NSPCC Leeds Childline stalwart retires after 30 years but pledges to return as volunteer
A Childline stalwart who has spent three decades supporting children and young people across the country has pledged to return as a volunteer after retiring this week.
Ros Deo works with the NSPCC service at their hub in Leeds, but started her Childline journey in Nottingham in 1995 where she first trained as a volunteer.
After moving to Bradford with her family in 1997, she began volunteering with the Leeds Childline team, and in 2010 took on a paid role with the service.
Despite considering herself “a technophobe”, Ros worked for decades with the team which dealt solely with online contacts at the time, with young people using the Childline website’s 1-2-1 online service or emails.
Ros said: “I was shocked at the thought of counselling online, initially thinking I would have to leave. I could not see how it would be possible! But then experiencing it, I realised our online service is a lifesaver for those young people who just cannot bring themselves to speak on the phone or for whom it is not safe to call.”
When the Childline base in Leeds began to take phone calls from children and young people three years ago, Ros helped the team adapt and said the effect was dramatic.
She said: “It was very exciting when we reintroduced voice contacts, but to be able to hear the children’s voices again was very emotional. I don’t mind sharing that those of us on that first voice shift cried.”
More recently, Ros joined the Leeds hub’s Twilight Team. Introduced at the end of last year, this ensures counsellors are available throughout the night to support children across the country who need help around the clock.
She said: “I decided to join the Twilight Team to experience the difference between those young people who contact during the day and at night. It is just a privilege to be able to be there with them and support them to get through the night.
“Late nights and the early hours of the morning are always busy, with contacts from children who can’t sleep and just need support to get through to the morning. I’d love to see more volunteers signing up to help the Leeds team with that, because everything feels worse at night, so knowing that there’s someone to talk to in those dark hours is really important.”
Now, after almost 30 years of offering counselling to countless children and young people across the country, Ros has decided to retire. But she hopes to return to her wonderful team in the near future.
She said: “The next step of my journey will hopefully be to return as a volunteer in Leeds in the autumn.
“I want to say a heartfelt thanks to all those individuals who have believed in me and supported me over the years and to the many volunteers who I have had the privilege to train, mentor and supervise. So many wonderful, wonderful people.”
Charlotte Thomas is the NSPCC’s Childline Team Manager at the Leeds hub and has worked with Ros for 15 years.
She said: “It has been a pleasure to work alongside Ros for all these years. Ros has never wavered in her dedication to supporting young people.
“It has been fantastic to see her take on new challenges, with changes in technology and a move to night shifts, demonstrating her commitment to doing whatever is needed to support young people when they need us. I am so pleased that Ros has chosen to continue with us as a volunteer.”
To find out more about volunteering for Childline, or how to support the NSPCC, visit: www.nspcc.org.uk/support-us