YouthNet UK decided to create the 3.7m confidential service after large numbers of young people emailed requests for specialist advice to its information web site, TheSite.org.
Brook, the Citizens Advice Bureau, Samaritans, Sane and Shelter are among the organisations whose experts will be giving advice. Young people can be sent a text message or email alert to let them know when the answer, which is held in a secure part of the site accessible only to the young person, is available.
Claire Easterman, project manager of AskTheSite, said: "We're not experts, so that's why we're partnering with these specialist organisations. We've been training partner charities in how to answer questions." The web site is funded by a range of organisations, including 850,000 from the Big Lottery Fund and 1.5m over three years from the Vodafone UK Foundation. AskTheSite has been piloted during the past year and has already answered more than 2,400 questions.
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