Childline Gibraltar Seeking More Volunteers
Over the last couple of years, callouts to Childline’s Appropriate Adult service have tripled. Furthermore, in what has been our busiest year to date, Childline’s Appropriate Adult Service has offered over 7 times more support to children this year, in comparison to 3 years ago. During last month alone, August 2022, there were 13 such calls and Childline is now looking to recruit more people to join its team of Appropriate Adult volunteers.
A statement from Childline Gibraltar follows below:
Whenever a child or young person is detained by police officers, the Royal Gibraltar Police Custody or HM Customs Sergeants are required to have an Appropriate Adult present to safeguard the child’s interests. If the child’s parent or guardian is not willing or able to attend, then the call goes out to Childline who have a trained Appropriate Adult volunteer on standby 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. This training is provided by the UK’s National Appropriate Adult Network to which Childline Gibraltar are affiliated members.
In order to ensure that the system works smoothly and effectively, Childline has regular liaison meetings with the RGP.
Caroline Carter, CEO of Childline Gibraltar said:‘Being detained by Police or Customs can be a frightening experience for young people especially if their parents are unable or unwilling to be present. Children in custody often have background issues such as poor mental health, learning disabilities or communication disorders which can be compounded by issues of race, gender, child abuse, neglect and/or trauma. Our Appropriate Adults are there to safeguard the welfare and rights of children who are detained or interviewed as suspects and to ensure that they understand what is happening and why.’
Annie Green, Co-Chair of Childline said:‘The demand for our services continues to grow and we are always looking to recruit people who are willing to make a huge difference to young people. Being one of our Appropriate Adults allows volunteers to gain valuable skills and experience and to benefit from being part of a well-supported team. We are very grateful to companies such as Advantage and PWC who support our AA service via their Social Responsibility Programmes.’
Any individual or local company that wishes to support the Appropriate Adult service is asked to contact Childline via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., preferably before 7 October, in order to join the next training course. Full comprehensive training is provided to all volunteers in-line with the UK National Appropriate Adult Network.
