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	Parents Are Encouraged to Lend an Ear to Their Children Limerick Post [Ireland] May 27, 2007 http://www.limerickpost.ie/dailynews.elive?id=7924&category=Daily-Sun Currently underway is a public awareness campaign to encourage parents to listen to their children. The focus of the initiative is to remind parents and communities that one of the most effective ways of protecting children and building strong family relationships is to encourage communication between children and adults. Entitled, Parents who Listen, Protect, the campaign is supported by Barnardos, the ISPCC and the Irish Youth Council. Elaborating on the rationale for the campaign, Paul O'Hare of the HSE, stresses that child protection means putting in place every safeguard to keep children safe throughout their childhood. "It also means giving children every possible tool to maintain their own safety throughout their lives, creating a home and a community where children know they can be listened to, and though we can't protect our children from all the ups and downs of a normal childhood, we can take one simple, yet powerful step by listening to them and making sure that they know they can trust and confide in the adults in their lives". Mr O'Hare said that the campaign features radio and TV advertisements depicting a child who clearly is troubled by something but needs to be given space to confide the problem. Each household will have recently receive a handbook which is a practical guide for all adults, parents, uncles and aunts, grandparents and neighbours which outlines the importance of listening to and communicating with children and young people. Further information available from the HSE website ,www.hse.ie The campaign was originally conceived as a recommendation of the Report of the Ferns Inquiry, in 2005. The recommendations from Ferns outlined that a publicity campaign was required, that would "assist parents in performing their constitutional rights and duties to safeguard their children."
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