Childline received 1,176 contacts on Christmas Day

Calahonda52

http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1226/756309-childine/

Based solely on my experience yesterday with our three grandkids, I wonder how many calls were to say Santa had not delivered, or similar

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

JupiterKid

I'd bet on quite a few of those calls being due to the effects of over indulgence in alcohol.

whatismyname

I'm surprised it's such a low number, given all that many kids will be experiencing, and given how much harder things can be at Christmas.

whatismyname

JupiterKid wrote: »

I'd bet on quite a few of those calls being due to the effects of over indulgence in alcohol.

Yes, that's likely a big one. Basically every Christmas was ruined for me as a kid by a parent who went crazy with drink on Christmas Day.

I somehow managed to remain fairly oblivious to them being an alcoholic for most of the rest of the year, but at Christmas there was no hiding it, and it was devastating.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

whatismyname

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Definitely agree.

From the article in the OP:

ISPCC Childline Chief Executive Grainia Long said "Many of the children who contacted Childline on Christmas Day were concerned about the effects of alcohol being consumed in the home, while several others were alone, or looking after siblings and feeling isolated and lonely."

I'm definitely surprised the figure wasn't higher, given how many kids would have access to mobile phones, and since the number of contacts in the article included text messages, so fairly accessible to kids.

Roger_007

I think that Childline publishes misleading information about the calls they receive. If the same person calls 10 times, it's classified 10 different 'cases'. They never say how many calls are frivolous or just mischievous. I would doubt if there were more than a handful of calls which merited any kind of serious attention.

darkpagandeath

Roger_007 wrote: »

I think that Childline publishes misleading information about the calls they receive. If the same person calls 10 times, it's classified 10 different 'cases'. They never say how many calls are frivolous or just mischievous. I would doubt if there were more than a handful of calls which merited any kind of serious attention.

Then that charity would not get any money to run it's self.

whatismyname

Roger_007 wrote: »

I would doubt if there were more than a handful of calls which merited any kind of serious attention.

I wish I could have that belief.

EoghanIRL

There was a thread about ruined Christmases here last year.
Some of the stories were very sad.
A stark reminded that Christmas isn't a happy time for everyone.

Edit :
http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2057350330/1/#post93581522
So sad that any person,especially a child, would have such experiences.

Gaygooner

Roger_007 wrote: »

I think that Childline publishes misleading information about the calls they receive. If the same person calls 10 times, it's classified 10 different 'cases'. They never say how many calls are frivolous or just mischievous. I would doubt if there were more than a handful of calls which merited any kind of serious attention.

What's this based on???

whatismyname

Roger_007 wrote: »

I think that Childline publishes misleading information about the calls they receive. If the same person calls 10 times, it's classified 10 different 'cases'

Since it's an anonymous phone helpline which doesn't record any details when the caller rings, I doubt there's any way to avoid that.

Roger_007 wrote: »

They never say how many calls are frivolous or just mischievous.

Yes, but when running helplines offering support, as difficult as it is, it's very important to remember that although a call can seem frivolous, it may be anything but to the caller.

And as for mischievous, it won't always be the case, but there may be reasons behind those also, so still important to take them seriously.

LeeLooLee

Calahonda52 wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1226/756309-childine/

Based solely on my experience yesterday with our three grandkids, I wonder how many calls were to say Santa had not delivered, or similar

Don't like the tone of this at all. Not all kids are spoiled brats. I'm a teacher of an after-school language class and this year have some very troubled little ones, including a girl who was adopted after years of abuse by her birth parents (they put cigarettes out on her among other things), a boy who is brought to class half an hour late every day without any pens or paper and says his parents are so busy fighting that they forget about bringing him to class, and a girl who says a few times a week that she wants to die because she's so unhappy. Not all are as lucky as your grandkids.

Graces7

Sad that so many posters trivialise this problem. So many children in so much pain; my reaction to the thread title was to be deeply thankful this service is there. I worked with children for many years; often they will call or ask for help with seemingly trivial things and it takes a while and trust to tell the real problem. Great that there is someone there to listen who knows this..

