AS yn Lansio Gwasanaeth WhatsApp Llinell Gymorth Meic

Welsh Minister launches a new way for children and young people to contact the Meic helpline service.

Welsh Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Sarah Murphy, officially launched the Meic WhatsApp messaging service recently. The WhatsApp option is a new way for children and young people to access free, confidential advice, support and advocacy. This is in addition to Meic’s existing contact options, which include phone, text and online chat.

Delivered by ProMo Cymru on behalf of the Welsh Government, Meic aims to ensure that support becomes more accessible through channels that are familiar to their users.

2024 marked ProMo’s 40th anniversary and we had a celebration in October at our Cardiff offices. This provided an opportunity to officially launch the WhatsApp service. Sarah Murphy was invited to launch the service, and she was thrilled with the development:

“This is absolutely brilliant. Over the past 40 years ProMo Cymru have provided valuable insights into the design and accessibility of digital youth information. The funding for the Meic helpline recognises the important services which underpin the Welsh Government’s commitment to supporting young people,” said Sarah.

“It’s important to make sure that services are easy to access, work together, be trauma informed, and person centred. We can look to the work of Meic and ProMo Cymru as examples of excellent practice.”

Stephanie Hoffman, Head of Social Action at ProMo Cymru, shared insights into the challenges of implementing the new feature:

“Setting up WhatsApp wasn’t straightforward. It wasn’t an option that our call-handling company could offer when we first made enquiries. We had to work with them to make this available. We also had to think about confidentiality and safeguarding concerns and put measures in place to address these,” explained Stephanie.

“It was crucial for us to make this option available as it aligns with our goal of making support accessible in ways that are comfortable for young people.”

Meic is available every day from 8am to midnight. Children and young people can reach out for support through:

• Phone and WhatsApp message: 080 880 23456
• Text: 07943 114 449
• Online chat: www.meic.cymru

Find out more about the Meic helpline service here.