Childline South Africa

Last updated

Childline South Africa
Formation1986 (1986)
Purpose
  • Child Rights
  • Prevention
  • Education
  • Counselling
  • Lobbying
  • Advocacy
Headquarters24 Essenwood Road, Durban, South Africa
Region served
South Africa
National Executive Director
Dumisile Nala [1]
Website www.childlinesa.org.za

Childline South Africa is a non-profit organisation which works to protect children from violence and further the culture of children's rights in South Africa. [2] Childline runs a national, 24-hour, toll-free telephone counselling service for children and adults, handling over 1 million calls annually. [3] [4] In addition to the Crisis Line telephone counseling service, Childline also offers services such as online counseling, training programmes for continuous professional development, training on court preparation and workshops on child law. [5] [6]

Contents

Crisis line telephone counselling

The 24-hour national telephone counselling service is available to children up to 21 years of age, as well as adults with concerns about children. [4] Telephone calls are routed to the Childline office closest to the caller, where trained counsellors are available to provide assistance. Calls to the Crisis Line are free from South African telephone networks Telkom, Vodacom and CellC, with the exception of MTN. [7] [8] [9] Counsellors are trained to deal with a wide variety of issues. [4] [10]

Online counselling

Childline offered a free, online counselling service through the discontinued Mxit instant messaging application which was available to youth under the age of 21 years, as well as to adults with concerns about children. [11] [12] Initially trialled as a pilot project in 2009, the service quickly saw thousands of young people making use of it to seek help. [13] Chat rooms were staffed by trained counselors based at the Childline national office in Durban, and were operational Monday to Saturday, from 2 pm to 6 pm. [12] Conversations between children and counsellors were strictly confidential and were conducted on a one-on-one basis, which allowed children to seek assistance on topics they would have ordinarily found difficult to discuss. [14] [15] Children who required face-to-face services may have been referred to their closest regional office for further counselling. [12]

Partnerships

Google

Google is partnered with Childline in promoting online safety for children through its online child safety campaign, launched on 1 June 2012. [16] [17] The partnership is intended to facilitate the co-ordination of work done by government, industry and civil society. [18] The online child safety campaign saw the launch of a South African version of the Google Family Safety Centre, available in English, isiZulu and Afrikaans, and provides parents with information on how to prevent children from being exposed to inappropriate content through Google services. [19]

International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

The International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) focuses on training and education in the child protection field at a regional and international level. Childline is a member organisation of ISPCAN [20] and is associated with ISPCAN training and international congresses, having assisted in the organisation of the ISPCAN International Congress held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in 2008 in Durban. [21] Childline has also had numerous papers accepted for presentation at the ISPCAN International Congresses, held every two years. [22] The national coordinator of Childline is listed as a member of the expert faculty of ISPCAN, and also an elected member of the executive council of the organisation. [23] [24]

Child Helpline International

Child Helpline International (CHI) is a global network of 173 child helplines in 142 countries. [25] [26] Its functions are to provide a forum for information sharing and mutual support, assistance with advocacy and lobbying, promoting the rights of children and child helplines as a medium of assistance to children, and to support the initiation and development of child helplines in countries which do not have such services. [22] Childline is partnered with Child Helpline International, and hosted the CHI Sixth International Consultation in 2012 in Durban. [22] [27]

Funding

Childline is primarily funded by ad hoc donations from corporations and government parastatals. [28] The lack of a reliable source of recurring corporate and governmental donations has resulted in the threat of imminent closure of some Childline offices on several occasions. [29] [30] [ non-primary source needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telecommunications in South Africa</span> Overview of telecommunications in South Africa

Telecommunications infrastructure in South Africa provides modern and efficient service to urban areas, including cellular and internet services. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) is the watchdog of the telecommunications in the country.

Samaritans is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, often through its telephone helpline. Its name derives from the biblical Parable of the Good Samaritan although the organisation itself is not religious.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children</span> British child protection charity

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Childline</span> British youth phone counselling service

Childline is a British counselling service for children and young people up to their 19th birthday in the United Kingdom provided by the NSPCC. They deal with any issues which cause distress or concern; some of the most common issues include child abuse, bullying, mental illness, parental separation and or divorce, teenage pregnancy, substance misuse, neglect, and psychological abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esther Rantzen</span> English television presenter

Dame Esther Louise Rantzen is an English journalist and television presenter, who presented the BBC television series That's Life! for 21 years, from 1973 until 1994. She works with various charitable causes and founded the charities Childline, a helpline for children, which she set up in 1986, and The Silver Line, designed to combat loneliness in older people's lives, which she set up in November 2012.

Telkom SA SOC Limited is a South African wireline and wireless telecommunications provider, operating in more than 38 countries across the African continent. Telkom is majority state-owned (55.3%) with the South African government owning 40.5% of Telkom, while another 14.8% is owned by another state-owned company - the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), which is closely linked to the South African government.