Graces7

whatismyname wrote: »

Since it's an anonymous phone helpline which doesn't record any details when the caller rings, I doubt there's any way to avoid that.



Yes, but when running helplines offering support, as difficult as it is, it's very important to remember that although a call can seem frivolous, it may be anything but to the caller.

And as for mischievous, it won't always be the case, but there may be reasons behind those also, so still important to take them seriously.

I think the Samaritans will find the same .... wisdom listens and does not judge

Samaris

Roger_007 wrote: »

I think that Childline publishes misleading information about the calls they receive. If the same person calls 10 times, it's classified 10 different 'cases'. They never say how many calls are frivolous or just mischievous. I would doubt if there were more than a handful of calls which merited any kind of serious attention.

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Then that charity would not get any money to run it's self.

What is it about the internet that means there's always people who MUST disbelieve anything they read or hear about? There's always someone trying to fool them, etcetera. Reminds me of the Dwarves in the last Narnia book.

Do you have any proof of your claims, Roger? Someone else has already dealt with the "frivolous" claim at least, and the "doubt" is...well, no-one can prove that one way or another.

Thank God/other people for the existence of Childline, it's a hell of a good service and it has saved lives in the past.

Shep_Dog

Samaris wrote: »

What is it about the internet that means there's always people who MUST disbelieve anything they read or hear about? There's always someone trying to fool them, etcetera. Reminds me of the Dwarves in the last Narnia book.

That would be because the Internet is full of deception and modern newspapers don't bother to fact-check what they publish.

Nobody denies the existence of child abuse, but it's healthy to be sceptical about claims of single-issue organisations.

Samaris

Shep_Dog wrote: »

That would be because the Internet is full of deception and modern newspapers don't bother to fact-check what they publish.

Nobody denies the existence of child abuse, but it's healthy to be sceptical about claims of single-issue organisations.

People seem perfectly ready to believe whatever they pull out of their own rear ends too though. I'm more inclined to believe Childline as the data-gatherers than some random dude on the internet implying they're making it all up for money.

whatismyname

Shep_Dog wrote: »

That would be because the Internet is full of deception and modern newspapers don't bother to fact-check what they publish.

Nobody denies the existence of child abuse, but it's healthy to be sceptical about claims of single-issue organisations.

What do you mean by 'single-issue organisations'?

Childline is far from being any such thing.

rtron

whatismyname wrote: »

Yes, that's likely a big one. Basically every Christmas was ruined for me as a kid by a parent who went crazy with drink on Christmas Day.

I had something similar growing up in opposite way, by a parent who normally goes to the pub, cannot go that day gets agitated cooped up at home.

whatismyname

Graces7 wrote: »

I think the Samaritans will find the same .... wisdom listens and does not judge

Yes. Thankfully the Samaritans take the same approach.

It can be very, very difficult to say some stuff out loud, particularly if you've never done so, and they're very sensitive, personal issues, so many callers to both helplines would perhaps call intending to talk about something, find it too difficult, and maybe talk about other more 'frivolous' things instead.

It would be wrong for the helpline volunteer to put a judgement on that call as 'frivolous' as who knows what may have really lay behind the call. And it may make many times to build up to talking about what they needed to talk about, so that phone call still matters in that case.

Regardless, even if there was nothing really serious going on with the child and they were just lonely and needed to connect with somebody, and the call may have made a difference to the child either way.

On the subject of not being able to talk about stuff, and taking Childline as one example, I remember as a child ringing Childline many times during the period when I was being sexually abused. I desperately wanted (and needed) so much to talk to someone about it. I don't know if I did many times (I can only remember one time for definite) but I remember so many times feeling annoyed with myself afterwards for not being able to find the words to tell the person on the phone what was happening to me.

I don't remember what I did talk about those times instead. I don't know if it was something 'frivolous'. If it was, the phone call still mattered to me, as it made me feel less alone in the world. But there was still many other things that I was experiencing such as bullying at school, neglect and psychological abuse at home, poverty, alcoholic parent etc, so chances are I talked about some of them, and couldn't talk about the bigger issue of the sexual abuse.

