P. J. Sheehan
Question:103 Mr. Sheehan asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the recent report of the ISPCC on the growing incidence of reports of child abuse; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Child Abuse.
I am very much aware of and concerned about the increasing number of alleged cases of child abuse, including child sexual abuse, that are being reported and, more particularly, the number of such cases where abuse is being confirmed.
In 1986 the number of reports of alleged abuse received by health boards was just over 1,000. Of these almost 500 cases were confirmed, of which 274 involved child sexual abuse. By 1989, the latest year for which full details are available, the number of reports was over 3,200, of which over 1,600 cases were confirmed including 568 cases of child sexual abuse.
In response to these developments, a number of initiatives have been taken by my Department and by the health boards. In 1987 my Department published new child abuse guidelines which set out clearly the steps to be taken by the various parties involved in the identification, investigation and management of child abuse.
In the Eastern Health Board area, units for the investigation and management of alleged child sexual abuse were established early in 1988 at Temple Street Hospital and Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin. During the same year, a special allocation was made to each of the other seven health boards to enable them to establish appropriate services in their areas. Services are now in place in each health board area; some of them are based in a particular hospital in the region while others are provided on a community basis.
While I am generally satisfied with the range of assessment services that are now available, I am conscious of the need for further developments in the long term treatment of victims of child abuse, including improvements in the level of child and adolescent psychiatric provision and specialised residential facilities for children who have been severely damaged by abuse.
Last year, my Department gave approval to the development of child and adolescent psychiatric services in the North-Eastern, Mid-Western and South, Eastern Health Board areas. It is my intention to continue to develop these services as available resources permit.
Approval has also been given to a number of new residential developments for children in care, some of whom would have been victims of child abuse. Over 40 additional residential places are being provided in the Eastern Health Board area. A ten place emergency hostel for homeless girls is already available. Other developments include a new therapeutic unit for adolescents in County Kildare and a new residential home for boys in South County Dublin. I expect these to be in place within a matter of weeks.
New residential and hostel facilities are also being developed at Cork, Limerick, Athlone, Sligo and Galway. These will result in approximately 30 extra places. In Cork a purpose-built residential centre at Shanakiel Road is now complete and will open shortly. A new residential facility is being developed near Limerick. In Athlone, Sligo and Galway, new hostel facilities are being developed by local voluntary groups with the support of the relevant health boards. Additional places were also recently made available at Stranorlar, County Donegal.
It is also of the utmost importance to develop programmes aimed at preventing the incidence of all forms of child abuse. In this context I would like to mention the child abuse prevention programme being undertaken by staff of the Eastern Health Board with the assistance of my Department and the Department of Education. This progamme is currently being introduced into all the primary schools in the Eastern Health Board area. It provides training for the teachers and the parents and follows through with a special curriculum for junior and senior pupils. The aim of the programme is to encourage self-confidence in the children and to teach them coping skills. Above all, the programme seeks to teach children never to keep secret anything which upsets, disturbs or confuses them.
The response of parents, teachers and, indeed, the children themselves to the programme has been most encouraging. The question of implementing the programme on a nationwide basis is under active consideration.
The Child Care Act, 1991, provides a statutory framework for the development of child care services, including tackling the problem of child abuse. It is my intention to bring into operation this year most of Part II of the Act which contains many of the preventative and service-delivery provisions. In particular, it is intended to implement section 3 of the Act which imposes a statutory duty on health boards to identify children who are not receiving adequate care and protection, including children who have suffered abuse and requires them to provide a range of child care and family support services.