'The Christmas period can be the worst time of the year': Cork children among hundreds contacting Childline

More than 900 calls were made to Childline over the festive period, with St Stephen’s Day “the busiest day” of 2025 for the charity.

This is according to Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) director of services, Caroline O’Sullivan, who said, across the country, between December 23 and December 25, 615 children and young people contacted Childline in relation to a range of issues — with a further 300 calls made yesterday.

Data compiled by Childline shows that many calls to the service this year related to bullying, abuse, neglect, mental health difficulties, substance misuse, and strained family relationships.

According to the charity, there has been a noticeable rise in the number of children engaging with Childline over the festive seasons of the last five years who are at high risk of harm, with seven callers between December 23 and Christmas Day of this year detailing suicidal thoughts.

Volunteers

Speaking to The Echo, Ms O’Sullivan said volunteers at the charity’s Cork office in Penrose Wharf were among those taking calls this Christmas.

“The experience of children in Cork isn’t different from those across the country.”

“We received a number of calls from children and young people in Cork and the Munster area over the year, and also over the last three days,” said Ms O’Sullivan.

“We did have more service users this year, representing a small increase in the number of children who reached out to us.

“A lot of the calls we got from children this year were from utter disappointment. Many of them thought Christmas would be different; but for some, they felt as lonely as ever, neglected, and witnessed a lot of drinking and drug use.

“Expectations can be really heightened at this time of year, and because of those difficulties, Stephen’s Day was our busiest day of 2025,” she added.

Fallout

“It all comes to a tilt on Stephen’s Day, it’s the fallout from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For a lot of children, the Christmas period can be the worst time of the year — some children are walking on eggshells and are hiding away in their rooms.

“We had a number of children contacting us this year about feeling suicidal, and these can be very challenging calls for our volunteers. We have some fabulous volunteers from Cork city and county; they are incredible people, and their key goal is to let the child they’re speaking to know they are special and loved.”

Ms O’Sullivan said there were some heartwarming calls made to Childline over the festive season.

“We did receive calls in Cork from some children letting us know that Christmas worked out well — children who would have been in contact earlier in the year who were worried about it — so there are some lovely stories as well.

“We got huge support from the public in Cork for fundraising over December, and if we didn’t get those donations, we wouldn’t have been able to respond to these calls.

“The beauty of Childline is that it is 24 hours a day — it’s here for every child, no matter how big the concern is — if it’s important to you, it’s important to us.”

To help Childline continue to assist children and young people in need, visit: https://www.ispcc.ie.