But either way those phone calls still made a big difference to me, and we can never really underestimate the difference that the service could be making to a child. Let's focus on empathy rather than judgement.

And even if some kids are just ringing with prank calls etc, out of boredom or whatever, they would likely be a very small minority, if they really have nothing more behind it, and no issues in their life, but even still... that will not take away from what a big difference Childline make to so many.

Shep_Dog

Samaris wrote: »

People seem perfectly ready to believe whatever they pull out of their own rear ends too though. I'm more inclined to believe Childline as the data-gatherers than some random dude on the internet implying they're making it all up for money.

That would be OK if the statement contained actual data.

Their statement is somewhat vague in the use of the word 'many' to describe some of the more concerning calls it received. We don't know if 'many' is 10, 20, 100 or 500 of the calls.

Clearly one incidident is one too many, but what has happenened is that the media just published what they are asked to publish without exercising any critical analysis of the message.

The Black Oil

A number of charities have had Christmas PR campaigns this year. In all likelihood the 1,176 figure is just a quick tot up of contacts to drive a press release. I don't know why people are expecting a detailed analysis at this stage. If you've ever written for your workplace's annual report you'll know that it can take a while to accumulate and process statistics. The Childline office is probably operating on low staffing levels (not counting volunteers as staff) over Christmas.

Here is the original press release. It's narrative to draw attention to their work and so other children know it's OK to make contact.

NachoBusiness

A bunch of grasses.

haveringchick

Lots of parents out there just not fit for purpose
Immature and selfish
Addiction issues and relationship problems take precedence over the kids
Young lone parents mostly
I often think parenting classes of some type should be mandatory if a social worker or GP is concerned
Older parents too with mental health issues

It's everyday for some kids not just Christmas
If anyone has any suspicion about kids being neglected just ring the Health Centre and ask to speak to the on duty social wprker

Hemerodrome

Roger_007 wrote: »

I think that Childline publishes misleading information about the calls they receive. If the same person calls 10 times, it's classified 10 different 'cases'. They never say how many calls are frivolous or just mischievous. I would doubt if there were more than a handful of calls which merited any kind of serious attention.

Yeah ****ing "Childline",helping kids in terrible situations and drawing attention to it so they can get resources to help even more of them. I mean who do they think they are like??

myshirt

haveringchick wrote: »

If anyone has any suspicion about kids being neglected just ring the Health Centre and ask to speak to the on duty social wprker

Yeah, because the state has had great success with taking kids into the system.
Haven't they.

Only ones I ever seen to benefit over the years are the social workers themselves with the unwarranted pay and benefits. Time after time there's been appalling outcomes for kids engaging with the state under social services, but the pay continues. Mind boggling.

There is no issue with identifying the kids in need. They are very visable if you care to visit affected communities. No phone call is needed. The problem is with the scumbag on the other side of the phone with the paw out at every opportunity.

Hammer Archer

myshirt wrote: »

Yeah, because the state has had great success with taking kids into the system.
Haven't they.

Only ones I ever seen to benefit over the years are the social workers themselves with the unwarranted pay and benefits. Time after time there's been appalling outcomes for kids engaging with the state under social services, but the pay continues. Mind boggling.

Classy. My girlfriend is a Child Protection social worker. In the week running up to Christmas, she was trying to find safe places for children whose mother stabbed a few of her neighbours and a young autistic girl whose mother assaulted her in broad daylight. This was on top of her already crippling caseload. She would be lucky to be home before 8pm having been in work for 12 hours.
In the past she was also attacked by a woman with a knife on Christmas Eve.

But please, keep trotting out the usual uninformed bollox concerning something that you know absolutely nothing about. There are poor social workers, but the number of social workers who care deeply about their jobs and pour their heart and soul into it far outweigh them.

haveringchick

myshirt wrote: »

Yeah, because the state has had great success with taking kids into the system.
Haven't they.

