Posted by Sally O'Brien, on 21/04/2015. Tags: Parenting
Figures, released by the children’s charity
ISPCC showed that over 1000 calls were made to Childline in 2014 in relation to suicide.
According to the
ISPCC,
‘Over 300 had already acted on or made plans to take their own lives, in advance of making the call.’
ISPCC CEO, Grainia Long, said, ‘Childline is a 24-hour service that is there for all children. While the vast majority of calls are not from children at urgent risk, we are extremely concerned about the level of risk that some children are under when they call us. In some instances, children have gone beyond threatening to take their own lives, and have acted on this. In those cases, we immediately work with the child to ensure their safety, and as a matter of priority seek to ensure contact with the authorities.’
Ms. Long explains that there is an increasing demand for online support services for mental health issues from children:
‘An increasing number of young people are choosing the online option to talk about their mental health’, said Ms. Long. ‘Our Online Service was extended into night-time thanks to funding from the National Office for Suicide Prevention, and demand for these services remains high.’
Despite Childline services being under threat due to financial pressures, the charity raised €1,000,000 in emergency aid in 2014 and is putting plans in place to sustain the service for the future.
Childline can be reached free of charge, 24 hours a day at 1800 666 666Source: ISPCC.ie
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