Children’s helpline calls soar by 56,000

THE number of crisis calls from children to one of the country’s leading emergency helplines has risen by a shocking 56,000 in just one year.

Figures revealed by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) show that in the past 11 months a massive 722,849 calls to the group were made by vulnerable children.

The number of cries for help — which equates to more than 2,200 calls a day since the start of 2010 — is 56,000 higher than the 666,849 contacts during the same period in 2009.