CHILDLINE RECEIVED almost 1,400 calls, texts and messages on Christmas Day, up nearly 40 per cent from the same day in 2010.
Figures released yesterday by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children show its listening service was contacted 1,387 times by youngsters on Sunday. The figure represents a 38 per cent increase on the number of contacts made with the service 12 months earlier.
National Childline manager Margie Roe said the majority of calls made this year were by children suffering due to family difficulties and loneliness.
However, she added that children who used the service expressed a wide variety of reasons for contacting one of the 85 volunteers available on the helpline throughout Christmas Day.
“We also had children who had used the service this year contacting us to let us know that they were doing okay and to say thanks,” she said.
The increase in calls, texts and messages was somewhat expected by the society, which said in a statement yesterday that there had been an “escalating demand” for all of its services throughout 2011.
The society said 2011 had been another year of extreme financial pressure and hardship for many families.
Young people are very aware of the difficulties their parents face each day, it added. This year, many children have talked to Childline about the issue and the effect that the resulting stress can have on family relationships.
To contact Childline, call 1800 66 66 66 or text “Talk” to 50101.