Only ones I ever seen to benefit over the years are the social workers themselves with the unwarranted pay and benefits. Time after time there's been appalling outcomes for kids engaging with the state under social services, but the pay continues. Mind boggling.

There is no issue with identifying the kids in need. They are very visable if you care to visit affected communities. No phone call is needed. The problem is with the scumbag on the other side of the phone with the paw out at every opportunity.

The ignorance begrudgery and resentment displayed in this post is staggering
How dare anybody actually work hard, get a good job and get paid for it?

eviltwin

I worked in Childline for a while. Oh if only it was a case that kids were calling upset because they didn't get the latest X box game or pair of trainers. Some kids have to live with the kind of misery most of us can't even begin to imagine. I've worked in trauma care for a while now and can deal with most aspects of people's depravity but Childline was the one job I couldn't deal with.

myshirt

Hammerarcher and Haveringchick, how many successful outcomes have been had? How many?

I've worked with these kids on the other end of the scale, when they are incarcerated in jail, dead, on drugs, or on their own come 18, having been thrown pillar to post. Yes, there is a serious cultural issue in the public service, and yes, there are mega performance issues.

haveringchick

eviltwin wrote: »

I worked in Childline for a while. Oh if only it was a case that kids were calling upset because they didn't get the latest X box game or pair of trainers. Some kids have to live with the kind of misery most of us can't even begin to imagine. I've worked in trauma care for a while now and can deal with most aspects of people's depravity but Childline was the one job I couldn't deal with.

It's one of the peculiar Irish "things" that Irish people almost refuse to accept that Irish parents could abuse their children
I have heard people defending abhorrent behaviour on the grounds that "sure we had it far worse ourselves" or "sure the cratur was doing her best sure the kids would drive ya mad"

Graces7

whatismyname wrote: »

Yes. Thankfully the Samaritans take the same approach.

It can be very, very difficult to say some stuff out loud, particularly if you've never done so, and they're very sensitive, personal issues, so many callers to both helplines would perhaps call intending to talk about something, find it too difficult, and maybe talk about other more 'frivolous' things instead.

It would be wrong for the helpline volunteer to put a judgement on that call as 'frivolous' as who knows what may have really lay behind the call. And it may make many times to build up to talking about what they needed to talk about, so that phone call still matters in that case.

Regardless, even if there was nothing really serious going on with the child and they were just lonely and needed to connect with somebody, and the call may have made a difference to the child either way.

On the subject of not being able to talk about stuff, and taking Childline as one example, I remember as a child ringing Childline many times during the period when I was being sexually abused. I desperately wanted (and needed) so much to talk to someone about it. I don't know if I did many times (I can only remember one time for definite) but I remember so many times feeling annoyed with myself afterwards for not being able to find the words to tell the person on the phone what was happening to me.

I don't remember what I did talk about those times instead. I don't know if it was something 'frivolous'. If it was, the phone call still mattered to me, as it made me feel less alone in the world. But there was still many other things that I was experiencing such as bullying at school, neglect and psychological abuse at home, poverty, alcoholic parent etc, so chances are I talked about some of them, and couldn't talk about the bigger issue of the sexual abuse.

But either way those phone calls still made a big difference to me, and we can never really underestimate the difference that the service could be making to a child. Let's focus on empathy rather than judgement.

And even if some kids are just ringing with prank calls etc, out of boredom or whatever, they would likely be a very small minority, if they really have nothing more behind it, and no issues in their life, but even still... that will not take away from what a big difference Childline make to so many.

Thank you for this. I literally owe my life and sanity to the Samaritans in the years when I was at my lowest and being abused and neglected by the so called " caring" medical and other professions. They gave me even a "befriender" who came out to me when I was too ill to go out. Over many years. Now thankfully I am able to be here in my small way for others who are deemed beyond the pale. To listen and support. We none of us have any right to judge and accuse. Oh there was one time I was having terrible problems with my landlady.. rang the samaritans in despair to find I was talking to her...But hey cannot always win!

haveringchick

myshirt wrote: »

Hammerarcher and Haveringchick, how many successful outcomes have been had? How many?

