Fed: Children's help line flooded with calls about relationships

AAP General News (Australia)
02-11-2004
Fed: Children's help line flooded with calls about relationships

Children facing relationship problems have dominated a 24-hour national children's
telephone counselling service.

The Kids Help Line, a free telephone counselling service for young people, received
more than one million phone calls from around Australia in 2003.

Kids Help Line senior researcher KIM LITCHFIELD says about 40 per cent of phone calls
answered by the service concerned family, peer and partner relationships.

Bullying, emotional and behavioural management, sexual activity and child abuse were also common.

But Ms LITCHFIELD says only 50 per cent of phone calls made last year were answered,
due to the demands on the service.

About 120 professional counsellors work for the service, based in Brisbane, which was
set up in 1999.

AAP RTV mf/gfr/swe

KEYWORD: KIDS (MELBOURNE)

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