Can I tell you something? What’s affecting children in 2013

ChildLine helped support thousands of young people last year, sometimes quite literally saving lives and I am very proud of the work our staff and volunteers have done to listen, empower, support and help children.
But this report isn’t about ChildLine. This report is about the thousands of children who contacted us to tell us about their experience of life in the UK.
This report isn’t what I think, or what colleagues at ChildLine think, but instead it is the real words of some of the most isolated and vulnerable children and young people. They spoke to us about difficult, challenging and concerning experiences, feelings and situations. And we listened. Our confidentiality policy gave these young people the confidence to talk to us about how they feel, what life is really like for them, and I believe we have a responsibility to share our knowledge and insight with professionals, influencers, the government and the public.
As you read the report you will see there have been some concerning changes since 2011/12. We’ve seen a 41 per cent increase in the number of counselling sessions where a young person talked about selfharm and a 33 per cent increase where suicidal thoughts and feelings were mentioned. We have also seen a 69 per cent rise in counselling with young people who have experienced racist bullying. These statistics are alarming and while it is good that young people are seeking our help rather than suffering in silence, I believe together we must do more.
My hope is that this report, reflecting the voices of children, contributes to the dialogue about how together, we can better support vulnerable young people. We hope that by listening to young people directly we can all learn from their experiences and help them shape a better future.