Advertisement

'I was finding it extremely difficult to cope'

Parentline is a helpline for parents, staffed by trained volunteers, which has been running for o...

Share this article

09.53 26 Sep 2019


'I was finding it extremely difficult to cope'


Listen to this episode


Share this article

09.53 26 Sep 2019


Parentline is a helpline for parents, staffed by trained volunteers, which has been running for over 30 years.

Almost a fifth of the calls they received last year related to aggression in children and teens, which sometimes involved the physcial abuse of parents.

Other common queries relate to new babies but CEO, Rita O'Reilly, says they're getting an increasing number of calls from grandparents.

Advertisement

The recession led to a rise in the number of households with three generations living under one roof.

There are also grandparents who have assumed the role, formally or informally, of the primary carer.

But what is it like for the people who work at Parentline and what are the human stories behind the 3,000 calls they deal with every year.

Newstalk reporter, Aideen Finngean, has visited their call centre on North Brunswick Street in Dublin to find out.

 


Read more about

Aggression In Children Aideen Finnegan Charity Grandparents Irish Radio Newstalk ParentLine Parenting Post Natal Depression Primary Carer Radio Rita O’Reilly Teenage Aggression The Pat Kenny Show Volunteering

Related Episodes

How to do Stuff: Fixing Bad Br...

00:12:53

How to do Stuff: Fixing Bad Breath

The Hard Shoulder Highlights

00:12:53


Parents to do protest sleep-ou...

00:12:37

Parents to do protest sleep-out outside Leinster House for World Autism Day

The Hard Shoulder Highlights

00:12:37


Members Football Pod: Kevin Fe...

00:59:19

Members Football Pod: Kevin Feely joins The Fifteen, James on Mayo, Donegal-Derry, Championship preview

OTB GAA

00:59:19


Is intermittent fasting the ri...

00:06:59

Is intermittent fasting the right choice?

The Hard Shoulder Highlights

00:06:59