Dear Sam,
I am now 18 and I know that you will offer support to people up to the age of their 19th Birthday. I was just wondering what happens to my account and where can I go from here as I still feel I need support with grieving and some other issues at home.
Many Thanks
B*
Hi there,
That’s a really good question and I’m sure it’s one that a lot of people have thought about.
You're right, we can offer you support up until your 19th birthday. You account will stay open when you turn 19, so you can view saved emails or and things in your locker if you wish. We would ask you not to post anything to the message boards or request 1-2-1 counsellor chats once you've turned 19.
We'd only lock your account if you ask us to, or if you continue to access services like 1-2-1 chat. You can also choose to lock your account yourself by going to your locker and clicking on the ‘Close account’ tab. Closing your account will mean that you won’t be able to log in again. You’ll lose access to your locker, emails with Childline, mood journal entries, private Art box images and any saved pages.
There are lots of other services that can provide you with support. The Mix provides expert advice on issues which are more relevant to young adults and they can support you up until you're 25. Samaritans also provide confidential support to anyone going through a tough time.
Moving on to another service can be worrying. Especially if you have been with Childline for a long time. It can take time to build up trust with another community and that’s okay. Perhaps you could think about beginning to access them before you turn 19. This will allow you some time to get used to how they work and begin to trust them before you move on from Childline.
You can always talk to a counsellor for support and they can help you to find other services which may help.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
