Childline calls for 24-hour social services

Childline has called for the introduction of 24-hour social services in the context of the proposed referendum on children's rights next year.

The organisation, which is run by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC), expects to receive 1,200 calls on Christmas Day and between 8,000 and 9,000 calls over the Christmas season.

Thirty volunteers will staff Childline's six offices nationwide tomorrow. Last year they fielded 700 calls, but 1,200 children called the 24-hour helpline. Childline manager Deirdre Swords said the pressure on the helpline was as a result of there being no out-of-hours social services for children in distress.

"Families don't have crises between 9am and 5pm every weekday. Crises hit when families are together, which is often at times like Christmas and the new year, when no emergency services are open," she said.

"Often Christmas only serves to highlight the pain and loneliness many children feel."

Ms Swords said children in crisis had to present themselves at a Garda station or hospital for assistance. "We want to highlight the importance of out-of-hours services. We need statutory out-of-hours child protection services. A Garda station is no place to carry out an interview with a child," she said.

The referendum on children's rights is due to be held next year, though the potentially contentious wording has yet to be agreed.

"We're devising our plans to highlight this issue as part of children's rights in the Constitution," Ms Swords said.

Meanwhile, two organisations representing the elderly have warned of the problems that elderly people living on their own often face at this time of year.

Friends of the Elderly estimates that 121,826 elderly people live alone in Ireland and 31,690 live in the Dublin area.

During the dark evenings of the winter months, loneliness can become a problem for many older people. "An elderly person can become isolated quite easily," says Dermot Kirwan, development manager with Friends of the Elderly.

"They may have had a fall or be recovering from a stay in hospital, or they lose their life-long partner, or their old neighbours die and the neighbourhood changes. Quite quickly their world shrinks and they are reliant on those who call. They can often go four or five days without meeting another person. A 20-minute visit can transform their day."

Age Action is running a public information campaign to highlight the steps older people and their families can take to ensure they stay safe and well over the Christmas period and throughout winter.

Communities are also being encouraged to keep an eye on their older friends and neighbours.

"Call in to your older friend or neighbour regularly over the holiday period," Age Action's head of advocacy and communications, Eamon Timmins, said.

He added that it was also advisable to "ensure . . . they have adequate food and fuel supplies".