ISPCC honoured with award for ‘hard-hitting campaign that exposed truth about childhood in Ireland’

ISPCC wins top accolade at Awards for Excellence in PR

ISPCC has received the top accolade for the Best Short-Term Media Campaign at the Awards for Excellence in Public Relations for its campaign ‘For some children, Christmas doesn’t happen’.

The awards, which have been co-hosted by the Public Relations Consultants Association Ireland (PRCA) and the Public Relations Institute of Ireland (PRII) for the past 30 years, recognise the best in Irish public relations, public affairs and internal communications across the public and private sectors. 

There had been an initial 37 submissions in ISPCC’s category, which was then short-listed to a group of five finalists. 

The judges said that it was a close contest, “but the winning entry was a hard-hitting campaign that showed no fear of exposing harsh truths about childhood in Ireland.”
They added that “this was a strategic and well-planned campaign, with excellent use of research and timing. Challenging objectives were clearly achieved with tangible results. Kudos to an in-house team that surely worked long hours over the holidays period.”

Deirdre McNamara, ISPCC Head of Marketing and Communications, said that “ISPCC was delighted to see our campaign recognised by our peers. This achievement is testament to the amazing work of everyone at ISPCC.

“For too many children and young people, Christmas is sadly just another day. For some, the issues they encounter all year can worsen. It can mean abuse, neglect and loneliness. For others, Christmas can present new worries and concerns. Whatever the reason, they turn to Childline for support and for someone to listen.”

“At Childline we rely heavily on public generosity to help us to be here for every child who needs us.  We depend on this generosity to keep us listening 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year.” 

• To support Childline and help keep volunteers listening to children and young people, please support the Childline Summer appeal and donate at www.ispcc.ie.

ISPCC launches Lets Sweat It Together National Campaign

Irish rugby heroes Brittany Hogan and Caelan Doris (pictured above) join forces with Childline by ISPCC as they reveal their childhood concerns and urge the nation to get chatting

For rugby star Brittany Hogan, lining up for ISPCC’s latest fundraising campaign, Let’s Sweat it Together, is the perfect tribute to her childhood self. “Unfortunately, I was once that child in need, desperate for someone to talk to but was not sure how to approach my feelings or thoughts. Worries are so personal to each one of us and it is important to not bottle them up inside.

“I am proud to be supporting Childline on this fantastic campaign spreading awareness of the importance of chatting and what better way than getting outside and sweating those worries out together.”

While her fellow rugby player Caelan Doris had a different experience growing up, he understands the importance of sharing worries with loved ones. “Having psychotherapists as parents, I was always encouraged to be open about my feelings and discuss any worries or concerns that I had but it’s only in the last few years that I’ve started doing it.

“It can be uncomfortable to talk about tricky things but the more I do it, the more I see the benefit in it. I’ve also realised that everyone has their own struggles and that our worries and anxieties are often quite similar which has been reassuring in not feeling alone or different.”

About Let’s Sweat It Together

From March 27 to April 2, Childline by ISPCC is calling on schools, businesses and individuals to take part in our latest campaign by walking a lap while having a chat with a friend, family member or colleague.

Let’s Sweat it Together was developed in response to the worries of callers to Childline. Childline is Ireland’s only 24/7 free listening service for children and young people. We know from talking to children and young people that their worries range from sibling rivalry and differences in music tastes to exam anxiety, confusion about sexuality and concerns about a friend self-harming.

  • “I’m confused about my sexuality”
  • “My friend is self-harming and I’m worried”
  • “My sister gets more praise than me”
  • “I’m worried about failing the Leaving Cert”
  • “I have some questions about puberty”
  • “How are babies made?”

We provide a supportive listening ear for all those worries and anything else on the minds of our callers.

John Church, ISPCC CEO commented on the launch: “As children around the country are entering a period of high pressure with exam season, we want to remind them that if a worry is big to you, it’s big to us at Childline. That’s why we are encouraging individuals, schools and businesses to join us from March 27 to April 2 and ‘Let’s Sweat it Together’ by having a lap and a chat with a friend, family member or colleague.”

ISPCC needs to raise up to 75% of its funding each year from donations and relies on the generosity of people right across Ireland.  The charity is grateful for all support which helps ensure its services and supports are available to children and young people 24 hours a day, every day.

To donate to Childline’s ‘Let’s Sweat it Together’ campaign or to find out more information on how to sign your school or business up, visit: https://ispcc.enthuse.com/profile

ISPCC receives ‘triple lock’ status again

ISPCC receives ‘triple lock’ status again

We are delighted to announce ISPCC has yet again been awarded ‘Triple Lock’ status by Charities Institute Ireland (CII).

This status is awarded to charities that uphold the highest standards in transparent reporting, ethical fundraising and strong governance structures. This recognition is the gold standard for Irish charities to offer assurances to donors, members and the general public.

To achieve the Triple Lock, we adhered to the following guidelines regarding ethical fundraising, financial reporting and governance:

• we adopt the Guidelines for Charitable Organisations for Fundraising to the Public. Our staff, volunteers and anyone else fundraising on our behalf are fully trained on the requirements and we have implemented controls to ensure that all our fundraising practices are fully in line with the Guidelines

• We prepare an annual report and financial statements in full compliance with the Charity SORP (Standard of Reporting Practice under FRS102).

• Our board has formally adopted the ‘Charities Governance Code. This means that we comply with the six principles of governance. These require that we advance charitable purpose, behave with integrity, lead people, exercise control, work effectively and are accountable