The Parent Line Online Counselling project gives parents and carers access to a counsellor online via the existing website providing greater support to harder to reach families who may not otherwise be assisted.

This initiative focuses on the wellbeing of vulnerable children in supporting parents to develop better relationships with their children.

Parent Line provides a telephone counselling, support and referral service for parents and carers of children aged 0-18 living in NSW. The service’s clinical aims are to achieve more stable parental emotional regulation, greater caller insight into parenting behaviour and unhelpful parenting behaviours, accurate developmental knowledge, more positive parenting strategies used by parents and carers and highly vulnerable families being better linked to community support services and the Child Protection system if necessary.

2014/15 has seen the service receive 7,604 calls from parents and carers with issues impacting on 9,188 children. Themes included child mental health concerns, domestic and family violence issues and crisis concerns including the immediate aftermath of child sexual assault revelations.

Parent Line has provided families with professional support, child protection strategies and referrals to face-to-face services where appropriate. Parent Line provides ongoing support to some vulnerable families who are unwilling to become involved with local community resources. The expansion into online counselling provides further valuable support.