Dr. Niall Muldoon:

We presented that meta-analysis to the Joint Committee on Health and Children two years ago. The research highlighted seven issues we examined over the past ten years and that arose consistently. I refer to issues such as poor record-keeping, the duplication of records, poor supervision of social workers, the lack of access to appropriate residential centres in a geographical area, and moving children out of their areas. These issues arise consistently but we still see them featuring as we look back. We are examining the recommendations we made and are wondering whether they have been fully implemented yet. We are going to examine this again in the very near future. We will be discussing that with Tusla. We are very much aware of this. I hope that covers the Chairman's elements.

Deputy Rabbitte referred to children with a disability. We are very proud that we published recently the results of an investigation into the case of a young girl in Meath with a disability who could not gain access to preschool or the early school education service. This was one of the drivers that allowed for the new systems now coming into place. One of the new aims is to recognise that the child has the right to education and has to be supported in this regard. Until the case in question, there was haphazard availability of special needs assistants. It was sometimes a matter for the HSE and sometimes a matter for another organisation. Different HSE areas would not do what I describe. We are delighted we now see a much more secure system in place for that sort of service.

On the example the Deputy gave, we should be able to answer the question of how the best interests of a child should be resourced. If a child needs two assistants, we need to examine whether it is required and possible and also the stages at which it can be achieved. It is a question of focusing on the individual increasingly. That is what we are getting to.

I have always said the system works for 80% to 85% of all people. We need to figure out in respect of the 15% who have slightly different issues, problems, concerns and idiosyncrasies how to the support the public services to do the right thing for them. That is what we are about. We are not trying to beat the public services; we are trying to support them in doing what is in the best interest of the child. The last thing we want is for somebody in a service to do the right thing only to be hammered because his or her boss says he or she has gone outside the box. We need to create a service that allows the child to be at the centre and allows this to be the rationale for making a decision. If in response to our asking an organisation how it accounted for the best interest of the child as part of our investigation of a complaint, that organisation states it did not provide a service to a child on having considered six criteria, it is in a much better space than it otherwise would be.