Numbers calling the groundbreaking service have been rising steadily since it was launched in May by Deputy Minister for Children, Huw Lewis, Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Keith Towler and popular Welsh-born Radio 1 presenter Aled Haydn Jones.
‘meic’ is the first helpline of its kind in the UK and was funded by more than £450,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government in its first year of operation. It gives children and young people the opportunity to get help on issues important to them if they feel they are not being heard, or if their opinion is not being taken into account on matters that affect them.
Deputy Minister for Children Huw Lewis said:
“The number and nature of calls received so far underlines the need for this service in Wales. Children and young people have a right to be heard and have their concerns listened to, no matter what the issue.
“This new service provides a valuable new channel of communication while complimenting other important services for children and young people.
“Advisers and Advocates are able to support children and young people to speak up and change things when they are not happy.
“Issues facing children and young people can often be very complex and they need trained staff who can help them unravel these problems, find solutions and speak up so that the situation can get better.â€
The service currently operates seven days a week from midday to 8pm but will become a 24 hour service later this year. There was particularly heavy usage during the most recent half-term break and a similar rise is expected during the summer holidays.
People aged up to 25 can access the service via telephone, text messaging and instant messaging online. So far roughly 70 per cent of the calls have been voice calls.
The most common issues raised during the early weeks include mental health anxieties, exam stress, unemployment and housing worries. Recently, meic advisors have received a significant number of calls relating to sexuality, relationship problems and bullying in schools.
Trained meic advisers provide callers with information, let them know where they can get further help, or transfer them to an independent professional advocate. These advocates can help children and young people find ways of making others listen to their point of view on any decision that affects them, or even offer to make contact on their behalf. They may deal with specific issues because the child or young person is not happy with the current situation and feel that they want help and support to start, stop or change something.
To date, as well as signposting callers to trained advocates for further support, they have also signposted to a range of other services including Family Information Services, Housing Associations and NHS Direct.
Children and young people under 25 in Wales can contact meic by calling freephone 080 8802 3456, free text to 84001 or instant message via the meic website (see related websites on right).
