CHILDLINE answered a phenomenal 192,786 contacts from children and young people across the country last year.
The charity said its volunteers received 164,623 calls from youngsters across Ireland using their freephone line 1800 666666.
There were 20,777 online live chat conversations and 7,386 text conversations throughout the year.
Struggles with everyday life, family relationships, mental health, sex, relationships and puberty, friendship and peer relationships were some of the issues affecting youngsters who made contact with volunteers.
The organisation said: “Our Childline Listening Service was there for children and young people who spoke with us about a wide variety of topics and challenges, including everyday life, family relationships, mental and emotional health, relationships and puberty, friendships and peer relationships.”
The gender profile was similar to previous years, where females were the majority users that used the online chat service and males the majority on phone calls.
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Overall, phone calls received by the service declined by 26 per cent compared to the year before.
The charity said the report covers “an extraordinary period in our charity’s history” during the pandemic.
ISPCC Chief Executive John Church said: “It is testament to the dedication of our volunteers, employees and all those who support us, that Childline remained available every day and night throughout this challenging time.
“For many, it was a time in which anxiety appeared to stem from every aspect of life. Two years on, a return to ‘normality’ is simply inconceivable for some.
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“It is vitally important that children know they can access support, regardless of what’s on their mind. The value of prevention, early intervention and promoting resilience cannot be understated.”
The Childline Therapeutic Support Services supported 516 children and families with 100 per cent satisfaction rating achieved.
The top five reasons for referral to these services are behavioural issues, anxiety, low self esteem, difficulty coping and parenting support.
One parent of a child who received support said: “‘He has coped much better with regulating his emotions and adapting to and accepting change, and seems much happier and more confident.’
Childline also offers outreach activities which 4,173 children and young people availed of last year.
The ISPCC is the national child protection charity. The ISPCC delivers innovative child-centred services in a number of locations throughout Ireland.
During 2021, the ISPCC website had 117,797 users and Childline had 61,157 users.
The main source of income for the ISPCC is fundraising, in which they received €1.33million from statutory bodies last year.
These vital supports were given over 9,481 volunteer shifts, which adds up to about 37, 924 hours.
Childline Volunteer Val said: “‘The experience of volunteering in Childline over the years is a never-ending journey in that you are always learning.
“It opens your eyes to what young people are experiencing; their challenges, problems, traumas and difficulties and what interests the young people of today.”
Two new services became available for children and young people.
Smart Moves was launched to support for people starting in secondary school.
A guided self-care digital programmes called Space From Anxiety was also launched.
Childline is Ireland’s only 24-hour listening service for children and young people.
