After intensive training, volunteers work a three-hour shift every week, listening to parents' concerns
A PARENTLINE volunteer never knows what she is going to hear when she picks up the phone in the small call-centre in Carmicheal House. The morning I visit, the three people on duty have listened to concerns about the sexual abuse of a young child by a teenager; a case of self-harm; anger problems with an older teenager who is drinking; and a sexuality issue for a teenager.
"Some sex abuse calls can be hard to take, they can be quite upsetting," says Colette Dunne from Knocklyon, Dublin. A mother of two teenagers, she has been with Parentline for three years.
Apart from wanting to do something to help others, getting involved has also improved her own parenting skills, she says. It gives her an insight into the world of teenagers.
A strong bond develops between the volunteers. "It is important to talk about a call if it is an upsetting one," says Nora Given, who is also on duty this morning.
A mother of two teenagers from Rathfarnham, she has been working on the helpline for eight years and is on the board.
Fifty-four volunteers, predominantly women, are rostered to run the confidential listening service, Monday to Friday, out of a trained group of 70. "Everybody asks why we don't operate at the weekends, but parents don't ring when the children are around," says Parentline manager Rita O'Reilly.
It recruits about 10 volunteers every year. They undergo 40 hours of classroom training over six weeks, 10 hours of sitting in listening to volunteers at work and then another 10 hours of being supervised before operating on their own. Once trained, volunteers are asked to work a three-hour shift once a week. There is also ongoing training on the last Monday evening of every month.
What does a volunteer need to bring to the job? "Empathy and common sense," says Rose Prenderville, a mother of four adult children from Castleknock. "A general regard for people," says Dunne. "A willingness to learn," suggests Givens.
Sitting in individual booths, the volunteers face a noticeboard festooned with pieces of paper, including one headed "Sex abuse guidelines".
While it is a confidential service, and callers do not usually identifty themselves or the situations they are talking about, Parentline would be obliged by law to report any specific information it receives about suspected child abuse.
On the desks there are computers for quick searches for information as a caller is speaking; a directory of accredited counsellors all over the country is at hand if suggested referrals are needed. Behind the booths are facilities for making tea and coffee in breaks between calls.
While there are lighter moments, such as when callers concerned about some peculiar teenage behaviour are reassured that it's quite normal, the volunteers undoubtedly also have to listen to a lot of distress. As Given puts it: "You go out of here grateful for your own life."
• For more information about volunteering, see www.parentline.ie or contact the office on 01-878 7230.