Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 April 2024
577. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the implementation of recommendation 5.3.6 of the Protecting Against Predators report by the Sexual Exploitation Research Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19005/24]
View answerRecommendation 5.3.6 in the Protecting Against Predators scoping study recommends further research into the prevalence of sexual exploitation of children and young people in Ireland. The study recommends a number of different approaches to research that could be carried out in future.
I note that this recommendation is aimed at investigating the prevalence of sexual exploitation among the wider population, in relation to children and adults who may have been exploited when they were children, encompassing a range of sectors and services across Government. In this regard, I understand that this was a general recommendation calling for more research into this important topic.
My Department funds a variety of research in relation to the services under its remit, or the remit of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla). In particular, concerning children in care, my Department funds The Child Law Project and the Care Experiences Project. While these projects do not focus exclusively on child sexual exploitation, they operate according to a wide remit in terms of their research into issues that affect children in care.
In this regard, the Child Law Project in particular has shed important light on topics affecting children in care over the course of its work. The Child Law Project, in its ‘Ripe for Reform’ report published in 2021, highlighted court cases which it had reported on that involved suspected sexual exploitation.
In addition, and prior to the publication of the UCD (SERP) report, my Department and Tusla established a Working Group looking at institutional and organisational abuse. My Department has requested that the Group consider the report and make recommendations as required, after which I will consider any further steps as may be necessary.
The Group is in the process of commissioning independent research, jointly funded by my Department and Tusla, into the area of organisational and institutional abuse of children, including children placed in residential care settings. This research will review international literature and best international social work practice and child safeguarding responses in this area. It is intended that the commissioned research will also look at the findings, learnings and recommendations of seminal reports on abuse of children in residential care settings, such as the Rotherham report, and the Rochdale enquiry.
The procurement process for this research was completed in January 2024 and, following a number of applications, an identified external researcher was appointed to commence the research in early 2024.
