Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 16 May 1995

Vol. 452 No. 8

Written Answers. - Child Sexual Abuse.

Róisín Shortall

Ceist:

114 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health, in relation to St. Clare's Unit in Temple Street Hospital, if he will give details of hours of opening, numbers and grades of staff, the catchment area which it serves, the average monthly number of clients attending and the current waiting period for a first appointment: if he has satisfied himself that this service is adequate to meet demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8869/95]

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Mr. Currie)

St. Clare's Unit in the Children's Hospital, Temple Street deals with the investigation and management of cases of suspected child sexual abuse. It provides a 9 a.m.-5 p.m. service for children and families and emergency cover is also provided where appropriate.

The staffing level of the unit consists of:— one consultant child-adolescent psychiatrist: one senior clinical psychologist; one clinical psychologist; one senior social worker; two social workers; one grade IV secretary; two grade III secretaries.

The majority of referrals to St. Clare's Unit comes via the Eastern Health Board social work teams which cover the Inner City, North city and North County of Dublin. In some circumstances, they provide second opinions for agencies from around the country.

Upon referral, patients are offered within two days an appointment with a member of the staff of the unit to arrange an assessment. Physical examinations take place approximately twice a month in the unit, except in emergencies where there is an immediate service from the hospital casualty unit. The normal waiting period for assessment for non-emergency cases is four to six weeks. While waiting for the assessment, all families can avail of the social work service of the Eastern Health Board. Also, staff of the unit are available to answer any queries that may arise.

On average, about 300 children per annum are referred to the unit and approximately 225 of these are seen for assessment. The assessment of a child usually involves three visits to the unit. I understand that in the last three months, the unit has taken an average of 20 new referrals per month and an additional 30 children per month have attended for their second and third appointments.

The ongoing requirements of St. Clare's Unit are regularly reviewed by my Department in the light of the demands placed on it and in the context of developing child abuse treatment services in Dublin in preparation for the implementation of the remaining provisions of the Child Care Act, 1991.