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When 17-year-old Srini Chadwaller* told his mother Tara* that he had been sexually abused by a relative when he was 15, she was extremely distressed and unsure what to do. She was terrified of the shame it might bring on the family if she sought help because of the stigma attached to talking about sexual abuse. She did not even feel able to talk about it with people in her community, even though she could only speak Punjabi.

Fortunately, Tara did have someone to turn to. She contacted the national Asian child protection helpline and obtained the necessary advice and support and in her own language.

Set up by the NSPCC in November 2001, this unique helpline aims "to reach out to the south Asian community and be accessible to anyone who may have any child welfare concerns," says helpline manager Owais Khan. "We provide advice, support, information and counselling in the five main south Asian languages of Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi and Gujarati as well as in English. I believe that south Asian children have as much right to be protected as other children in the community."

The generation gap is often more pronounced in families from ethnic minority cultures and this can put an extra strain on the family. "For example, children may learn British culture and norms as they grow up, and yet seek the approval of parents and their ethnic community whose values and beliefs may differ from these. Conflicting views on sexual freedoms, forced marriages and not allowing children to mix with their peers who are from other cultural backgrounds are just some of the complex issues we have given advice on," says Khan. Indeed, last year the helpline held a successful national conference on the subject of forced marriage.

Interestingly, more and more professionals are seeking advice on cultural, religious and linguistic issues. Their enquiries make up more than a third of all calls received. A further 10 per cent of calls at the moment are coming from children themselves, with the rest coming in from parents and carers, neighbours and members of the public. In its first year the helpline received around 600 calls, but that has now risen to 2,000.

"We have found that we are bridging a very important gap between professionals -Êincluding police, social workers, health visitors, teachers, childminders, politicians, policy makers -Êand the Asian communities. We are starting to make an impact influencing people who manage teams and projects that deal with Asian people and communities," says Khan.

He says the helpline is raising awareness in south Asian communities about acceptable behaviour and encouraging people to bring up their children in a positive manner rather than chastising them inappropriately. "We have also produced practice guidance on issues pertinent to the south Asian community, and now have a database of more than 450 Asian-specific organisations offering a range of support including counselling," he adds.

The helpline, which includes an e-mail service that has been used by people who live in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, employs five full-time and five part-time workers covering the main languages involved. It also has a senior practitioner, a manager and administration worker. The £400,000 running costs are funded entirely by donations.

Khan says: "We are going from strength to strength and want to reach out to as many people as possible. Callers feel more comfortable talking to counsellors who have the same heritage and culture. There are some words that won't have an English translation and it's good to have somebody at the end of a phone who understands."

Tara Chadwaller would agree. She was given plenty of support, including advice on what to do if her son had the courage to whistleblow on the relative that perpetrated the abuse, keeping in mind her concerns of family shame. And it is that sort of understanding, knowledge and sensitivity in a caller's preferred language that has helped make the helpline a lifeline for many people from south Asian communities.

*Not their real names

• The helpline number is 0800 096 7719 and is open weekdays from 11am to 7pm. E-mail service: helpline.asian@nspcc.org.uk

Lessons Learned 

• The helpline built networks and trust in Asian communities. This was seen as essential to reassure people of confidentiality and the professional and cultural advice available.
• There is a stigma attached to getting help. "We are helping to break this down. We are reaching people with advice, information and counselling who previously did not use services. We are helping to bridge a gap that seems very much needed in the community and the cause of misunderstanding and mistrust," says Khan.
• It was important to get qualified staff on board.