A Greenisland man will be working for the NSPCC Helpline on Christmas Day as children at risk or neglected will be requiring this essential service over the holiday period.
Adrian Somerville, who is 41 and married, is a Practice Manager with the NSPCC adult Helpline.
He will be is working on Christmas Day at the base in Belfast, along with some of his team. The Helpline will be open throughout the Christmas period.
Adrian said abuse and neglect does not stop just because it is Christmas.
“Children continue to be at risk over this period and it is essential that the helpline stays open to take calls and online contacts from people who are worried about the well-being of a child or children.
“In emergency situations over the holidays, the NSPCC Helpline shares information with police and children’s services to protect children who may be at immediate risk of harm. It is also important that the helpline remains open given that at Christmas, ongoing situations within families can escalate due to stresses linked to this time of year, which can put children in danger.”
The Greenisland man started working with NSPCC in March 2012 as a Childline volunteer counsellor. Prior to that, he worked in a French customer service team in Belfast because he wanted to make the most of his French and European Politics degree from Queen’s University and then moved to a role in sales.
However, after completing a six-month course in counselling at Belfast Met, he realised that this he wanted to change his career path and work as a full-time counsellor.
He added: “In June 2014, I qualified as a counsellor and started a new role of Helpline Practitioner and then was promoted to Practice Manager with the NSPCC adult Helpline. Before starting to work with the NSPCC, I didn’t know they offered a service to adults who were concerned about children and young people but it’s a vital part of the organisation because it’s a place adults can contact by phone or online to get advice or share their concerns about a child – anonymously if they wish.”
He said the team is staffed by professional practitioners with backgrounds in jobs like teaching, healthcare and social work who know how to spot the signs of abuse and what to do to help.
“Parents and carers also call us with all sorts of questions such as what to do about bullying or how to keep their children safe online while professionals such as teachers and doctors contact us for information and guidance,” he added.
“Other issues we hear about over Christmas include neglect due to being left home alone, parents being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs whilst having children in their care, or children being exposed to domestic abuse.
“However, the job is so rewarding because all too often you can hear the sense of relief from our callers because we reassure them that they have done the right thing by getting in touch and voicing their worries and we let them know that action will be taken,” said Adrian.
Adrian is looking forward to the festive season but won’t be having his own celebration on Christmas Day because he will be at work.
He said: “I am extremely lucky as my husband has always been very understanding, right from the very first time I volunteered to work a shift in Childline on Christmas Day. He understands the importance of the work the NSPCC does, and we always make sure we have our own Christmas celebration at some point over the festive season.”