NSPCC ChildLine uses advanced multichannel communications technology for online counselling

16th January 2012 - Over one year on from ChildLine's Web launch, record numbers of children are contacting the service for expert, confidential advice and counselling on a range of serious issues. Crucially, children can now interact with ChildLine using the channel that suits them best – be it email, SMS live web chat or a phone call. More than 60 per cent of counselling now takes place online. Powered by the Genesys Customer Interaction Management (CIM) platform, ChildLine online is helping to ensure that more children than ever can receive counselling when they most need it.

ChildLine celebrated its 25th birthday recently, and in that time it has moved from a single UK phone number to being present in 150 countries and offering everything from Web chat, email and SMS support to instant messaging.
Since 1986, the help line has counselled more than 2.6m children, dealing with concerns ranging from cyber bullying to divorce and teen suicide. And as the world has changed, the charity has developed new ways of encouraging children to talk through their problems and report serious matters.

Many children today are more comfortable using the Web, email, text, or instant messaging than they are picking up the phone. So when the NSPCC looked to modernise its phone system and implement new methods of contact for users, offering these new channels became a key focus for the charity. The NSPCC turned to contact centre technology expert Genesys and its implementation partner, ProtoCall One, to help provide multiple touchpoints across a range of channels that would help a wider range of children to get in touch with a counsellor, and get the help they need.

Number of children using ChildLine triples

Since the service went online, the number of questions about suicide, depression and self-harm the charity deals with has trebled. Between 2010 and 2011 – the first full year in which the online service was available – counsellors dealt with more than 30,000 enquiries on these three issues with more than 60% of all counselling about suicide, depression and mental health issues taking place online.

"By developing our online service we can reach out to more of these very troubled children who are struggling to cope with complex problems that are blighting their lives, and may not have contacted us without this new service," said Sue Minto, head of ChildLine.

ChildLine counsellors are available for online 1-2-1 chat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The latest statistics show children are nearly three times more likely to discuss self-harm via email or online chat sessions than over the phone. Some 65,960 counselling interactions last year were through 1-2-1 Chat. It works like an instant messaging service. Once signed up, a child can enter a ‘waiting room’ on ChildLine online, where they can watch videos, play games, and create meaningful drawings about their situation, while waiting for a counsellor. Once a counsellor is available, the worried user can start instant messaging and say what’s on their mind. Everything remains completely confidential.

Overall, ChildLine received almost 275,000 counselling enquiries last year, and thanks to the underlying Genesys platform, more children than ever are able to access this invaluable service, using the media they are most comfortable with.