Children are the most precious and vulnerable members of our society. They are a blank slate – they come into the world with no hang ups, preconceptions, fears or worries. We teach them all that.
But more and more, our children are finding it hard to cope. Childhood, this precious, carefree time is becoming a tougher ground to navigate. For some it is time full of worries, stresses and fear.
In this episode, we speak to Niall Muldoon, the Ombudsman for Children, Paul Gilligan, CEO of St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, and Dominic Laydon, CEO of Aware. We also speak to two mothers, Samantha and Frances, whose children have been in the mental health system, and hear the challenges they faced in getting their children the help they needed.
Please subscribe to Where There’s a Will wherever you get your podcasts, tell your friends about it, and share it far and wide. Also, we want to hear from you: have you had experiences with the system you’d like to share? Or have you ideas about how we can make things better, easier and faster for people to get help? Send us a short voice recording to editor@alustforlife.com or simply record a WhatsApp voice note, and text it to 0831190269.
This podcast is made possible with the kind support of our sponsor, Revive Active, and was recorded in Camden Recording Studios, with thanks to Jack Power.
Help information
If you need help please talk to friends, family, a GP, therapist or one of the free confidential helpline services. For a full list of national mental health services see yourmentalhealth.ie.
- Samaritans on their free confidential 24/7 helpline on 116-123, by emailing jo@samaritans.ie
- Pieta House National Suicide Helpline 1800 247 247 or email mary@pieta.ie – (suicide prevention, self-harm, bereavement) or text HELP to 51444 (standard message rates apply)
- Aware 1800 80 48 48 (depression, anxiety)
If living in Ireland you can find accredited therapists in your area here:
Support Our Campaign
We rely on the generosity of the public to fund our work and so far together we have achieved great things! Please do continue to support us so we can provide future generations in Ireland with the resources to recognise and talk about their emotions, and equip them to navigate the ever-changing world around them as they grow