A crisis hotline is a phone number people can call to get immediate emergency telephone counseling, usually by trained volunteers. The first such service was founded in England in 1951 and such hotlines have existed in most major cities of the English speaking world at least since the mid-1970s. Initially set up to help those contemplating suicide, many have expanded their mandate to deal more generally with emotional crises. Similar hotlines operate to help people in other circumstances, including rape, bullying, self-harm, runaway children, human trafficking, and people who identify as LGBT or intersex. Despite crisis hotlines being common, their effectiveness in reducing suicides is not clear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telkom Indonesia</span> Indonesian telecommunications company

Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk officially shortened into PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, also simply known as Telkom, is an Indonesian multinational telecommunications conglomerate with its corporate headquarters in Bandung and its operational headquarters in the Telkom Landmark Complex in Jakarta. Telkom is listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange and has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange. The government of Indonesia owns over half of Telkom's shares outstanding.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) is an Australian organisation interested in the promotion of breastfeeding and protection of nursing mothers. Members of ABA include nursing mothers and their partners as well as health professionals such as doctors, lactation consultants and midwives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damelin</span> Private college in South Africa

Damelin is a private college founded in 1943 by Benjamin Damelin. Damelin has 17 campuses in South Africa and is owned by Educor group. Damelin offers degrees, diplomas and other higher qualifications, but is considered a college instead of a university due to the regulations for tertiary institutions in South Africa. Damelin is the oldest and most profitable education subsidiary owned by Educor. By November 2012, over one million students had graduated from Damelin.

Telephone counseling refers to any type of psychological service performed over the telephone. Telephone counseling ranges from individual, couple or group psychotherapy with a professional therapist to psychological first aid provided by para-professional counselors. In-person therapists often advise clients to make use of telephone crisis counseling to provide the client with an avenue to obtain support outside of therapy if they cannot be reached in an emergency or at the conclusion of a therapeutic relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Hassall</span> New Zealand paediatrician (1941–2021)

Sir Ian Bruce Hassall was a New Zealand paediatrician and children's advocate. He was New Zealand's first Commissioner for Children from 1989 to 1994. His career entailed working for children and their families as clinician, strategist, researcher and advocate. He was awarded the Aldo Farina Award by UNICEF in 2010 for his dedication to improving child welfare.

Kids Helpline is a free Australian telephone and online counselling service for young people aged between 5 and 25. Counsellors respond to more than 6,000 calls each week about issues ranging from relationship breakdown and bullying to sexual abuse, homelessness, suicidal thoughts, depression and drug and alcohol usage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet in South Africa</span> Overview of the Internet in South Africa

The Internet in South Africa, one of the most technologically resourced countries on the African continent, is expanding. The internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .za is managed and regulated by the .za Domain Name Authority (.ZADNA) and was granted to South Africa by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in 1990. Over 60% of Internet traffic generated on the African continent originates from South Africa. As of 2020, 41.5 million people were Internet users.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harmonised service of social value</span> Type of freephone service in the European Union

A harmonised service of social value is a type of freephone service available in the European Union and in some non-EU countries, which answers a specific social need, in particular which contributes to the well-being or safety of citizens, or particular groups of citizens, or helps citizens in difficulty. The phone numbers and the corresponding service descriptions are managed by the European Commission and harmonised across all EU and EEA member states. Harmonised services of social value use the prefix 116, which is then followed by three digits indicating the type of service.

Founded in 1977, the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) is a multidisciplinary international organization that aims to prevent and treat child abuse, neglect and exploitation globally. It organizes the International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect, the largest conference in the world about child abuse.

CHILDLINE 1098 is a service of Ministry of Women and Child Development. Childline India Foundation is a non-government organisation (NGO) in India that operates a telephone helpline called Childline, for children in distress. It was India's first 24-hour, toll free, phone outreach service for children. Childline 1098 service is available all over India. It is available in 602+ districts, 144+ railway stations and 11 bus terminals have Child Help Desks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeroo Billimoria</span> Indian businesswoman

Jeroo Billimoria is an Indian social entrepreneur and the founder of several international NGOs. Her work has been featured in several books. Her most recent initiatives include Aflatoun, Childline India Foundation and Child Helpline International. Her most recent initiative is Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI), which Jeroo founded in 2011.

SAWA is a Palestinian, non-profit civil society organization established in 1998 by a group of female volunteers active in women's issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Child Helpline International</span>

Child Helpline International is a global network of 173 child helplines in 142 countries.

References

  1. "Childline Team". Childline South Africa. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013.
  2. "Childline South Africa". Childline South Africa.
  3. "South African government call centres and help lines". Archived from the original on 7 June 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 "Crisisline". Childline South Africa. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013.
  5. "How we help". Childline South Africa. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013.
  6. "Childline Training". Childline South Africa. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014.
  7. "Teach your children about Childline's helpful services". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  8. "Childline Gauteng 2008–2009 Annual Report (page 10)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  9. "Telkom Foundation 2004 Annual Report (page 3)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014.
  10. "MySchool". Archived from the original on 29 August 2013.
  11. "MXit Partners". Archived from the original on 26 February 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 "Online Counselling". Childline South Africa. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014.
  13. "MXit survey highlights abuse".
  14. "MXit basics for parents". Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  15. "Parent's guide to how MXit works".
  16. "The Media Online: Parents' Corner welcomes Google SA campaign to drive online child safety".
  17. "Google Partners". Archived from the original on 7 July 2013.
  18. "ITWeb: Parents' Corner welcomes Google SA campaign to drive online child safety".
  19. "Google launches Family Safety Centre for South Africa". Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  20. "ISPCAN Resource Centers".
  21. "ISPCAN Partner Program". Archived from the original on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  22. 1 2 3 "Childline Partnerships". Childline South Africa. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013.
  23. "ISPCAN Membership Brochure (page 1)" (PDF).
  24. "ISPCAN Executive Council".
  25. "About Child Helpline International".
  26. "Child Helpline International: What We Do". Archived from the original on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  27. "CHI International Consultation 2012". Archived from the original on 13 June 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  28. "Childline funding". Childline South Africa. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013.
  29. "Childline may close its doors".
  30. "It's Sink or Swim for Childline". Childline South Africa.