A day in the life of working as a helpline advisor

I’ve been working as a Helpline Advisor for 12 years, throughout this time the helpline has grown and evolved and we continue to receive thousands of calls every year related to child protection. We have the telephone service, chat service, anonymous email, and more recently our Shore service which is a safe space for teenagers worried about sexual behaviour.

What attracted me to the job

I was drawn to the job after a professional career as a Nurse and Midwife and seeing first-hand the real-life devastating effects child sexual abuse has on children and society. Stop it Now aims to prevent child sexual abuse, and talking about concerns and addressing actual or potential problems plays a major part in child protection. I’m a firm believer that child sexual abuse can be prevented by recognising and addressing risks either online or offline before they escalate further. This needs to be dealt with in a non-judgemental and empathic way to encourage people to talk honestly and act on their concerns to safeguard children. Empowering and supporting people to take control of inappropriate thoughts or actions and giving them a safe place to talk is essential. We are a confidential service unless a caller chooses to provide their identifying details.

What does a typical day look like

Always busy. The helpline is open 9am-9pm Monday to Thursday, and 9am-5pm on a Friday, so the phone line is always in demand.

Looking after my well-being, and being supported and supporting all our team is essential. This job can be demanding and mentally stressful and we need to ensure we are physically and mentally robust to enable full support of all our callers.  We work shift patterns up to a maximum of 6 hours per shift.

Our callers range from people who have been arrested seeking support to address their problematic offline or online behaviour so it doesn’t happen again, people affected by a loved one’s arrest, live child protection concerns from family members, professionals and the general public, survivors of child sexual abuse, and people concerned about their thoughts towards children. The emphasis is always about safeguarding children.

During each shift we aim to provide at least one action for the caller, this might be talking to their GP to access mental health support, never being alone with a child, and also signposting to our website resources on our Stop it Now, Parents Protect and Lucy Faithfull Foundation websites. A typical shift generally consists of calls from somebody arrested for accessing online indecent images of children, a professional with a safeguarding concern, a concerned parent worried about their child’s sexual behaviour, and somebody worried about their escalating online porn use.  

After each shift there is an opportunity to debrief with a Duty Manager, and ongoing through each shift there is Duty Manager support. Also, as a team we support each other and tap into each team member’s knowledge and experience when it is needed. We are all learning every day. We receive ongoing training that is updated regularly and this keeps our knowledge and skills current.

After a shift

Winding down after a shift is essential. I like to leave my office environment and walk my dog to clear my head ready for the next day, this ensures I am ready to provide a professional service and continue to do the essential child protection work we provide.

Contact us

Our confidential helpline is free and available to anyone concerned about the safety of children.

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