It is expected that over a thousand Irish children in distress will dial the Childline helpline this Christmas Day.
Yearly, volunteers give their time to answer calls from terrified, neglected, upset and isolated children.
The ISPCC stress that Christmas unfortunately does not ensure safety and warmth for all children, and that these children turn to Childline in pure desperation.
Brian Caulfield, Volunteer of the Year for 2016, said:
“Back in 2010 I was actually unemployed for around six months and I was looking for something to do and I came across this ad to do with Childline online and I found it very interesting.
“I read up about it, got into the training and I have been in there ever since.
“When you first go into being on your own on the service, it can be daunting, but the training you receive is brilliant and the skills that you learn in there kick in.”