The Danish Helpline provides anonymous digital counseling to marginalized youth ages 9-23 through chat, mail, and social media. It is part of a network of 24 European helplines that empower and protect children online. The helpline addresses key issues like thorough counselor training and creating a safe platform. Examples of its work include training sessions to share knowledge and an exchange program where helplines visit each other to learn practices. Diversity across helplines is both a strength and challenge that is addressed through strong organizational structures and communication.

1. The Danish Helpline
Center for digital youth care AGENDA
Erroll Marshall
Manager of Cyberhus.dk • The Danish helpline – the organisation
Online counseling platform
• Why anonymous digital counseling?
erroll@cyberhus.dk
www.cfdp.dk • Key issues when offering digital counselling
www.cyberhus.dk
• Helplines and the Insafe network
- Diversity - a strength and a challenge
- 2 examples of our work
• Final comment

2. The organisation
• Center for digital youth care • Generel helpline, 2004
• Communications platform for • 3 employees
Parents, professionals, • 100 volunteers
politicians and goverment • 10.000 visitors pr. month
• 7 employees • Targetgroup:
• Social economic buisness Marginalized children – age 9 to23
Workshops, lectures,and • Chat & mail counseling
projects. • Blogs, art, lifestories, debate
- Drugs and youth - Ministry of Social Affairs
- Tuba/alcohol – online counseling

3. Why anonymous digital counseling?
Child`s world Phone counseling
Pro-active adult Closer interaction
More layers of communication
Less “safe”
Mail counseling:
- Anonymous & safe
- No dialoque
- Practicing expressing themselves Face to face
- Examines own feelings Doctor
Police
Teacher
Parents
Therapy
Chat counseling
- Anonymous & safe
- Practicing dialogue with adult
- Experiencing an adult who listen
- Are motivated to next step Adult world
- Experiencing counter images

4. Key issues when offering digital counselling
- Seeing anonymous digital counseling as a profession
- Thorough and well considered training of counselors
- Still a new profession - networking / professional development
- Creating a safe and attentive graphical platform

5. Part of the Insafe network of helplines
Diversity - a strength and a challenge
24 helplines with big differences
One phone/one counsellor - to helplines with 20 years of experience, 4.000 volunteers
and offering peer to peer debate forums, chat, phone and mail counselling
Cultural, political and Law and legal differences
”Empowering and protecting children online
National helplines respond to the questions and concerns of Young people
linked to their experiences online or the harmful or illegal online content they
Encounter”
How:
• Sharing knowledge, collaborating and inspire each other
• Strong online/offline communication platform
• Weekly and monthly newsletters and updates
• Advisory board

6. 2 examples of working methods
• Training meeting in Sofia, session on chat & mail counseling
- Translation of handbooks (email me and I will send it to you)
- Belgium helpline: Advisory board
- German helpline: Developing e-learning system for mail counsellors
• The exchange bursary program
- Using the strength and resources within the network - organization and individuals
- Finish helpline visiting our helpline on how we work with volunteers
- Invitation to Finland / “pro-active pedagogical work online”
• Result and experiences are then shared with the Insafe network
- Weekly/monthly updates, training meetings, skype meeting, saferinternet.org

7. final comment
• Asking for help, are for many young people a stepwise process
The children who vulnerable online, are the ones who are vulnerable online
• Diversity and differences
Prioritize a strong organizational structure, coordinator, advisory board and the involvement of
members so responsibility and dedication are ensured - ressources
• A good communications platform that supports and motivates
I find great motivation and inspiration in sharing experiences and knowledge, and It has made a
difference for my helpline in Denmark
Thank you
Erroll Marshall
erroll@cyberhus.dk