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Children First Guidelines

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 April 2018

Tuesday, 24 April 2018

Questions (37)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

37. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the engagement his Department has had with sports clubs regarding responsibilities under Children First; and the organisations he has met since coming into office with regard to Children First and ensuring all policies are being met by sports clubs in all codes. [9004/18]

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Written answers

My Department has been in contact regularly with all the Department's agencies including Sport Ireland on the requirements under the Children First Act 2015 and related matters.

This included providing information aimed at assisting them in identifying their responsibilities under the Act and preparing for its full commencement. Resources available from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, were also circulated. This included:

- revised Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children,

- Guidance on Developing a Child Safeguarding Statement, and

- the Guide for Reporting of Child Protection and Welfare Concerns.

The Department has also provided information on the Tusla eLearning Programme "Introduction to Children First".

In relation to sporting bodies, Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, increasing participation at all levels and raising standards, including the allocation of funding across its various programmes. My Department engages directly with Sport Ireland, who in turn engages with the National Governing Bodies of Sport, including in relation to Children First.

Through the Children First Interdepartmental Implementation Group, my Department requested that 25,000 copies of the revised Children First: National Guidelines be provided to Sport Ireland. Sport Ireland have disseminated the Guidelines to NGBs, for onwards circulation to their member sports clubs.

I am informed that the Children First Act has been discussed at a number of Designated Safeguarding Children Officer meetings, held by Sport Ireland 3-4 times a year to update National Children Officers of NGBs. A number of Local Sports Partnership have also delivered workshops on Children First. Sport Ireland held a seminar on the Act for CEOs and NCOs on 11 November 2017, and also communicated by letter to all CEOs on the full commencement of the Act in December 2017. In February 2018 a follow-up letter was sent regarding the preparation of Child Safeguarding Statements and risk assessments, required by the Act to be in place by March 2018.

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