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Each year, heaps of kids decide to choose Kidsline as the topic for a school project or assignment. Because we can't answer each person individually (we're too busy on the phones!) we've made a list of some common questions we get asked:
General Stuff
What is Kidsline?
Kidsline is New Zealand's original telephone counselling service for children. Our mission is: "To help, support and empower the children of New Zealand".
What is Kidsline's motto?
Our motto is "It Helps to Talk'. In Te Reo Maori it translates to "He Pai Ake Te Korero". We know that when things are tough, it always helps to talk to someone you trust. For lots of kids, the first person they feel safe to talk to is a Kidlsine Buddy.
Who is Kidsline for?
Kidsline is for all New Zealand kids up to age 14.
Where can I ring 0800 Kidsline from?
Kids can ring from any telephone in New Zealand, including mobile phones / cellphones. The only phones you can't ring us from are payphones.
Kidsline Buddies
What are Kidsline Buddies?
Kidsline's telephone counsellors are known as Buddies. Kidsline Buddies are Year 12 and 13 students who volunteer to offer a listening ear to callers. They are fully trained and supervised telephone counsellors.
Are Kidsline Buddies paid?
No - all Kidsline Buddies are volunteers, giving up their time to be trained and answer calls.
How many Buddies are there?
At the moment there are over 70 Kidsline Buddies. There is also a volunteer team called the Kidsline Resource Team who are past Buddies that help to train and supervise new Buddies and run Kidsline.
How can I become a Kidsline Buddy?
Kidsline Buddies are recruited at the end of each year in the Auckland area. Applicants need to be Year 11 students who are returning to school in Year 12 and Year 13. Please check this website in early September each year for full details about applying.
Our History
How long has Kidsline been around?
The idea for Kidsline began 21 years ago, in 1987. The first Kidsline shift ever was on June 7th 1988. June 7th 2008 marks Kidsline's 20th Birthday. |
 | Why did Kidsline start?
A boy whose father had recently died asked one of the counsellors at Lifeline why we didn't have a special support service for kids. Around that time Lifeline staff were looking at services for children in Britain and thinking about how to best help young callers. The boy who first asked about forming Kidsline later became a Kidsline Buddy himself.
How did Kidsline start?
Kidsline started as a service to the Auckland area only. We became a nationwide service nearly ten years ago in 1998. We are proud to be the only service to reach every primary and intermediate school in New Zealand.
Our Organisation
Where is Kidsline?
Kidsline is based in Greenlane, Auckland, New Zealand.
Who owns Kidsline?
Kidsline is a service of Lifeline Auckland.
Lifeline runs the 24 hour, 7 day Lifeline 2/7 telephone service for adults and offers face to face counselling in Auckland. Lifeline also runs the nationwide ChineseLifeline, Mensline and a variety of other services too. You can find out more about Lifeline at their website www.lifeline.org.nz.
How is Kidsline funded?
Kidsline is funded by donations and sponsors. We don't recieve any funding from Government, so we rely on the generosity of our platinium sponsor, ASG Education Programs New Zealand, other sponsors and private donations. if you'd like to support Kidsline through holding a fundraiser or making a private donation, click here to find out more.
Your Questions
What are some of the most challenging cases you've had to deal with?
- Ankita, Auckland
Kidsline doesn't discuss individual callers or cases to protect the confidentiality of callers. We know one of the reasons kids feel safe to talk to a Kidsline Buddy is that the Buddy won't tell other people about it.
Every situation that kids ring about about is challenging for Buddies in their own way. It's important for Buddies that we have heard correctly what is happening and understood what it's like for the caller. It's never easy to hear about the abuse or hurt some callers tell us about, but our training prepares Buddies to listen carefully to and support each caller.
If you have a question you think other kids would also like to know, you can ask it here and we may put the answer up on this page. |
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