Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 13 Mar 1996

Vol. 463 No. 1

Written Answers. - Child Care Legislation.

Eric J. Byrne

Ceist:

24 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for Health the plans, if any, he has to bring forward implementation of part VIII of the Child Care Act, 1991, in view of the need to ensure that abuses such as those which occurred in Goldenbridge, Dublin 8 and other orphanages do not recur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5764/96]

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

As I have previously indicated to the House, children in residential care are no longer maintained in orphanages or similar type institutions designed to cater for large numbers of children. Since the early 1970s there has been a major shift away from the provision of care in such settings to smaller purpose-built group homes and other appropriately sized residential units.

In relation to the implementation of Part VIII of the Child Care Act, 1991, I am pleased to report that much of the ground work has already been done. A working group has already prepared a draft set of standards for residential care which will form the basis of the regulations to be prepared under Part VIII of the Act. The new regulations will provide a statutory basis for the registration and inspection of residential care centres. I have given a commitment that Part VIII, and the remaining provisions of the Child Care Act, will be implemented by the end of the year. This commitment will be honoured.

I have also announced my intention to establish, at a national level and on a statutory basis, an inspectorate of social services in the Department of Health. This inspectorate will be responsible for quality assurance and audit of child care practice, and will undertake inquiries on behalf of the Minister for Health. I am confident that, together with the important new provisions relating to residential care under the Child Care Act, this will improve the safeguards and procedures for the protecton of children in residntial care.

However, I would like now to address a number of important initiatives that have already been taken to promote the welfare of children in residential care and to protect them from abuse. The most significant of these are the Child Care (Placement of Children in Residential Care) Regulations, 1995, which I brought into operation with effect from 31 October last. These regulations were made under Part VI of the Child Care Act and govern the placement by health boards of children in their care in residential centres. They apply to residential centres operated by voluntary bodies as well as those operated by the boards themselves.

The new regulations lay down detailed requirements to be complied with by health boards in relation to the placement of children in residential care, the conduct of residential centres for children provided by health boards, the supervision, visiting and review of children placed in residential centres and the removal of children from such placements in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Child Care Act, 1991.

In particular, the new regulations require each health board to: satisfy itself that adequate arrangements are in place in each residential centre to guard against the risk of injury and for the reporting and recording of accidents and injuries affecting children residing there; satisfy itself that procedures are in place for the prompt notification to the board of significant events affecting children placed there by the board; monitor standards in each residential centre in which the board has placed a child and ensure that the centre is visted from time to time by an authorised person; arrange for the supervision of children placed in residential centres by the board and for the children to be visited within prescribed intervals; and arrange for the periodic review of each child placed by the board in a residential centre.

The regulations are designed to ensure that children in residential care are visited, supervised and reviewed on a more systematic basis than before and that the changing needs of children are taken into account. Full recognition is given to the role of parents, carers, and indeed the children themselves, in this process.