P. J. Sheehan
Ceist: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.
Vol. 417 No. 7
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.
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.