Breeze open 24 hours a day at the request of children.

Children’s conversations about anxiety, family conflict and violence have increased dramatically during the pandemic. This is shown in Bris’s annual report for 2020, which was released last week, as previously reported by TT.

Now Bris announces that they are opening their telephone line for children and young people through the number 116 111 24 hours a day as of March 15. There will also be a chat 24 hours a day.

– It’s a historic investment. There has been no such support that has opened up in this way in Sweden before, says Bris general secretary Magnus Jägerskog.

Greater severity

The telephone line and the chat are attended as before by psychologists and socionomers. If the situation is deemed urgent, Bris can also help to contact, for example, the SOS Alarm or social services.

Magnus Jägerskog says the open-air night service was planned even before the pandemic and that it stems from the fact that most calls to Bris are about mental illness.

– We see that the severity of the talks has increased significantly in the last five years. We also know that many children and young people feel worse in the early morning and then it is important to know that help is available. For some children, it can be life changing.

Urgent investment

Bris has conducted surveys on what children want. The organization has also seen that many people already hear from them overnight.

– The demand for the service comes from the children themselves. We also see it as a matter of rights, that children have access to support 24 hours a day. In the social development that we see with an increase in mental illness among children and young people, which has become clearer during the pandemic, investment feels particularly important, says Magnus Järeskog.

Marielle Olsson / TT