Ivan Yates
Question:114 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Health the progress, if any, to date on services for children following the publication of the Kilkenny Incest report; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Services for Children.
As the House will be aware, the central recommendation of the report of the Kilkenny Incest Investigation was that the necessary resources be made available to facilitate the implementation of the remaining sections of the Child Care Act, 1991. The investigation team saw the full implementation of the Child Care Act as the single biggest contribution which could be made towards promoting the welfare of children and protecting those who are at risk.
The Government has accepted this recommendation and is committed to the full implementation of the Act by the end of 1996. I am pleased to say that considerable progress has been made over the last few months in preparation for the implementation of the Act.
The Government has made available an additional £5 million this year to begin the process of putting the necessary services in place. The full year cost of this initiative is in the region of £10 million. This is the largest ever investment of resources in the child care area in a single year and demonstrates the commitment by Government to the provision of a comprehensive range of services and supports to assist children and families in need.
Following extensive consultations with senior health board management, I have approved a package for new developments for each health board area which will prepare the ground for the assignment of additional functions under the Child Care Act, and will greatly strengthen the capacity of the boards to respond effectively to the needs of children and families.
Among the important new initiatives that I have approved are: the creation of over 100 new posts of social worker and child care worker, the creation of three new posts of consultant child psychiatrist for the child and adolescent psychiatric services, the creation of over 20 new posts in the child psychology services, the expansion of the home maker and home help services to assist families in difficulty, the establishment of community mother's programmes in a number of boards, increased financial support for pre-school services in disadvantaged areas, the development of additional hostel places and services for homeless children, improvements in services for victims of family violence in rural areas, the development of foster care services and improvements in staffing levels in a number of children's residential centres. I have asked the health boards to take urgent steps to put these developments in place as quickly as possible. The new services are already coming on stream and I expect all the developments that I have outlined to be fully operational by the beginning of 1994.
I would like to refer to a number of important measures that are being taken to give effect to other key recommendations in the Kilkenny Incest report. My Department, in consultation with the Garda Síochána, has prepared a draft new procedure for the notification of suspected cases of child abuse between the health boards and the gardaí. This procedure, which revolves around a standardised form for the reporting of suspected abuse, is aimed at ensuring closer co-ordination between key personnel from both agencies in order to facilitate the twin objectives of protecting the child and the full investigation of any crime. The procedure will shortly be operated on a pilot basis in a few selected areas prior to its being introduced nationally.
My Department is also in the process of preparing a discussion paper on the mandatory reporting by designated persons of all forms of child abuse to the health boards. This paper will form the basis for wide-ranging discussions and consultations with the relevant interest groups. The Medical Council has also been requested to review its guidelines in relation to medical confidentiality as it relates to child abuse.
A key element of the development plans for child care services in each of the health boards has been the creation of a post of development officer for child care. The establishment of this position will ensure the effective co-ordination of child care service developments and the identification of future service needs within each health board's functional area. I have given approval to each health board to proceed to fill this post and a number of development officers have already been appointed.
In the area of prevention, the "Stay Safe" child abuse prevention programme is currently being introduced in primary schools throughout the country. While there is some opposition to the programme, the organisers are confident that the implementation process will be completed in all areas by the end of the current school year. A working group, representative of my Department, the Department of Education and the Eastern Health Board, has already put the process in train for the development of suitable materials for a similar prevention programme for second level schools. It is expected that these materials will be available for piloting in 1994.
The Kilkenny Incest report also contains proposals concerning the role of agencies outside the health services in relation to child abuse. Developments in relation to these recommendations include the establishment by the Garda Síochána of a women and child unit to specialise and ensure an expertise in dealing with cases of abuse. In addition to this, the recommendations of the team with respect to barring orders are being considered in the context of a review of barring orders currently being undertaken by my colleague, the Minister for Equality and Law Reform.
I hope the Deputy will accept from the various initiatives which I have outlined that a considerable amount has been achieved in the six months since the Kilkenny Incest report was published. It is my firm intention that this momentum will be maintained and that significant further progress will be made in developing comprehensive and integrated structures and services for the care and protection of children. The new Child Care Policy Unit, which I have established within my Department, will have a pivotal role in this process.