© yourtown and the Australian Human Rights Commission 2020. We encourage the dissemination and exchange of information presented in this publication and endorse the use of the Australian Governments Open Access and Licensing Framework (AusGOAL). All material presented in this publication is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence, with the exception of: • photographs and images • yourtown and the Commission’s logo, any branding or trademarks • where otherwise indicated. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. In essence, you are free to copy, communicate and adapt the publication, as long as you attribute yourtown and the Australian Human Rights Commission and abide by the other licence terms. Please give attribution to: © yourtown and the Australian Human Rights Commission 2020 Impacts of COVID-19 on children and young people who contact Kids Helpline • September 2020 ISBN: 978-1-925917-26-0 For further information about copyright in this publication, please contact: Communications Unit Australian Human Rights Commission GPO Box 5218 SYDNEY NSW 2001 Telephone: (02) 9284 9600 TTY: 1800 620 241 Email: communications@humanrights.gov.au Design and layout: Dancingirl Designs Cover and internal images: iStock yourtown’s Kids Helpline service is Australia’s only free, confidential 24/7 online and phone counselling service for children and young people aged 5 to 25 years. Further information about Kids Helpline can be found at https://kidshelpline.com.au/. The Australian Human Rights Commission is Australia’s National Human Rights Institution. It is an independent statutory organisation with responsibility for leading the promotion and protection of human rights in Australia. Further information about the Commission can be found at www.humanrights.gov.au/about-commission. Authors: Susan Nicolson (Australian Human Rights Commission), Susan Newell (Australian Human Rights Commission), and Brian Collyer (yourtown). Acknowledgements: • Children and young people contacting Kids Helpline (yourtown) • Counsellors at Kids Helpline (yourtown) • Tracy Adams, CEO yourtown; Rosalind Croucher, President Australian Human Rights Commission • Australian Human Rights Commission staff: Darren Dick, Gabriela Sanchez, Mark Franklin and Leon Wild. If you are feeling distressed, are worried about someone, or would like someone to talk to, please contact Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. 2

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