ABOUT US

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Childline Mpumalanga offers counselling for Bullying,Child Abuse, Child Pornography, Communication Skills, Corporal Punishment, Early Childhood Development, New Children's Bill, Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Parenting, Teenage Pregnancies

Early Childhood Development

Events

New Children's Bill

Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Parenting

Teenage Pregnancies

Volunteers

HISTORY

Childline has begun operating its toll-free counselling services in various provinces throughout South Africa in 1986. Childline Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng had been receiving large amounts of requests for services from children in Mpumalanga province. Counsellors from LifeLine in Nelspruit had been receiving referrals for children in need of counselling services. The LifeLine counsellors were providing the services, but they do not have the specialized training necessary to provide appropriate counselling services to children. The LifeLine counsellors had been overburdened in trying to meet the needs of children in crisis throughout Mpumalanga. There was a recognized need for a confidential counselling service for children, such as Childline, in the province. At a meeting between Childline South Africa and the Department of Social Services, Population and Development of Mpumalanga the relevant stakeholders decided that LifeLine Nelspruit would develop a local branch of Childline in the Mpumalanga Province. On 28 October 2003, Childline Mpumalanga was launched bringing free telephonic counselling and referral services to all youth and families in the Mpumalanga province.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF CHILDLINE MPUMALANGA

Childline Mpumalanga has celebrated its 3rd birthday on 28 October 2006. For the past three years this organisation has

received and handled 94 515 Calls from children and adults with concerns in the province about children on the toll free Crisisline.
visited over 25 Schools in the province and provided training on Children’s Rights and responsibilities, Child abuse prevention, communication with children, counselling of children, violence in schools, child pornography, children and grief and many more.
started a Youth development Programme in Kabokweni were the aim is to develop youth into adults who will be able to realise their rights in the community, and a second youth development program is running in Chweni.
An open air library and feeding scheme was started for children in Chweni and is currently still running.
The organisation also renders a therapy service to children coming to the Childline office in Nelspruit.
The organisation participates in national and public awareness events like Youth Day, Human Rights Day, Aids Day and Children’s Day and has a strong advocacy and awareness responsibility to bring the voice off children to the community.

BRIEF PROFILE OF CHILDLINE SOUTH AFRICA

Childline South Africa is as affiliation of regional Childlines. Each Province in South Africa with the exception of Limpopo and Northern Cape Province has a regional Childline office to which the toll free line for children is directed. This is an appropriate arrangement in view of the fact that:

Each province has its own regional issues relating to children and violations of children’s rights
Education, Welfare and Health – the government services that have a profound impact on children’s lives – are provincial affairs and therefore services and problems within these structures differ from Province to Province.
The Non-Government Organisations, Faith Based Organisations and Community Based Organisations differ markedly in their availability, services offered and structure from Province to Province.
South Africa has 11 official languages. The home languages spoken by children differ markedly across the provinces and when children are in need or crisis it is essential that the counsellors they are able to access through the Childline Crisis line are able to communicate in the language of the child.
The Childline Toll free number receives approximately 55000 calls per month across all the Provinces. It is essential to avoid a call centre that is so busy that children do not receive the quality attention that is required in order to assist the child.
Each regional office, apart from the Crisis Line and Prevention and Education Services offers a different “Basket” of services according to regional need and the availability of resources – both human and material – to provide such services.
* NOTE The crisis line serves the entire country – even the provinces in which there is no regional office. Childline SA is focussing on the development of regional offices in the Limpopo and Northern Cape Provinces

SERVICES COMMON TO ALL THE REGIONAL CHILDLINES

The tollfree crisis telephone counselling line – 08000 55555
Training of volunteers to provide the above services with the assistance of professional staff to monitor and mentor.
Prevention and education programmes in schools, communities and other contexts.
Networking and Coordination of services to children.
Advocacy on children’s rights – this involves monitoring legislation and policy and its implementation.
Some of the Childline Offices also offer:
1. Treatment services to abused children and their families
2. Court preparation services to abused children who have to testify in criminal court.
3. Safe emergency care to children in need of immediate removal.
4. Offender rehabilitation.