Professor Ursula Kilkelly:

I will say a few words about the single separation issue. We are finally reaching the issues that really matter in Oberstown. We have clearly had a very difficult couple of years. This has been part of the change process and the amalgamation of the schools as well as the very tedious but also very important operational development.

Single separation has been on the board's agenda since I joined. Over the years, we have had no data, poor data and data that nobody could make sense of or understand. We are finally at the point where we can understand what is going on. We finally have proper, effective and timely visibility of the data and what is happening to young people in the context of single separation in particular. This has been greatly aided by two things. Deputy Lisa Chamber referred to the first of these, namely, the confidence, competence and ability of staff to work within this framework and, aided by a new revised policy on single separation, separating out the procedure from the policy. It is now very clear what procedure needs to be followed. As the director stated, earlier this year, a new enhanced approval mechanism was introduced which interrogates and questions the use of separation all the time in a challenging and different way. Coupled with this, an information technology system has been introduced which makes recording absolutely essential because it will send alerts and times. These electronic methods of recording will not only give us better data but will also give us much better visibility and governance around what is, for everybody, an unacceptable practice that cannot and should not ever be used outside of our policies and procedures.

That is where the priority is in bringing visibility to the issue and driving down the numbers in the safest and most effective way possible in line with the rights and interests of young people. What we do not want to see are other practices compensating for one that is now being accepted as restrictive. The board's position earlier this year was to make very clear that it considers these three different types of intervention serious and last resort interventions and wants to see and track a fall in the number of times they are used. This is to make clear to management, staff and everybody that this is our position, lest it is not clear. However, we have to work within the framework.

If I may, I will make one further point on communication, which has been an Achilles heel or weak point within the campus and externally. It is an issue we have invested in and worked hard on for the past year. We have a new communications and engagement plan that is about better communication with staff as part of the whole process of building morale and providing the support staff need.

Part of the new strategy involves documenting the participation of young people in decisions about them. It involves raising the profile of that issue, communicating externally and engaging with people in order to be accountable for what we do. That is just to put the matter in a broader context.