Alex's Answer

Hi there and welcome to Ask Alex. 

Thank you for reaching out with your question.  We understand that it can be a very difficult situation when you have concerns about children. 

If you have any concerns that a child or young person is at immediate risk of harm or is unsafe, you need to call the Gardai on 999 or 112.  It is their job to keep people safe from any immediate dangers. They also have a confidential number 1800 666 111. 

You have said that you are worried about your neighbours finding out you have contacted Childline over concerns about their kids. The Childline 1800 66 66 66 service is a 24-hour confidential and non-judgemental listening service. We do not trace calls, or use caller ID. However, if a caller gives us identifying information and we believe that a young person is at risk, then we must contact the Gardai or Túsla, the child and family agency. 

If you have concerns about any children, you can contact your local Duty Social Work team at Túsla.  This link gives details of all the teams in the country: www.tusla.ie/get-in-touch/duty-social-work-teams/.  You can phone for advice, or to report concerns anonymously so you don’t have to give your details.  They are best placed to respond to child welfare concerns and can provide support for both parents and children. 

We understand that this can be a very tricky situation for people to be in so thank you for taking the time for reaching out about your concerns. 

Take care of yourself, 

Alex