Dr. Geoffrey Shannon:

Absolutely. The publication of that report is a very important first step, along with the fact that we are identifying homophobic and transphobic bullying as a form of bullying that must be tackled and addressed. We sometimes talk about living in a democracy but we must create a culture of genuine equality and acceptance. There is, and continues to be, an undercurrent of bias and hostility. Until we tackle that robustly at legislative level, we leave a certain degree of room for bad practice to creep in.

Deputy Ó Caoláin also referred to the voice of the child. I have covered that. It is patchy and sporadic and various practices have evolved. We must have a clear vision of what amounts to the voice of the child.

Coming to Senator van Turnhout's intervention and questions, I do not intend to get into a political discussion on implementation. I produced a report and I hope it is helpful in terms of providing a roadmap. I am delighted to have the opportunity to present it to the committee. The recommendations I bring forward have come from lengthy discussions with key stakeholders in various communities. In many respects I try to frame the recommendations around their experience. These recommendations are rooted not only in my own experience, but also in the experience of communities and key stakeholders.

With regard to the disclosure of records, I made it clear in my presentation that I am concerned about this issue. I welcome the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter's legislation in this area. It appears from talking to those at the coalface that there is an increasing pressure for the disclosure of confidential records. It is a worrying trend and must be addressed. I share Senator van Turnhout's view. My concern is that there would be a reluctance on the part of victims of child sexual abuse to seek therapy. Even if that therapy is accessed, the question I raise in the presentation is whether, if one is a psychiatrist, one is practising in the shadow of those records being accessed and whether, if one is a child, one will be as forthcoming. It must also be distressing for parents. They will have gone through the mill of their child suffering abuse, which must a parent's worst nightmare, and then there will be the added trauma that somebody could have access to the therapy records. It must be tackled. It is not a problem without a solution. Canada has dealt with it very effectively, as have the Australian jurisdictions. We must deal with it.

My key recommendation today is on alcohol sponsorship. It is putting increased pressure on our child protection system. If we wish to deal with the entry points to our child protection system, one of the key triggers of a child coming into the care system is alcohol and, to a certain extent, poverty. That is where I talk about family support as well. Let us support families and do everything possible to support families who are in crisis before there is a need to take a child into the care system.

In respect of direct provision, I am conscious of the fact that the Department of Justice and Equality might have a different view from mine on this issue, but I see it as a profound child protection issue and I am unapologetic about that. We must look at what happens. I refer the committee to Dr. Carol Coulter's report. I sit on the oversight committee for Dr. Coulter's project. Her recent survey of cases before the District Court is very interesting. Page 27 of that report states that mental illness featured significantly in a number of African cases and in a number of these cases the mother, often parenting alone, was referred from a direct provision centre for asylum seekers to psychiatric services and her children were taken into care.

Are we surprised, in light of the conditions in which these families have to live? I am conscious that we are in difficult times. We must not forget that we have a chequered history. I refer to what happened when we went abroad. That is my passion. I know there are people who disagree with me on this. My view is that if one examines this clearly as a child protection issue, one will say this is not a normal family environment. I am not saying the State is in loco parentis. I am saying this could not by any standards be regarded as a normal family environment. I think we need to do better for these children. We should look at what we are paying them. I think we pay €19.10 in respect of an adult and €9.60 in respect of a child. My recollection is that approximately 4,600 adults and approximately 1,700 children are living in 34 centres. Most of those children will become Irish citizens. How are we treating these future adults? That is a question we need to answer. I think my role must sometimes involve saying what people do not want to hear. We need to do better for these voiceless people.