ISPCC to expand online chat service and text response

The ISPCC plans to expand its online response to contacts from troubled children after figures for its Childline service showed a growing number of young people using its website.

Childline still received 771,301 calls last year, with 34% going unanswered.

However, the ISPCC (Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) suspect many of the missed calls are repeat callers, and more than 533,729 contacts from children were responded to by Childline last year.