One Northern Ireland caller to the helpline told the NSPCC about a toddler and child of primary school age whose mother drank every day until late in the evening while the children were in her care, sometimes passing out and not hearing when the children cried.

BBC: NSPCC launches scheme to help parents tackle neglect

The rules for beginning school mean that a child reaches compulsory school age at the beginning of the term following their fifth birthday.

BBC: School odds stacked against summer babies, says IFS

Once a lone parent's youngest child has reached the age of 12, and is attending a secondary school, they should no longer qualify for income support on this basis.

BBC: Isle of Man welfare change for single parents

Lauded as a child prodigy, Hamlisch was the youngest student ever accepted into Manhattan's prestigious Juilliard School of Music at the age of 7.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Kerrthana, 14, interviewed a school friend and a teacher about the pros and cons of children attending child-care provisions from a very early age, so their parents could continue working.

BBC: December's practice News Day