I've worked with these kids on the other end of the scale, when they are incarcerated in jail, dead, on drugs, or on their own come 18, having been thrown pillar to post. Yes, there is a serious cultural issue in the public service, and yes, there are mega performance issues.

There are not enough child protection officers
That's not the child protection officers fault
Irish society has a serious issue with child protection
We have no problem, and rightly so, with accepting and condemning what religious orders did to children for decades
But we will not accept that some modern kids are really no better off at the hands of their parents
Abusive parents in particular mothers are treated with kid gloves and given too many chances in this country
Out of control addiction issues resulting in criminal neglect and still allowed access when everyone and his dog knows that those babies should be put up for adoption
Too few social workers with too huge caseloads combined with ridiculous laws protecting biological parents mean that kids suffer
Too many kids slipping through the net then bring unleashed on society at 16 when they can leave school to destroy and destruct and breed like rats
This country will rue the day they didn't get tough with deadbeat parents

myshirt

The country will rue the day it let all these families down in favour of others is more like it. The socio-economic disadvantage that these communities were plunged into through neglect is abhorrent, and even more abhorrent when you look at the public service bill.

An independent observer would assume for that level of pay, that some results were achieved.
Assume away as the saying goes.

Graces7

haveringchick wrote: »

There are not enough child protection officers
That's not the child protection officers fault
Irish society has a serious issue with child protection
We have no problem, and rightly so, with accepting and condemning what religious orders did to children for decades
But we will not accept that some modern kids are really no better off at the hands of their parents
Abusive parents in particular mothers are treated with kid gloves and given too many chances in this country
Out of control addiction issues resulting in criminal neglect and still allowed access when everyone and his dog knows that those babies should be put up for adoption
Too few social workers with too huge caseloads combined with ridiculous laws protecting biological parents mean that kids suffer
Too many kids slipping through the net then bring unleashed on society at 16 when they can leave school to destroy and destruct and breed like rats
This country will rue the day they didn't get tough with deadbeat parents

What has happened to the extended irish family? Someone I know grew up here when any child of any relative was taken in and cared for. She came back here after 40 years away and could not believe the difference. Maybe the welfare state?

haveringchick

Graces7 wrote: »

What has happened to the extended irish family? Someone I know grew up here when any child of any relative was taken in and cared for. She came back here after 40 years away and could not believe the difference. Maybe the welfare state?

We went from abusing lone parents and "non-standard" families(flinging them into homes, snatching and selling their small children etc) to totally mollycoddling indulging and enabling them
Of course the dads , as ever, are totally free to walk off into the sunset and impregnate as many more feckless immature girls as they choose
No sanctions no responsibility
At least now the left alone parent is being "encouraged" to get some qualifications and or training as soon as their youngest child is 7 in order that they might be st some stage in a position to not only financially support themselves, but give a positive influence of industry and self sufficiency to their growing kids

Shep_Dog

Graces7 wrote: »

What has happened to the extended irish family? Someone I know grew up here when any child of any relative was taken in and cared for. She came back here after 40 years away and could not believe the difference. Maybe the welfare state?

It's been out-sourced to contractors.

eviltwin

Graces7 wrote: »

What has happened to the extended irish family? Someone I know grew up here when any child of any relative was taken in and cared for. She came back here after 40 years away and could not believe the difference. Maybe the welfare state?

Not everyone has one or has one close by. It used to be there were plenty of siblings, parents on hand to help out but for a lot of people it's not an option. I was only talking about what would happen to my son if myself and my husband died, we have literally no one in this country my son could go to. Times have changed.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Graces7 wrote: »

What has happened to the extended irish family? Someone I know grew up here when any child of any relative was taken in and cared for. She came back here after 40 years away and could not believe the difference. Maybe the welfare state?

As in most modern countries things have changed. Families are more spread now with jobs often taking siblings far from home. Families are also much smaller than they were.
There's not even a remote link to welfare payments or this much hyped "welfare state".