). The person requesting assistance speaks with a counsellor through an instant messaging service.
Email Counselling
Sometimes an email response can take up to two weeks. It is suggested that those requiring urgent assistance should contact Kids Helpline via 1800 55 1800
Operational principles
- callers are provided confidentiality and anonymity
- callers are treated with respect
- callers are free to choose the gender of the counsellor to whom they speak
- callers are able to access the same counsellor if they wish to call back
- callers are encouraged to give feedback about Kids Helpline and the service they receive
- callers are referred to professional services if needed
Similar services
- Kids Help Phone (Canada)
- Childline (UK)
References
Further reading
- Harris, Jessica. "Extending client-centered support: counselors’ proposals to shift from email to telephone counseling", De Gruyter Mouton, 2012-11-10
- Price, Megan. "Help-seeking among Indigenous Australian adolescents", Youth Studies Australia, v.32, no.1, March 2013, p.10-18
- Emmison, Michael. "Script proposals: a device for empowering clients in counselling". SAGE Publications, 2011
