Mr. Cormac Quinlan:

If following an initial assessment a child is regarded by us as having experienced abuse, be it neglect or physical, sexual or emotional abuse, and at risk of ongoing abuse, he or she automatically proceeds to what is called a child protection conference, which is a meeting of professionals and families who decide whether he or she is facing an ongoing risk and needs a child protection safety plan. If the child does, he or she is listed on what is called a child protection notification system, which is a register of children at risk that is available to the Garda and emergency services in the event that the child presents at those services. There are over 1,200 children on the child protection notification system. All of those children are allocated and all of them have a child protection safety plan. Those plans are reviewed regularly – every six months, at a minimum.