We’re delighted to announce that Beat’s Youthline has been approved as a full member of Child Helpline International! Child Helpline International is a network made up of over 180 organisations supporting children via helplines in 139 countries all over the world. Their shared expertise and experience helps each organisation to give the best possible support to children who need it. The network is also able to inform global and regional policymakers about the issues affecting young people around the world, and push for positive change with the weight of millions of stories behind it.
Beat’s Youthline relaunched with longer opening hours and a Freephone number in February, and from the beginning of July extended its opening hours even further. It’s now open from 12pm – 8pm during the week, and 4pm – 8pm on weekends and bank holidays.. As a result, the team have been able to answer far more calls and emails, supporting more young people affected by eating disorders than ever.
We’re so proud to have the endorsement of Child Helpline International, which is a sign of the high standard of support we’re able to offer through our Youthline. But we’re looking at ways that we can improve this even further, increase our reach, and provide as many people as possible with the means to contact Beat in the way that works best for them. From September, we’ll be launching a new webchat function, for many people a more comfortable and familiar way to talk about the issues that are affecting them. We also hope that we’ll be able to both benefit from and contribute to the wealth of knowledge offered by the organisations in the Child Helpline International network.
If you’re aged 18 or under and need support, you can call our confidential Youthline on 0808 801 0711 from 12pm – 8pm during the week, and 4pm – 8pm on weekends and bank holidays, or send an email to fyp@beateatingdisorders.org.uk and we’ll respond within 24 hours. Calls are completely free and won’t appear on your phone bill.
We have plenty of support for over 18s too – call free on 0808 801 0677 or email help@beateatingdisorders.org.uk.
Find out more about our helplines here.