Children Services Principal Secretary Carren Ageng\u2019o has expressed concern over the increasing mental health and psychosocial challenges affecting children.<\/p>\n
Ageng\u2019o\u2019s concern comes amid the revelation that the National Child Helpline (116) now receives approximately 1,200 calls daily at its Nairobi and Eldoret centres.<\/p>\n
According to the PS, the most frequently reported issues indicate what she described as an urgent and silent crisis, demanding a more robust national response.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe National Child Helpline currently receives an average of 1,200 calls daily, with stress and depression emerging as the most reported concerns among children,\u201d she stated, highlighting the necessity to expand psychosocial support services across the country.<\/p>\n
Ageng\u2019o made the remarks during a high-level roundtable that convened child protection partners and stakeholders. The meeting aimed to explore strategies for strengthening, enhancing the effectiveness, and broadening the reach of the helpline.<\/p>\n
Discussions at the meeting included the operational pressures on the system and underscored the importance of timely intervention for children in distress. The PS emphasised that delays in response can have significant repercussions for vulnerable children seeking assistance.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery missed opportunity to respond is a missed opportunity to help a child,\u201d she said, stressing the importance of rapid response mechanisms within the child protection framework.<\/p>\n
She noted that the helpline provides access to trained counsellors who offer guidance, psychosocial support, and referrals for specialised care when required, identifying this as a crucial entry point for child protection interventions.<\/p>\n
Key organisations present at the roundtable included Childline Kenya, the primary implementing partner, alongside UNICEF, Save the Children, World Vision, the International Rescue Committee, the Council of Governors, and senior officials from the State Department for Children Services.<\/p>\n
Participants reiterated their commitment to improving coordination and service delivery in response to the growing demand for child protection services, particularly in mental health support. The PS noted that these efforts form part of a wider initiative to protect the rights, well-being, and dignity of children, while addressing the emerging social and psychological issues affecting young people across Kenya.<\/p>\n
The post Rising stress and depression drive 1,200 daily calls to Kenya\u2019s child helpline<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Children Services Principal Secretary Carren Ageng\u2019o has expressed concern over the increasing mental health and psychosocial challenges affecting children. Ageng\u2019o\u2019s concern comes amid the revelation that the National Child Helpline (116) now receives approximately 1,200 calls daily at its Nairobi and Eldoret centres. According to the PS, the most frequently reported issues indicate what she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143075\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}