ISPCC Launches Leanbh Annual Report 2004/2005

national | miscellaneous | press release

Friday December 02, 2005 12:58

by Mark Grehan - Street Seen

Working With Children Who Beg: ISPCC Launches
Leanbh Annual Report 2004/2005 and Welcomes
Decrease in Sightings of Children Begging on the Streets

2nd December 2005

Today, the ISPCC launched the Leanbh service's Annual Report 2004/2005.
Established in 1997, Leanbh is a 24-hour, seven-day service, which seeks to
protect children who beg and are at risk on the streets and which aims to
eliminate the root causes of child begging through positive parenting, child
support and through public education.

Leanbh statistics indicate that during 2004/2005:
* There was an overall decrease of 19% in the number of sightings of children
begging, from 973 in 2003/2004 to 785 in 2004/2005.
* All age groups of children were represented in the statistics, however the
greatest number of sightings was in the 0-4 year-old bracket, where adults were
sighted begging with infants.
* The total number of families who are involved or have been involved with
Leanbh in 2004/2005 is 132.
* The total number of children who receive or have received therapeutic help in
2004/2005 is 71.

Today, the ISPCC re-launched an information leaflet outlining guidelines for the
public on how to understand and deal with child begging. This leaflet was
originally launched in 2004, as a result of a national telephone survey run by
the ISPCC to examine public attitudes to child begging. The survey showed that
while over 90% of respondents had witnessed child begging and believed it to be
a danger to children, many respondents did not understand and felt confused
about how to deal with the issue of child begging. This leaflet will be
distributed in city centre Dublin over the coming weeks and will be available
from all ISPCC centres nationwide.

The ISPCC also launched a new information booklet for young people who beg.
This booklet lists contact details of emergency support services and explains
how to access these services. It highlights the dangers of begging and
introduces Leanbh as a service that can provide positive alternatives for
children and young people. Published in both English and Romanian, the booklet
will be distributed on an on-going basis by ISPCC staff and volunteers, through
engagements with children and young people who are begging on the streets.

In the nine years since Leanbh's establishment, there has been a huge decrease
in the number of sightings of children begging on the streets, from almost 2,900
in 1997 to 785 last year. Despite the adversity facing many clients of the
Leanbh service, this massive decrease indicates the genuine commitment these
families have to protect and do what is best for their children. Many of these
parents come from families where begging has been practiced over many
generations and their achievements in combating this cycle of begging are to be
commended. However, their efforts need to be acknowledged and supported on an
on-going basis by Irish society if their progress is to be maintained.

Leanbh will continue to work with those families who currently beg, until
begging is no longer a feature of Irish society. However, begging is a complex
issue and is symbolic of deeper problems facing many of these young people. To
help address some of these problems, Leanbh offers personal, therapeutic support
for children at risk of begging, with the aim of preventing begging and building
their psychological resilience and self-esteem. Leanbh also works with children
in a mentoring capacity, which has proven to be a very popular and successful
component to the service.

As part of the ISPCC's new Strategy "Citizen Child", Leanbh's next development
is to provide a technological component to the therapeutic support offered, via
web-based and telephone support and counselling initiatives. Through its
24-hour networks, the ISPCC is continuing to build links with An Garda Siochana,
who must be commended for their on-going efforts in helping address child
begging.

This new expansion of Leanbh is enabling the service continue to deal with some
of the most vulnerable children in Irish society, including those from new
communities. Many of the families working with Leanbh are striving to make real
and positive change for their children. Helping these children and their
families will require a real commitment from all in Irish society to ensure
these children are protected, nurtured and valued.

ENDS

For further information and/or copies of the report and other literature, please
contact:

Paul Gilligan, Chief Executive
01 679 4944 / 087 252 3779
Grace Kelly, Director of Services 01 679 4944
Caroline O'Sullivan, Assistant Director of Services 061 400 077
Emma McKinley, Communications Officer
01 679 4944

www.ispcc.ie

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ISPCC Launches Leanbh Annual Report 2004/2005