Child Helpline International is a collective impact organization, with over 150 member child helplines operating all over the world. Since our foundation in 2003, we have brought together existing child helplines and supported the creation and scaling-up of new child helplines. We have strengthened our network by sharing what we have learned from the best of our child helpline members with all of our child helpline members.
We were a founding member of Child Helpline International, one of 49 organizations. It was 2003, the same year that Childline launched, and we’ve been on this journey together ever since. It hasn’t always been easy, but through dedicated work from this network, more children’s lives are being improved than ever before.
Ilya Smirnoff
Director, Childline Thailand
Our network brings child helplines from all around the world closer together, enabling them to share knowledge and best practice on the different ways they operate child helplines. We organize International and Regional Consultations where members come to meet, discuss emerging trends in child protection, and share experience on specific topics such as approaches to counselling, data collection, and so on.
Each year, we collect millions of anonymised contact data from children and young people. The data received are analyzed to identify national and global trends, inform policy decisions and advocate for the importance of channelling resources to child helplines and their role in national child protection systems. The data are also used to create publications, toolkits, manuals and guidelines to benefit our members.
Access to a sustainable, member-driven learning infrastructure including eLearning modules, webinars, online live learning sessions and regional consultations. You can gain knowledge without reinventing the wheel. All learning materials are based on real needs identified through assessments and member consultations.
We work closely with, and advocate on behalf of, our members before influential bodies including national governments, United Nation bodies and influential child protection networks. Some of the organizations that we work with include
the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN), and many more.
The International Consultation (IC) is Child Helpline International’s flagship global event, held every three years in partnership with one of our child helpline members. Each IC takes place in a different region, bringing together our members, partners, policymakers and experts from around the world to share learning and strengthen collaboration.
A Regional Consultation, or RC, is a similar event and usually occurs during the year prior to an IC. Five RCs are held across our regions — Africa, Americas & the Caribbean, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East & North Africa — each hosted by a local child helpline member and focused on regional priorities and shared experiences.
