Dr. Niall Muldoon:

I will address the question of Deputy Barry regarding the impact on children in the younger age group. My background is in psychology. A child's first 1,000 days is now considered far more critical than was previously thought. It relates to the plasticity of the child's brain and the impact of trauma. Such trauma may include insecurities or uncertainties. Children pick up on the tensions and fears of the parents. It is clear that trauma can have an impact on a young infant's feeding, development of potty training, physical movement, security and sense of who they are as an individual. On excessive attachment, we know from the consultation we carried out that some parents will not let their child out of their sight for fear of losing the child. In addition, the system forces them not to allow the child out of their sight, so there is no sense of allowing that independence, even if accompanied by an older brother or sister. The psychological impact of that is stark. The research shows that the 1,000 days up to a child's third birthday is the most important period in which the child gets a sense of self. Problems stemming from this period can be overcome at a later stage, but that is very difficult to achieve. Such problems have a significant impact. We are aware of children being born into that situation. One can imagine the impact on a child born four weeks premature and who is pushed around a shopping centre for that period. The child will pick up on the feelings, emotions and sense of security of the parent. There is a significant impact in that regard. As we move more towards institutional long-term stays in these emerging situations, we will see more such children being impacted on and acting out through challenging behaviours and, perhaps, criminal behaviour in the future. We do not know what the impacts may be. It is uncertain. We have been in this situation for long enough to have children who have spent three or four years in those sorts of circumstances from birth; not just as teenagers. That will have a huge impact and we, as a society, need to recognise that and change it. We need to ensure that we can protect children who have gone through such situations into the future.

Senator Boyhan raised the issue of responsibility across Departments. Our public agencies need to start looking at the child as being at the centre, which would take the focus away from the troublesome, tricky or challenging parent. Mothers have come to me who know they are defined within the public service as a "psycho mum". The problem is that the system makes it necessary for those mothers to work in that way. If we put the child at the centre of decision making, that should take away the pain and fire around those issues.

It is something we need to work towards in the long term.