Mr. John Church:

Our greatest engagement with the greatest number of children would be through our traditional Childline phone line and online. We introduced the web chat service and kids love it and interact with it. We also do face-to-face services like Barnardos but through a different model. Those children come through referrals from GPs and Tusla, mainly. To take a typical phone call, I would first note that it is confidential. A child rings or contacts us through the web chat service and that child and our volunteer both have a pseudonym. Immediately he or she is told that this is non-judgmental and non-directive. We believe everything the child says and that is the process. The volunteers are very well-trained and are also supported through their own couselling intervention because it can be very difficult sometimes. The majority of our outcomes or interactions are very positive. We get repeat callers. We get children calling on Christmas Day, which is actually quite a popular day, sometimes just to say what they got for Christmas. Then in the afternoon they are worried about the alcohol level that has risen in the house. It ranges from children just being lonely with nobody to talk to, to having difficulty with their exams. They can call as often as they like but we are working towards empowering the volunteer to refer that individual to some of our other services. We have often directed other children and young people to services outside our own if we feel there is an issue of suicide, alcohol, drugs or whatever.