Mr. Mike Corcoran:

The Senator is correct in what she is saying. We do not have an inspectorate body that goes in to any service providing services to children, other than services that are subject to regulation. Our current powers with regard to the child safeguarding statement compliance reflect our ability to compel an organisation to give us a statement and that statement to be assessed as meeting the expectations of what is set out with regard to the criteria for what should be in that statement. The next piece of it is down to the organisation, to implement that statement and all of the policy and procedures that should support it, in full, and actively engage with risk thereafter.

While we do not have those direct powers, it is not to suggest that we do not take actions where we can proactively do so. We actively influence organisations. We support them with regard to training and information to create proper well-informed child safeguarding cultures and environments. Deputy Costello's point is right in that active inspection focuses the mind with regard to what should be there. However, the important action all the time - I talked about complacency earlier - is to look at the spirit of children first legislation which says it is everybody's responsibility. The governance part about trying to turn everybody's responsibility into a set of actions day to day, week to week and year on year, is very important. Wider discussion is needed about how that will be achieved, whether it is simply through a regulatory inspection or regime, or whether an extension of the existing powers is needed to widen that out. It will be an important debate to have. I do not disagree with the Senator on that.