Missing children helpline: 60 calls a month

A new missing children helpline is receiving almost 60 calls a month on average, with many from children who are thinking of running away or who have already done so.

The 116 000 Missing Children Hotline is operated by the ISPCC and was officially launched in June by Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald.

However, it had begun receiving calls from the start of the year, and the ISPCC’s east regional manager, Rhona McGinn, said between Jan 1 last and the end of September, the phoneline had received 518 calls.