There's an urgent call for volunteers to join Childline in Liverpool

Could you be a volunteer for the service?

Volunteers and staff at the Liverpool Childline centre welcomed the new head of the service this month, as he explained the urgent need for new members to join the team.

Shaun Friel visited the NSPCC site in June to meet volunteers for the children’s support service, and staff and practitioners at the centre, who help children, young people and their families around the city.

Shaun said meeting volunteers including Jill Owen, Sue Mooney and Jenny Rowlands was “the highlight of a great first week” in the role, and he, along with Childline Service Manager Janet Boden, called on the public to consider joining the team.

Janet said: “It was wonderful to meet Shaun during National Volunteer’s Week, and I know all our staff and volunteers were pleased to see him show such interest in the local team. Everyone here works so hard to help children and young people, but we’d love to welcome some new faces.

Childline volunteers with founder Esther Rantzen

“Childline has dealt with an average of 1.3 million calls in each of the last five years, with a child calling the service every 25 seconds. Last year, the service had almost 1,500 counsellors, but an increase in demand could see Childline struggle to answer every call as quickly as we’d like. If anyone’s been considering volunteering, we’d love to hear from you, and your time could help save a child’s life.”

Shaun said: “The Liverpool service centre plays a vital role in helping children, young people and their families to deal with and overcome seemingly insurmountable problems, and it was a genuine pleasure to meet them. They’re doing incredible work, committing a huge amount of energy, emotion and time to their roles, and improving the lives of thousands of children each year.

“Nationally, as the demand on Childline is increasing, it’s essential that these volunteers have the support they need to continue to help vulnerable callers to their already high standards. It’s a hugely important role, and everyone in the Liverpool centre is in an amazing position to help potential volunteers support more vulnerable children, so if you’ve been considering volunteering to positively use your spare time, please do find out more.”