Ms Sonia Magaharan:

I will answer on recruitment based on my experience. I worked in the UK where recruitment is all done at local level. Here we have panels where someone may be interviewed for a panel and may sit on that panel for year. They will not know where a job will arise or when and they will never see the place in which they are to work prior to starting. I interviewed in the UK as part of my role. One would not be called for interview if one had not made an informal visit. The interviews are done at local level by a local CAMHS team so a candidate will get to see the place and the people prior to working there. How can we send people in to do jobs when they do not know where they are going to work? They will not know if they are to work in a cupboard under the stairs, or the people with whom one will work. One needs to know the people with whom one will work. An interview is a two-way process and in Ireland we have a problem in that we think it is only one-way, that the employer has all the rights. It should be 50:50 with the person who is coming for the job. We are talking about transparency. If we want people to commit to being in a post long term we need to treat them respectfully. Recruitment needs to be done at local level. Candidates need to get to see where the vacancies are and the teams with which they will work.