Childline to cut 10 counselling jobs at Glasgow base

The Glasgow times understands that 10 staff roles are to be made redundant at Childline’s office – which is based in the city centre - in October.

The free NSPCC service offers advice and support for vulnerable youngsters struggling with a variety of problems and the organisation believes the changes will increase contact with those in need by up to 36 per cent.

However, one source claims the job losses will be a hammer blow for those needing to speak to an experienced counsellor or requiring the most urgent help.

They said: “The plan is to let 10 fully qualified staff counsellors who deal with complex calls go. That can’t be seen as a positive move, however the charity wants to dress it up. These people are only able to perform the role they do because of the years of experience they have under their belts.

“It’s not an easy job and they spend so much time building up trust with these kids and know the exact level of help to offer. Instead, they are being replaced by a team of volunteers who will undergo training and work under the guidance of a supervisor.”

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The whistleblower says that staff fear that the service will become more focused on measuring itself on the volume of calls it processes rather than the quality of service it delivers.

They added: “The genuine fear is this shift could have the potential to turn Childline into a type of triage service, where the most urgent cases are dealt with first and people drop into a queue.

"Some staff feel it is at risk of being turned into a call centre, where even time limits could be placed on calls. For example, a trained counsellor can currently spend up to one hour gaining the trust of a young person who needs support as it is not something that can be done quickly. Staff are disgusted at what’s going on, it goes against everything the charity stands for and ultimately people are losing their livelihoods.”

Childline today responded to workers’ claims and says it has no intention of reducing the length of time people spend on calls or only triaging 'the most serious cases'. 

The charity says that it has reviewed its services and believes the time is right to modernise the way it operates to reach more youngsters in need. It declined to comment further when specifically asked about the loss of the jobs at its Glasgow Green base.

Shaun Friel of Childline (Image: Childline)

Shaun Friel, Childline Director, said: “We have been working together with children and young people, staff, volunteers and a wide range of external partners in recent months to shape the future possibilities of Childline. We want to embrace new technologies, new ways of working and to really tune in to what young people today are telling us that they need. 

“Through this process we’ve identified three key areas for improvement in the Childline service that we propose to address now. These are providing immediate support, consistent support, and around the clock support.

"We believe these changes, which will be cost-neutral, will enable us to assist significantly more children and young people across Scotland and the rest of the UK and improve the service we offer them, including enhanced overnight support. This reinforces the mission of Childline, which is to be available to every child and young person who requires the service and to ensure they feel safe, listened to, and supported.”

Mr Friel added: “Childline and children have benefited from our committed, dedicated, trained and supported volunteers since the service was created in 1986.

"Our changes will see even more roles dedicated to supporting those volunteers with their training and the work that they do. And while we are committed to the growth of volunteers to support children and young people, there will also be a number of paid staff roles that will directly engage with children and young people in the new delivery model.”