Finding someone to talk to is important; finding the right person is vital to get the help you need
We all need help sometimes, and at times it can be the last thing we think of asking for. We should try to make sure we have ‘a trusted person’ to talk to, in good and in difficult times. Knowing who that is, is one step closer to getting help.
You may have been listening to the radio, reading a paper, hearing about your favourite sport or listening to a podcast, and heard or read something upsetting.
This may have triggered a memory, or you may know someone who is dealing with a difficulty?
You might be worried about a child or young person and uncertain where to go or who to talk to.
Please find someone trusted to talk to; we should all have someone we can turn to, our children and young people, adults, - people like you and me.
There are supports to help or guide you in reporting something that has been harmful. You also can also talk someone you trust, perhaps someone in your club, your region or at national level
If you don’t know where to turn, contact Kate Hills, our National Children’s Officer; any discussion for help will be in confidence and Kate can help you find the right place to be.
Just so you do know – if Kate hears anything about a child or young person being harmed this needs to be acted on.
We will also add to these supports as new information comes up – so please check back here, or contact Kate, if there is something you have found useful.
Supports and Contacts
In Northern Ireland:
The NSPCC Childline counsellors are there for young people who need somewhere to turn to.
📞 phone - 0800 1111
💻 online - childline.org.uk
If you’re worried about a child or young person, or see something that just doesn’t seem right, the @NSPCC helpline is there to help. Find out how you talk to them about anything you’re concerned via Helping Adults Protect Children | NSPCC.org.uk
Report Abuse in Education Helpline: 📞 0800 136 663 or help@nspcc.org.uk (this is for UK only). Following on from concerns about reports of abuse in schools in UK the NSPCC have released a free and anonymous helpline for children and young people who have experienced abuse at school. It is also accessible for parents/carers and professionals who need support and guidance.
In Republic of Ireland:
Childline can be contacted by any child or young person by calling 1800 66 66 66, texting to 50101 or chatting online at Childline.ie 24 hours a day, every day. Childline is Ireland’s 24-hour national listening service for all children and young people (under the age of 18) in Ireland. It is private, confidential and non-judgemental and can be contacted for free from anywhere in Ireland.
The ISPCC’s Support Line service can be contacted by email parentingsupport@ispcc.ie or between 9am – 1pm Monday – Friday by calling 01 522 4300. The ISPCC Support Line provides a confidential listening service, offering information, advice and emotional support to members of the public who contact us on any issue in relation to child protection and welfare.
Turn2me – www.Turn2me.ie offers online counselling and/or support groups for young people aged 12 – 17 as well as adults 18+
HSE National Counselling Service – www.hse-ncs.ie or 1850 241 850 will help you find the right local number to for confidential counselling for adults.
Connect, the National Adults Counselling Service – connectcounselling.ie or Freephone 1800 477 477 (ROI) or 00800 477 477 77 (NI) to speak to a Counsellor. CONNECT is for any adult who has experienced abuse, trauma or neglect in childhood. The service is also available to partners or relatives of people with these experiences.
Reporting Concerns
You can talk with social workers to help you decide on what to do with the information you have.
If would like to talk contact a social worker or report something you have seen that you are concerned about.
Mental Health Supports
There are support services across the island of Ireland that can help with your questions, concerns or just to give you information.
The various Mental Health Services provide a wide range of mental health supports.
And we are here to listen …
The Head of Safeguarding, Ethics and Youth Development, Kate Hills, can be contacted if you are unsure about who to turn to.
Additional Resources
Here we have more information on various campaigns, links to videos or information that you might find useful.
If you have anything that you feel would be supportive or informative for our members let Kate Hills know.
Understanding what consent is
Below is the link to a short video from Athlete365 explaining consent – this is really clear and it applies to all young people.
Athlete 365 - Consent In Sport | Video
Helping young people who are victims of violence
A short video intended to help children if they are the victim of violence – we need to encourage young people to talk to a trusted person to get help:
Queen's University Belfast - What is Violence? | Video
Getting informed about apps, games etc
net-aware.org.uk is a really useful website from the NSPCC providing information on loads of apps, games and social media sites
How sport can help young people
Watch this latest video from the NSPCC to see how we can help keep young people who are involved in our sports safe in all their activities.
The animation shows the difference between child protection (reporting concerns of and harm to statutory authorities) and safeguarding (being preventative and proactive) in a sport setting, and looks in more depth at how children and young people can be further protected beyond their time at training sessions.
Don’t Scroll By
Team Ireland athletes have collectively taken a stand against online hate speech with their campaign ‘Don’t Scroll By’.
The campaign calls on public and sporting stakeholders to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to online abuse, discrimination and hate speech, and to #DeleteBanReport any of this type of commentary they witness online.