A fake counsellor log-sheet in a 200,000 mailing from the NSPCC’s ChildLine has got the charity into trouble with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The log-sheet contained what seemed to be genuine counsellor reports of calls from children, which included one whose father was a violent drunk who assaulted the child’s mother after drinking, one who just sobbed uncontrollably and one whose babysitter was abusing her.

The ASA ruled that the log-sheet could have misled and caused undue fear or distress to some recipients as it was not made clear by the charity that it was published as an example of the kind of calls received by ChildLine, rather than actual logs of calls.

The NSPCC will be running a similar mailing, but suitably amended so as not to mislead, later this year.