Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 February 2014
185. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her response to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child report on the Vatican's child protection procedures; her views on the level of co-operation between church authorities here and the relevant civil agencies under the new child protection reforms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7152/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have noted the concerns raised by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in its concluding observations on the second periodic report of the Holy See. Reports such as these remind us once again of the scale of historical abuse and of past failures to protect children.
As regards the issue of cooperation between the Irish church authorities and the relevant civil agencies I would like to acknowledge the ongoing work being done by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church of Ireland (NBSCCCI) in ensuring that appropriate safeguarding and reporting measures are in place and operating properly across the Catholic Church.
On 10 December, 2013, the NBSCCI published its fourth tranche of reviews into safeguarding practices at both diocesan and Religious Congregation level. The publication of these review reports brings the Board closer to completing a national picture of how Catholic dioceses and Religious Congregations are currently engaging with the issue of child protection, and the regimes in place in order to ensure that proper safeguarding arrangements are being applied and complied with. I am pleased to note that the reviews highlighted generally high levels of compliance by dioceses and orders currently with respect to best practice in child protection. However, it is imperative that the standards are fully implemented across the Church and that compliance continues to be validated by the Safeguarding Board.
I would also like to acknowledge the strong and positive working relationship between the NBSCCCI and the new Child and Family Agency including with respect to ensuring ongoing compliance with the Children First Guidance on child protection. Officials from the Child and Family Agency will continue to liaise on an ongoing basis with the NSBCCCI in this regard.
