Mangaluru : Shanthi Sandesha Trust, Resource and Development Centre on Child Rights, in collaboration with UNICEF, Hyderabad, has started parental helpline, to help parents and children who face problems in their life and provide counselling services to them whenever necessary.

Sr Dulcine Crasta, director of Shanthi Sandesha Trust, Resource and Development Centre on Child Rights, told reporters that the helpline will function from Mangaluru and Udupi in the beginning. Looking at the response, it will be extended to other districts.

Parents make no compromises when it comes to taking good care of children’s biological needs and also provide a safe and supportive environment for them to grow in a healthy manner. But many times, children face emotional issues that can adversely affect their development. The parental helpline will enable parents to understand specific needs of children and child protection tactics and use them in parenting, she said.

The helpline will also help build a healthy relationship between parents and children and ensure integral development of children. Strengthening families is the focus of parental helpline programme.

Sr Dulcin said the helpline will help address issues of lack of awareness and knowledge which result in poor parenting skills. The helpline will organise awareness programmes for parents in schools, anganwadis and communities on areas related to child development. It will also help parents understand the problems of children during the course of their development. Parents will be trained on using parenting strategies to deal with those problems, she said.

Sr Dulcin said parents, facing any problems in parenting a child or a child, who is in problem related to developmental process, may contact the ‘Parental Helpline’ – 0824/2420111 or 9483748536.

Child Welfare Committee chairperson Nikesh Shetty said the committee has received over 1,700 cases under Juvenile Justice Act in the last two-and-a-half years. There is a need for trained counsellors to counsel parents and children so that the latter get a conducive environment for them to grow in a healthy manner, Shetty said.

School of Social Work Roshni Nilaya lecturer Evelyn Benis said that the organisation, in association with Shanthi Sandesha Trust and UNICEF would start a certificate course in child protection.