There is a warm and welcoming atmosphere in BørneTelefonen's new office on Nytorv in Aalborg. The coffee machine is humming, and at the entrance, the volunteers are ready to talk to children and young people about challenges big and small, such as friendships, bullying, family relationships, and unhappiness.

"The volunteers are the heart of BørneTelefonen and HØRT, and it's important that they feel good," says child welfare consultant Line Brøndum Nielsen with a smile as she shows us around the bright and inviting premises.

The Sol og Strand Foundation, Sol og Strand Margit and Kjeld, has donated DKK 200,000 to Børns Vilkår for a new office in Aalborg, which opened on September 1. BørneTelefonen already has offices in Valby and Aarhus, but the desire to establish a presence in Aalborg has been in the works for some time. This is partly to build close and strong partnerships with municipalities in North Jutland to improve the well-being of children and young people, and partly to create better opportunities for recruiting volunteers. Aalborg offers good conditions with several major educational programs such as pedagogy, social work, teaching, and psychology.

– The Children's Helpline and youth counseling service HØRT have been very well received in Aalborg. Our goal was to have a team of 100 volunteers after three years, but we already have 80. We are incredibly grateful for this, and it means that we can help many more children and young people who need an adult to talk to, says Line Brøndum Nielsen.

Thorough training
The huge support has also created a busy atmosphere at the new office. All volunteers undergo a basic training course that equips them for the task and prepares them for difficult conversations.

"We place great emphasis on training and offer ongoing courses, which can also be tailored to the needs of the volunteers. Many take their knowledge and experience with them into their education or working life, and in this way our child-centred approach also becomes more widely established in municipalities and other institutions," says Line Brøndum Nielsen.

The Children's Helpline is open 24 hours a day, and the topics covered range widely – from conflicts in friendships and mental health challenges to falling in love and self-harming behavior.

– Anyone can contact us with whatever is bothering them. We meet the child where they are and focus on their needs. Especially in the evening and at night, many people contact us by phone, chat, or text message, often with feelings of loneliness, sadness, or suicidal thoughts, says Marianne Rasmussen, head of BørneTelefonen.

In 2025, the Children's Helpline and youth counseling service HØRT had almost 64,000 conversations with children and young people. Nevertheless, there are many children and young people who do not get through—especially when many children and young people contact the service at the same time.

"We are experiencing high demand, which we are better able to meet with the opening of the office here in Aalborg—and not least thanks to the fantastic support from volunteers in North Jutland," says Marianne Rasmussen.

BørneTelefonen and the youth counseling service HØRT are run by Børns Vilkår, a private NGO that works to strengthen and improve children's development opportunities, upbringing, and conditions in Denmark. The counseling is free and anonymous.

FACTS

Børns Vilkår's view of children and young people is rights-based and rooted in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is based on a fundamental belief that children and young people are competent, have valuable perspectives, and are important participants in society. At the same time, it is always the responsibility of adults to create a framework that ensures safety, inclusion, and opportunities for participation.

In 2025, the Children's Helpline and youth counseling service HØRT had almost 64,000 conversations with children and young people via telephone, chat, text message, and letter. Børns Vilkår also runs the Parent Helpline, which had over 7,000 conversations in 2025.

At the end of 2025, there were a total of 1,068 volunteers. They advise children and young people around the clock from offices in Aalborg, Aarhus, and Valby, as well as from their own homes.