ChildLine seeks 200 volunteers

By PAUL WARD
Published on 20/11/2012 02:26

A CHILDREN’S charity is searching for 200 volunteers as it plans to visit every primary school in Scotland to promote safety and raise awareness of issues such as bullying and abuse.

ChildLine aims to put on assemblies and workshops for all young pupils in the 2,154 primary schools in the country by 2016 and the service was launched yesterday at Davidson’s Mains primary school in Edinburgh.

The charity said the ChildLine Schools Service is designed to encourage children to recognise situations where they may need help and to let them know where they can get support.

Volunteers for the service will be trained to give children the knowledge they need in clear and age-appropriate language.

Benjamin Napier, ChildLine Schools Service manager for Scotland, said: “An average of two children in every primary school classroom are suffering from abuse or neglect and the majority of cases go undetected.

“Most children who contact ChildLine are over 11 years of age. If we are really serious about stopping child abuse, we need to reach these children when they are younger.

“Volunteers are key to the new service, so it is vital that local people come forward to help us protect future generations.”