Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 April 2018
1331. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her Department has offered in-person training for persons designated as mandated reporters under the Children First Act 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15178/18]
View answerIt is the responsibility of each organisation to ensure that its staff receive adequate and appropriate child welfare and protection training to meet their child protection obligations under the Act.
To assist organisations in this regard, my Department and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, worked collaboratively to produce a suite of information and training resources, which were launched on 2nd October 2017.
These resources included the revised and updated edition of Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children, which was prepared by my Department, and an e-learning training module, entitled Introduction to Children First, which was prepared by Tusla.
The e-learning programme is a 90 minute training module which is universally available and free of charge. The module covers the recognising and reporting of child abuse, the role of mandated persons, and the safeguarding responsibilities of organisations working with children. The training module is available through the Tusla website www.tusla.ie .
