The UK’s number one parenting vlogger, broadcaster and bestselling author Louise Pentland launching the #NowIKnow campaign to raise awareness of NSPCC-run service Childline.
Louise’s mother tragically died of cancer when she was just seven years old, and this year marks the 30th anniversary of her death.
After her mum passed away, an adult came into Louise’s life who emotionally and physically abused her. Louise never considered calling Childline for support when she was a child because she was worried that her conversation wouldn’t be confidential.
#NowIKnow
Now Louise wants to encourage children to get in touch and is highlighting the service’s confidentiality policy through her new #NowIKnow campaign.
As well as discussing confidentiality, Louise will talk about other Childline facts that children may not be aware of, including sharing that any child can contact Childline up until their 19th birthday, the service is free to use, calls will not show up on any phone bills and children can contact Childline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Raising funds
She’s also aiming to raise £30k for the NSPCC to fund Childline for a day. To help aid her fundraising efforts, Louise will host a live stream on YouTube on Thursday, April 21. The event will bring together Louise’s celebrity friends who will be asked to pledge money in support of the NSPCC.
During the event, Louise will talk about her role as the NSPCC and Childline’s Ambassador for Childhood and why her personal experience means the charity is close to her heart.
The money Louise raises will fund Childline on Childhood Day, the NSPCC’s flagship day of fundraising that takes place on Friday, June 10, and will bring people together to raise money to help keep children safe from abuse and neglect.
Support from Childline
Childline is a confidential service for children and young people up until their 19th birthday. This means they can contact a counsellor anonymously for support. Only if Childline is concerned about a young person and believe anyone’s life is in danger, they may need to tell someone else, like the police or social services.
They will always try to involve the young person in that decision and talk about what could happen afterwards. More on Childline’s confidentiality promise can be found here – www.childline.org.uk/about/confidentiality-promise/
When speaking with a counsellor, a child can say as much or as little as they feel comfortable sharing.
Children can also visit Childline’s Calm Zone which been a great source of support for children and young people during the pandemic.