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

Winners and Sinners

00:29:48

Winners and Sinners

The Hard Shoulder Highlights

00:29:48


Republican and Democrat voters...

00:19:23

Republican and Democrat voters’ opinions on the election

The Hard Shoulder Highlights

00:19:23


Man creates art of the Beatles...

00:10:06

Man creates art of the Beatles using only screws!

Moncrieff Highlights

00:10:06


TV on the Radio: Before, Gener...

00:15:23

TV on the Radio: Before, Generation Z, The Pasta Queen

TV On The Radio

00:15:23