Childline — free support for children and young people
Childline is the NSPCC's free, confidential service for children and young people up to 19. In family proceedings, it is often the one service a child can use independently of both parents — and for a parent, knowing your child has a safe, neutral person to talk to (even about the court case) can be part of a genuinely child-focused welfare plan.
REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-09-01
What Childline is
Childline is a service provided by the NSPCC. It offers a free 24/7 phone line, a monitored online chat and email service, and message boards where children can talk with peers. Conversations are confidential — a child can talk about anything: family breakdown, being caught between parents, abuse, bullying, anxiety. The only exception is where a child is in immediate danger, when Childline works with other services to protect them.
What help it offers
- Phone: 0800 1111 — free, open 24 hours a day, and the call does not show on phone bills.
- 1-2-1 online chat with a counsellor and email support — see childline.org.uk for current availability.
- Message boards — moderated peer support.
- Information pages in child-friendly language on divorce and separation, court, social services, going into care, abuse, and feelings.
- Calm Zone — breathing exercises and activities for anxious moments.
How a self-representing parent can use Childline
1. Tell your child about it, neutrally. Giving your child Childline's number (0800 1111) is a way of showing the court — and the child — that you are not trying to control their voice. It is what well-advised parents do. 2. In Cafcass or guardian work. Cafcass officers and children's guardians routinely signpost children to Childline. Knowing the service yourself lets you support, not obstruct, your child's access to it. 3. If your child discloses something. What a child tells Childline is confidential from parents. If a Cafcass report or guardian evidence reflects things your child said, remember the child had an independent safe space — and that trying to extract what they said, or stopping them using it, is viewed very badly by the court. 4. When social services are involved. Childline's pages on social services and being in care help children understand the process in their own terms.
Childline is not a reporting or legal service for parents. Concerns about a child's safety go to the NSPCC helpline (0808 800 5000), the police, or your local authority.
Contact details
- Phone (free, 24/7): 0800 1111
- Website: https://www.childline.org.uk
- Contact options (chat/email): https://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/contacting-childline/
Useful links
- Childline home: https://www.childline.org.uk
- Divorce and separation info for children: https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/family-relationships/family-conflict/
- NSPCC helpline for adults worried about a child: https://www.nspcc.org.uk
This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws, procedures and contact details change — verify anything important against the official sources linked above before relying on it. Your Family Case is an independent directory listing; we take no referral fees and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or receiving payment from any organisation listed.
Content verified against the official HMCTS court directory, gov.uk forms and fees pages, and the professional body registers (SRA, FMC, Bar Council). Last reviewed September 2026.