Written Answers. - Child Abuse.
Austin Currie
Question:
610
Mr. Currie
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the measures, if any, announced by the previous Minister of State at the Department of Health in his statement of 23 December 1996, in response to the consultation process on mandatory reporting, which have been implemented to date; when he expects the remainder to be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[2163/98]
As the Deputy will be aware the previous administration decided on a series of initiatives to best promote and protect the rights of children arising from the consultative process on mandatory reporting during 1996. Details of these initiatives were published in January 1997 in Putting Children First — Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Children and the then Minister of State gave a commitment that their impact would be evaluated over three years. I announced my intention to continue to progress these worthwhile initiatives in my reply to a Dáil question on 9 October 1997.
The initiatives published in Putting Children First — Promoting and Protecting the Rights of Children, and the progress achieved to date, are as follows:
(i) Designated officers in the health boards to co-ordinate inter-agency approaches to child protection at a community care level. Funding was provided in 1997 development funding to begin the introduction of designated officers in each community care area by each health board. To date, half of these posts have been put in place. Further funding for this purpose has been approved in 1998 so that the process can be completed.
(ii) regional and local child protection committees, operating at health board and community care level, to enhance inter-agency and inter-professional approaches to child protection. The Department of Health and Children has requested health boards to arrange for the establishment of regional and local child protection committees and discussions on this matter are on-going.
(iii) Multi-disciplinary training, under the aegis of the regional child protection committees, to increase inter-agency and inter-professional approaches to child protection. £100,000 was provided in 1997 child care development funding towards the expansion of multi-disciplinary training on child protection.
(iv) The new Social Services Inspectorate to review the 1987 Child Abuse Guidelines and the Procedure for Notification of Suspected Cases of Child Abuse between health boards and gardaí. I am currently establishing a working group to review the 1987 and 1995 Child Abuse Guidelines.
(v) A public information campaign to heighten public awareness of child abuse and of the system to respond to cases of child abuse. This campaign has not taken place. However, my Department is making £100,000 available to the Children's Rights Alliance in 1998 as a contribution towards the cost of an Awareness Campaign on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
(vi) The provision of support services by health boards for victims of past abuse. £100,000 was provided in 1997 Development Funding towards the establishment of support services by health boards for victims of past abuse.
(vii) Funding of voluntary agencies dealing with children to be conditional on procedures being in place to deal with allegations of child abuse. Health boards have been asked to ensure that this measure is implemented and this matter is being addressed by them.
(viii) Evaluation of the impact of the above measures on the reporting of child abuse. It is envisaged that evaluation of these measures will take place over a three year period.
