116111: Six digits to remember

What is a child helpline?

A child helpline is a free and confidential service for children and young people, where you can talk about anything you want, via phone, chat and other means. When you contact a child helpline, you will talk or chat with a child helpline counsellor, who is a trained staff or volunteer. They will listen, help you talk about what’s going on in your life, and will help you come up with solutions. You can choose to be anonymous when you speak to a child helpline. Child helplines are confidential, which means that they will not tell anyone what you tell them, unless they are very worried about your, or someone else’s safety. You can ask your child helpline about confidentiality when you contact them. Child helplines can also help you get in contact with other services, if you need them.  

116 111 is the number specially reserved for child helplines in the EU. In the table below you can see which members of Child Helpline International are the operators of the 116 111 number in their countries. Please click on their name and logo to be taken directly to their website.

Albania	Croatia	Cyprus	Czechia
ALO 116 111	Hrabritelefon	Call 116111 Cyprus	Linka Bezpečí
Denmark	Finland	Georgia	Germany
BørneTelefonen	Child and Youth Phone	Child Helpline Georgia	Kinder- und Jugendtelefon
Greece	Hungary	Ireland	Latvia
The Smile of the Child	Lelkisegély-vonal	ISPCC Childline	Uzticibas Talrunis
Lithuania	Luxembourg	Malta	Moldova
Vaiku Linija	KannerJugendTelefon	Supportline 179	Telefonul Copilului
Netherlands	Norway	Poland	Portugal
De Kindertelefoon	Alarmtelefonen for barn og unge	Telefon Zaufania	SOS Criança
Romania	Serbia	Slovakia	Slovenia
Telefonul Copilului	NADEL - Nacionalna Dečija Linija	Linka Detskej Istoty	National Telephone Helpline TOM
Spain	Sweden	Ukraine	United Kingdom
Teléfono ANAR	BRIS	National Child Toll-Free Hotline	Childline UK

Living in Europe and don’t see your child helpline? Click here

Want to find information about our child helpline members from all over the world? Click here

The 116 111 number provides child helplines with a pan-European identity so that European citizens can be assured that calling the number will give them access to the same type of service in different Member States. This number is currently operational in 23 out of 27 Member States, and additionally in seven other European states.

The European Commission has identified child helplines as a service of social value, and the harmonised 116 111 number is an important part of a reporting system to tackle abuse and exploitation of children and young people. The Council of Europe has included child helplines in integrated national strategies to protect children from violence. For children and young people, having a short, easy-to-remember number is very important to make child helplines accessible. Governments, children’s rights partner organisations, telecoms and industry partners should use their platforms to promote awareness of the 116 111 number to make sure that every child is heard. You can read more by clicking the links below:  

• Awareness of the 116 111 Child Helpline Number (2017)  
• The Importance of Child Helplines for Child Protection in Europe (2015)
• Voices of Children and Young People (2016)  

What is Child Helpline International?  

Child Helpline International is a membership organisation for child helplines with 166 members from 139 countries and territories around the world. We coordinate information, viewpoints, knowledge and data from our child helpline members, partners and external sources. This exceptional resource is used to strengthen child protection systems and children’s rights globally, regionally and nationally, and to help our members advocate for the rights of children and amplify children’s voices.

Being a member of Child Helpline International can be very beneficial for child helplines. They can access influential policy and decision-making platforms, share knowledge and obtain capacity building support, as well as be part of a network with a high sense of community. If you are a child helpline representative interested in becoming a member of Child Helpline International, please contact us at membership@childhelplineinternational.org. We will be happy to hear from you! 

Full members of Child Helpline International adhere to our membership requirements, which includes annual submission of data and annual assessment against our core quality standards. You can read more by clicking on the links below:  

• The Power of Child Helpline Data