Suicidal children
The number of ‘suicidal’ children calling a Welsh helpline has risen four-fold in the past five years, a charity says. NSPCC Cymru/Wales reported an average of nearly ten such calls a week to its ChildLine bases in Wales last year, amounting to a total of more than 500.
Abuse, neglect, family problems or mental health issues were among the reasons cited for calls, according to a report by the BBC. The NSPCC’s Simon Jones said: ‘We treat every call as extremely serious’.
Some 50 per cent of the callers gave their age and half were aged 12-15, the charity reported. Some said they had already attempted suicide, while others made attempts while on the phone to a counsellor.
