Childline Kenya

Childline Kenya is an NGO that was set up in 2004 to respond to child protection concerns in Kenya. Some of the challenges the country faced at that time, and still faces today, include: 1. Increased rate of child abuse/broken family system 2. Inadequate access to affordable and professional mental health and psychosocial support for children and their families 3. Weak coordination of response to reported cases of children in need of care and protection Childline Kenya was therefore established to create an enabling environment for children to voice their concerns, be listened to and be linked with essential services through a coordinated referral system Nationwide. It was founded, as an NGO, by Plan International, SOS Children’s Villages and the Kenya Alliance for the Advancement of Children (KAACR). The flagship programme, which it is largely known for, is therefore the National Child Helpline 116 Service. This is a telephone based service through which children can reach out to report abuse and other concerns that cause distress to them, and receive the necessary support including immediate counseling and effective referral to child protection services. Other members of the public also access the Helpline to report cases on behalf of children. This service is co-managed with the Directorate of Children Services in a fromal engagement through a Public Private Partnership model. Apart from providing the Helpline services which is an avenue for response to violence against children, Childline also implements activites to prevent child abuse from happening in the first instance. These activities include: 1. Strengthening of the Child Protection System through Capacity Building and coordination of the referral Network to support all children in need of care and protection 2. Building the capacity of people who work with and take care of children and their concerns (Children Officers, teachers, parents, the police, the judiciary, court users etc.)