About Kids Helpline
Kids Helpline is a free, confidential 24 hour counselling service for young people aged 5-25 years. Counselling is offered by phone, email and over the web.
Counsellors respond to almost 4,500 calls each week about issues ranging from relationship breakdowns and bullying to sexual abuse, homelessness, suicidal thoughts, and drug and alcohol use.
The service aims to empower young people by assisting them to:
- Develop options
- Identify and understand the consequences of a particular course of action
- Facilitate more productive relationships with family and friends, and
- Provide information on local support services.
Kids Helpline counsellors are fully qualified professionals who undergo additional accredited training at Kids Helpline.
Kids Helpline is a service of yourtown.
Who is Kids Helpline for?
Kids Helpline is for young people aged 5-25 years.
Is there a cost to use Kids Helpline?
No – all calls from landlines and mobile phones are free. There is no cost to use the email or web counselling services.
How to access Kids Helpline’s services
Young people can contact Kids Helpline via:
- 24 hour telephone crisis line (1800 55 1800)
- Web counselling – open 7 days a week (at various times, depending on your State) via the Kids Helpline website
- Email counselling – available via the website
Kids Helpline Research and Evaluation
Boystown publishes an annual report providing details on the achievements of its services (including Kids Helpline) and stories of the young people it has helped. The most recent report can be found on the website.
Kids Helpline also publishes an annual report on some of the key issues affecting young people who contact the service. The report talks about how they contact the service, counselling trends and work conducted with other services to address national issues like youth self-harm, suicide, mental health and online safety. The latest National report (including State and Territory reports) can be found here.
