What should I expect from you when I call?

You will lead us. This means you will decide what information you share. We will listen to your situation and provide support and advice. Normal rates will apply if you use our telephone-based service (when it is available).

We’ll give you the following:

• Friendly, sympathetic response
• Guidance from professionals regarding school responsibilities
• Tips for communicating with your child’s school effectively
• Here are some tips to help your child succeed.
• Information on other Kidscape services

We can’t:

• You can either take on your case individually or you can act as your advocate
• If you have serious safeguarding concerns, contact the school or other relevant agencies.
• Comment on the actions taken by school staff and other professionals in your situation
• We can refer you to the appropriate organizations.
• We can give you specific legal advice (we will tell you what legislation applies to bullying).
• Provide advice to anyone who resides outside of England or Wales
• Accept responsibility for information from third parties, such as websites we may refer to
• We can offer advice on bullying adults (or point you to another relevant organization)

What can I do to prepare?

You may find it useful to keep a piece of paper and a pen handy in order to make notes or take notes. You will be able to communicate with the adviser in a calm place without being distracted by background noise.

• What is the privacy of my contact with Parent Advice Line?
• We want you to be confident that any call or email we receive will be handled in confidence

Although we may ask you for certain personal information such as the age of your child and your address, this is not a requirement. This information is only needed to assist you in finding the appropriate services or to better understand our users.

The Parent Support Adviser and you will keep all conversations confidential unless the Adviser believes that a young person, child or vulnerable adult is experiencing, or may be at risk of suffering harm. We will need to share any concerns that we have about an individual who may be attempting harm others.

To allow us to reference your situation should we continue to contact you with the Parent Support Advisor, a record of your contact will be kept on a secure database. You can request that we delete your personal data by emailing [email protected]. Kidscape will not sell your personal data to third parties. Please refer to our privacy statement for more details.

Is it possible for a child to call you for assistance?

Parents, caregivers and other family members can call our helpline to discuss concerns about their child. Please encourage your child to reach out to Childline if they wish to talk to someone about their situation.