Worried about Yourself or a Friend?
If you are a child or a young person, this is where you will find information to help you.
We can help you if you don't know what to do and you think that:
- you are being mistreated or abused by someone; or
- you think a friend, or any other child or young person is being mistreated; or
- you need advice or someone to talk to
This page also gives information and links on help and information on things for example (see all of the topics on the right of this page
- What is abuse?
- Staying safe online
- Bullying
- Domestic Abuse
If you’ve got a problem or are worried about someone you know, it can be hard to know what to do to make the situation better. But remember
You don’t have to manage on your own.
Talking to someone can make you feel better and help you find a solution.
Try talking to your friends or an adult that you can trust like a parent or teacher. There are also other people to help you.
In an emergency
If you think you are in an emergency or you know someone who is in need of help in an emergency you should call:
- 999
Children and Families' Division
Children and Families' Division have a team of professionals that are there to help you. If you need to speak to someone you can ring (01624) 686179 Monday to Thursday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm or 9.00 am to 4.30 pm on a Friday. If you need help outside these times please ring (01624) 631212 and ask to speak to the on-call social worker. If it is an emergency you can ring the police by phoning 999.
You might not want to talk to anyone about your worries because you are embarrassed. You might think people won’t take you seriously or understand you, or that they might tell someone else when you don’t want them to. You might think adults have let you down, so find it hard to trust them. It can be very difficult to talk about your feelings and what’s happening in your life, but some problems won’t go away if you try to sort them out yourself or ignore them.
Childline
You can contact Childline about anything. You can contact Childline by phone, email, text or via a message board. To phone call 0800 1111. They have a video that shows you what happens when you contact them and lots of ideas and information about keeping safe. Their website is at: www.childline.org.uk