Adults take over teens hotline
Published:Wednesday | April 27, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Just over a week after the education ministry set up a suicide hotline for troubled teens, it appears that adult callers are overwhelming the network.
According to the Ministry of Education, the hotlines have been inundated with calls from adults seeking general counselling.
The hotlines, which were established in association with LIME, were set up to provide counselling and other assistance to students experiencing stressful situations, or dealing with depression and other emotional challenges.
"The hotlines are for student issues. Adults may call on behalf of students and to have concerns about student issues addressed. Adult members of the general public should use other similar facilities geared towards general adult issues," the ministry said yesterday.
The ministry is seeking to assure the public that the 24-hour hotline will be manned by trained counsellors and associates of the Ministry of Education, and that all calls will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
The hotline number is 1-888-429-5273.