The report published today (Tuesday) by the Ombudsman for Children is yet another damning indictment of the State’s failure to provide to children at risk the protection to which they are entitled, according to Fine Gael Children Spokesperson, Alan Shatter TD.
“It starkly exposes the abject failure of Government to take the steps necessary to ensure the consistent application of the Children First: National Protection Guidelines of 1999. The finding of the Ombudsman against the Office of the Minister for Children that such failure constituted ‘unsound administration’ within the meaning of Section 8 of the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002 confirms that successive Fianna Fáil-led Governments and Ministers for Children have simply paid lip service to child protection.
“The Report also again details the total failure of the HSE to comply with its statutory obligations with regard to the care and protection of children. Findings of ‘unsound administration’ against the HSE yet again raise serious questions about the capacity of the HSE to provide a child care and protection service of appropriate standard and the desirability of the HSE retaining this statutory function. It is particularly shocking, in the light of all of the revelations of the past decade, that the Report documents the continuing failure of the HSE and the Gardaí to operate joint liaison and documentary arrangements in many parts of the State in respect of allegations of child abuse. Immediate action must be taken to address this issue to ensure that the chances of successful prosecutions of those who perpetrate child abuse are not thwarted by such failure of State agencies to comply with the Children First Guidelines.
“It is yet again clear from this Report that radical change and reform is required. It is also clear that neither the Minister for Children nor the HSE have yet recognised the need for both transparency and accountability in our child care and protection services.
“It is noteworthy that a Draft of the Report published today was furnished to the Office of the Minister for Children and the HSE on 15th February 2010 for comment and the Report published today records the responses received. In today’s Report the Ombudsman makes reference to the fact that she knows that the HSE is engaged in undertaking a strategic review of the delivery and management of child care services. Her report makes reference to earlier reports, both published and unpublished over the past 10 years concerning the provision of such services. However, no reference is made by her to the Draft Report published by Fine Gael 10 days ago, prepared by PA Consulting Group for the HSE, dated 1st October 2009 entitled ‘Inspiring Confidence in Children and Family Services: Putting Children First and Meaning it’. This Report constitutes the strategic review of the delivery and management of children and family services to which the Ombudsman makes reference.
“I am calling on the Minister for Children and the HSE to explain whether this Draft Strategic Report was furnished to the Ombudsman for Children to facilitate the work undertaken by her in preparing the Report published today and, if not, why its contents were concealed. I am also calling on Mary Harney TD, Minister for Health and Children and Barry Andrews TD, Minister for Children to explain the utter failure of Government to take all necessary action to ensure the uniform implementation across the State of the Children First Guidelines. Minister Andrews should also explain why the High Level Group established by his Department to facilitate implementation of the Children First Guidelines, having met in 2008, failed to meet at all in 2009. This failure is justifiably criticised by the Ombudsman for Children.”
Ends
