Appeal for more volunteers.

A THIRD of all children's calls are currently going unanswered at ChildLine due to a shortage of volunteers, says ChildLine services manager Claire Brown, who is based in its Birmingham offices.

"We need more than 200 volunteers doing regular shifts to be able to answer all of the calls that we receive," he says.

"At the moment we have about 170 people and can only answer about twothirds."

Volunteers have to undergo an interview and police check and receive training and supervision with ChildLine.

They commit to a minimum of 140 hours each year and, although the service is voluntary, ChildLine provides travel expenses.

"If people take on a regular shift, doing the same hours each week, they easily meet that," says Claire. "Volunteers are building a skills base which may set them apart when they are applying for a job. And people who tend to do regular shifts also enjoy the social element of it."

Not all volunteers are telephone counsellors - some answer the switchboard, provide support to schools and help out with administration. And Claire is only too well aware of the roles they fill.

"We could not provide this service without volunteers," she says.

ChildLine is currently expanding its service to allow children to email and send instant messages - all of which could mean an increase in youngsters contacting the charity.

For more *information, see the www.nspcc.org.uk website or call Claire on 0870 336 2915.