Capital's ChildLine centre to close after just 3 years

children's charity ChildLine is to close its Edinburgh call centre after less than three years.

The phone line is run by the NSPCC, which has proposed the closure under a nationwide review. It is currently consulting staff and volunteers.

The charity has stressed children will still be able to call the same phone number for help, but calls would be put through to the first available counsellor in their centres around the UK. It says the review will result in it being able to answer more calls overall in future.

The NSPCC said the change was a result of the increasing numbers of children who contact Childline online rather than by phone.

The centre in Thistle Street is run by both paid staff and volunteers.

A spokeswoman for the NSPCC said: "The number of calls to ChildLine have been decreasing as children and young people turn to the wide range of online support available at childline.org.uk. This includes chatting to a ChildLine counsellor online, emailing ChildLine about their worries and supporting each other via our message boards. They can explore the issues that worry them like domestic violence, exam stress or drugs and alcohol abuse and make use of a range of tools to help them express their feelings."

The review has also seen a centre in Exeter earmarked for closure, and the relocation of centres in Swansea and Leeds. Childline will retain its call centres in Aberdeen and Glasgow.

The spokeswoman added: "This is part of a wider development programme for ChildLine. Following this review, we are proposing to close our centre in Edinburgh. We are also proposing to increase the number of ChildLine volunteers over the next five years. By 2016 we will be delivering significantly more counselling hours in the most cost-effective way."

The centre opened in September 2008, and in its first four months received 1250 calls. When it opened, Childline planned to recruit 50 volunteers for the centre by 2011.

City children and families leader, Councillor Marilyne MacLaren, said: "It sounds a great pity, but I do understand in a tight financial situation that they have to watch every penny. There's nothing like actually talking to somebody about something that's troubling you, but if children and young people are comfortable using online for something as personal as that, so be it.

"Childline does a very good job and the main thing is that there is somewhere that children can contact."

Childline offers free and confidential help on 0800 11 11.