Really tough day for some young people yesterday. Also just to say how amazing those volunteers are, they are working so hard over the holidays to make sure children are heard and supported. Real heroes

You only have to look at Facebook and Twitter, to see that some people seem to think once the pressies are given to the kids, the rest of the holiday is for drinking, hangovers and more drinking. It’s little wonder Childline see an increase in calls at Christmas.

Was disappointed to hear from my father in law who went to our local pub Xmas eve and who left at 9pm. He said that there was one girl about 7 with her parents who were obviously inebriated. It’s a sad state of affairs that parents can’t put drink to one side for the sake of their kids. How would they have managed Santa? Let alone be up for the excitement of Xmas morning? And we wonder why kids are calling childline

@ The Baxter. cop on to your self Will ya. How do you know that’s what the calls where about. where you one of the many volunteers who gave up there Christmas day to take these calls.
Sadly there is children out there who to them Christmas day is just another day in the abuse and suffering they endure.
Bless all the people who gave up there day with there family and loved ones. And god bless and keep safe all them poor children.

I think “The Baxter” is either a troll or he actually thinks kids and parents are on the same level, and should be treated as such. If so I sincerely hope you dont have kids right now at least.

Hmm, these calls are never really broken down and seem to fuel a perception of child protection crisis in Ireland. Parents are stressed, drinking cheap booze and children feel under privileged by not getting the right presents. ISPCC and Barnardos do make hay when the sunshines and well I would query the real content of these calls. As we rethink child protection concerns and child’s lives in a global and consumer world, I would query were all these calls from children at risk or just disappointed children with their presents?

The childline service is truly needed, but is the press release not an attempt by the ISPCC to secure funding – government or private donation – in the face of economic pressures. We all have strong opinions on this but we have no facts. The CSO demographics show more children in the main user age group (in absolute and relative terms) and society educates children so that they are more willing to pick up the phone than previous generations. The reasons behind the calls are more useful to understand.

Anonymised transcripts, as the Swedes do in their children’s court, after academic analysis would allow informed public lobbying on government policy and expenditure in the area. Are these calls caused by specific family types or environmental causes.

Perhaps automatic annual parenting courses attached to taxation and welfare!

The government, rightly or not, is always looking for ways to reduce education, health, welfare and justice expenditure. The best parents possible might be a good done for the wrong reason.

lets get a few things straight … im a supporter of the ispcc . and it is a great organization.
i was going to explain myself more but some of you pea brains would not understand .
no offence ment to normal persons on here.

So are all parents who drink cheap booze are scary and dangerous parents? My main argument is I would love to see the breakdown of topics discussed by the children to the ISPCC. I would imagine a lot of the children were complaining about how their parents weren’t able to buy them the latest 3D DS etc. Or they may have had a few beers too many and could have been a bit distant but all in all this doesn’t constitute child neglect/abuse or the need for mandatory reporting, which in fact is the bread butter argument for the ISPCC to exist. In this post modern world of individualism and breaking down of traditional family practices; we do see children experiencing anxieties in families but this is not signifying an ever increasing child protection crisis.

95% of those phone called complete and utter bull sh## . the Irish kids didn’t get new bikes or xboxes … spoilt…. they don’t think of their parents struggling to keep a roof over their heads … and food in their bellies
.. how many parents wished they could ring somewhere.