Childline sees surge in calls over coronavirus

The charity, run by the NSPCC, has offered counselling services to more than 900 children since news of the outbreak emerged at the beginning of the year.

Almost two-thirds (597) of the sessions took place between 16 and 22 March.

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Helpline staff and volunteers, who have been given key worker status by the government, received 121 calls from children worried about the impact of the virus on 18 March when Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced schools would close.

The majority of calls were from children struggling with issues around isolation, arguments at home and removal of professional support from schools and the NHS.

The charity said it had so far received 50 calls from children who were concerned about coronavirus experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: "The 24/7 news cycle about coronavirus is causing huge worry and anxiety in young people – particularly those who are already coping with many other issues in their lives.

"Childline provides an essential service to vulnerable children, some of whom may be in a life-threatening situation, which is why our staff and volunteers are working tirelessly to keep Childline running.

"While we are all facing events unprecedented in modern times keeping children safe and providing them with a space to talk about their concerns is our number one priority."

The figures come as charities warn of an increased risk of abuse, neglect and online abuse faced by vulnerable children amid a UK-wide lockdown due to the pandemic.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that schools, pubs, cafes and playgrounds would close with people told to stay at home except to buy essentials and for exercise once a day.

Leicestershire Police warned that measures brought in to tackle coronavirus could see a spike in domestic abuse cases. 

“The force will be responding to calls to service for domestic abuse incidents as usual, aware of the extra risk to those who are already vulnerable,” a spokesman said.

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Andrew Fellowes, public affairs manager at the NSPCC, said signs that children may be victims of abuse and neglect could be harder to spot due to school closures. 

He said: “During this national health crisis children will continue to be at risk of abuse and neglect, both offline and online. Not all children at risk of harm will continue going to school, making it more difficult to spot the signs of abuse.

"National government must support local authorities, services and schools to develop clear plans setting out how they will work together while making sure all professionals working with children are well equipped to keep children safe and swiftly take appropriate action when required.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel said over the weekend that perpetrators of domestic abuse “would still be stopped” and reiterated government advice that victims and their children are still able to leave their homes.

Patel also issued a warning over an increased risk of online abuse and exploitation of children who are spending more time online after schools closed.

The warning has been echoed by children’s charities including Barnardo’s and the NSPCC.

Fellowes added: “Young people staying at home are also likely to be spending more time online meaning they could be more exposed to being groomed and viewing harmful content. To tackle these risks parents should be having regular conversations with their children about what they’re doing on the web and reassure them that they can talk about any worries they may have.”

Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan said: “Even before coronavirus, children were spending an average of five-and-a-half hours a day on social media. With schools closed and many children forced to stay indoors this is bound to increase.

“This will expose children to growing risks online, including cyber-bullying, sexual grooming, and self-harm forums. Two-thirds of vulnerable children supported through Barnardo’s sexual exploitation services were groomed online before meeting their abuser in person.

“We cannot expect children to protect themselves. Parents and carers should have open conversations with their children about what they’re doing online, and should make sure privacy and age-appropriate settings are set at their highest, and that geo-location settings are turned off.

“Now more than ever we need urgent regulation to make the online world safer for children – including the powers to hold tech companies to account.”