This week, the Chief Minister has hosted two receptions for those involved in providing support to children in our local community. On Tuesday evening, around forty Childline volunteers were invited on to the terrace at No6 where Mr Picardo, along with Ministers Neil Costa and Steven Linares, thanked them both individually and collectively for all their efforts.

The volunteers explained to him that, in the last year, nearly 400 young people have been helped by the 365-day helpline service and that Childline also provided the invaluable Appropriate Adult service and Positive Parenting courses.

The following evening the Chief Minister used the No6 Cabinet Room to host members of the Children's Services from the Social Services department of the Care Agency. In an informal social setting Mr Picardo chatted to them about fostering, adoption and the problems of youth offending in Gibraltar. They also discussed various important Child Support initiatives which will be announced in the next few weeks. The Chief Minister also thanked Ministers Neil Costa and Samantha Sacramento, the two Ministers who had provided such strong leadership for the Care Agency during the last five years.

"On these two evenings I have been delighted to meet some of the unsung heroes, or, in most cases, unsung heroines of our community," said the Chief Minister. "We would be deluding ourselves if we thought that Gibraltar was immune to social problems and I am incredibly impressed with the work these people have done, and are continuing to do, both as Childline volunteers and as Civil Servants of the Care Agency. In both cases, their caseloads are emotionally demanding and stressful so I was pleased to be able to meet them all and to personally thank them, from the bottom of my heart, for their efforts and their commitment."