OUR SERVICES

Information and Guidance

The National Missing Persons Helpline will assist callers by providing information on how best to proceed in a missing persons case. We answer queries as best we can.

Emotional Support

The National Missing Persons Helpline has a small team of trained volunteers who can provide assistance on the emotional issues that affect family members and friends of the missing person, helping individuals to find the strength to deal with and adapt to the situation.

We advise families requiring support to contact us on our helpline number– 1800 442 552 – to discuss their needs.

Counselling

Families of a missing person suffer a unique life event and many do not have the financial wherewithal to seek professional counselling. In cases where a person does not possess the financial means for professional counselling – and yet feels they would benefit from this – The National Missing Persons
Helpline may, in certain circumstances, be able to arrange for a limited number of professional counselling sessions free of charge. Please note: the provision of free professional counselling is dependent on adequate funding being available.

Missing Person alerts

Subject to Data Protection legislation, The National Missing Persons Helpline can create an alert for the missing person. A photo together with relevant details will be placed on our Facebook page, we will update information as it becomes available.

Please note that we are subject to strict GDPR Regulations and can only make public those and any details which have first been issued to us by An Garda Síochána.

We can assist families to launch appeals for information taking into consideration how they wish to proceed in this matter, only information which has been agreed with family members will be included in such appeals.

Media contact

The National Missing Persons Helpline can also be contacted by members of the media who wish to access information on the issue of missing persons. No information can be provided on any particular case except (a) where this information is already in the public domain and (b) the family in question have given permission for such information to be passed on for the purposes of raising awareness of the case.

Volunteer Training

The National Missing Persons Helpline is totally committed to providing full and relevant professional training for our volunteers in order to ensure that they are fully prepared to deal with the various scenarios which they are likely to encounter. All training for volunteers is provided by professional and fully-accredited counsellors/psychotherapists. Ongoing training is also provided for volunteers to maintain their knowledge and skills.

Advocacy

The National Missing Persons Helpline regularly meets with relevant bodies and individuals to raise awareness of and hopefully influence, how the issue of missing persons is handled in this country. These include An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and a range of relevant non-statutory bodies both here and abroad.