Charles Flanagan
Ceist:41 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether it is appropriate to inaugurate a code of mandatory reporting of incidents of child sexual abuse by teachers in schools. [25793/98]
Written Answers - Child Abuse.
Enda Kenny
Ceist:53 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has in relation to the handling of allegations of abuse against children to make immediate provision for the application of the independent appeals mechanism on the final passing of the Education Bill. [25862/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 53 together.
The Government has stated its commitment to produce a White Paper on the matter of mandatory reporting. It would, therefore, be inappropriate for me to pre-empt its publication by commenting further at this stage.
However, in a broader context, my Department issued guidelines to all primary schools in November 1991 under the title Procedures for Dealing with Allegations of Child Abuse and to post-primary schools in 1992 under the title Procedures for Dealing with Allegations or Suspicions of Child Abuse. These guidelines were drawn up in consultation with the education partners, and cover suspected child abuse either external or internal to the school.
The guidelines make clear that the role of the school authorities is to ensure that suspicions or allegations are reported to the Health Authorities or the Garda. The guidelines advise that, if there is indisputable evidence that an individual has abused a child, the matter must be reported directly to the Garda.
I am strongly of the view that there can be no room for any complacency in relation to current procedures. For this reason a working party, representative of the education partners, is already examining the existing guidelines on abuse in order to make sure that they represent a comprehensive and fully updated response to this issue. Representatives of the health boards have joined the working party. Furthermore, officials of my Department have held discussions with representatives of the working group to review the child abuse guidelines which has been established by the Department of Health and Children. Updated guidelines will be issued to schools as soon as the group has completed its final report, which is expected within the next three months. This close co-operation between health boards, the education partners and my Department is essential in safeguarding the well-being of pupils in schools.
We must also continue to emphasise the value of preventative strategies in combating this evil. In this context initiatives such as the Stay Safe Programme will continue to play a critical role in promoting an awareness among pupils of inappropriate behaviour on the part of figures in authority.
As regards the Education Bill, I would point out that the appeals procedure provided in section 29 of the Bill will apply in respect of decisions, taken on behalf of schools, which affect students. It is not intended that this section will cover allegations of abuse which, as I have already stated, are properly matters for the health authorities or the Garda.