Childline records increase in calls

AN INCREASE in phone calls from children and young people concerned about mental health was recorded by Childline last year.

Calls from "children experiencing loneliness, talking about self-harming and even suicide" are on the increase, according to Caroline O'Sullivan, director of services at the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC).

They increased from some 0.3 per cent of all calls in 2005 to more than 4 per cent in 2007 (6000 calls). The organisation is calling for "improved support services for young people experiencing mental health difficulties".

The helpline published its 2007 statistics yesterday as it celebrated its 20th birthday.

The ISPCC says their statistics are a "map of the needs and issues of Irish children and young people in modern Ireland". There were almost 300,000 calls to the service last year. Over 13 per cent of these concerned physical and sexual abuse as well as bullying, an increase on 2006. The organisation says these 20,000 calls "highlight the need for additional out-of-hours support services".

Sexuality remains a key issue for callers making up 16 per cent of all calls. "You'd image this information should be completely sewn up in terms of education," said Ms O'Sullivan. However, a lot of confusion exists among young people about the facts of life, getting pregnant, giving birth and sexuality, she added.

Issues like online bullying and internet relationships only make up some 100 of the helpline's calls. Ms O'Sullivan says the organisation's contact with young people gives them a good insight into what is actually happening.

Childline also received over 100,000 texts and e-mails in 2007. Many of these were automated texts on topics like pregnancy, facts of life, bullying and suicide. These services help to relieve some of the pressure on the telephone helpline.

The percentage of calls answered has increased in the last year. In 2006 the organisation's 700 volunteers answered almost half of calls received, compared with two in five calls in 2006. However the ISPCC says this is not good enough. "You could have a child ringing up about an abusive situation at home. But we know when we are on to that child there is another child trying to get through and they could be waiting for up to 20 minutes on a queue" said Ms O'Sullivan.

Childline aims to answer 100 per cent of calls by 2011, and has launched a national fundraising appeal and a three-year strategy to achieve this.