Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I agree with the Minister that the Stay Safe programme is excellent. Parents, teachers and the back-up team directly involved in it must be leading on the issue. I urge the Minister to maintain regular contact with parents' groups. If a minority of people have not been brought on board they should be because the bottom line is that the programme is sensible, safe and in the interests of child safety.

One issue that has not been touched on in today's debate is the safety of teachers when dealing with sensitive cases involving dysfunctional and often violent families. Does the Minister understand the serious risks some teachers face when dealing with child abuse cases? Threats have been made against teachers in such cases. Does the Minister have any practical proposals to make to boards of management and unions to protect teachers in their classrooms? A violent or dysfunctional parent may turn up at a school at 9.30 a.m. when a teacher is directly involved in assisting the social services. I had direct experience of such situations in my previous teaching career as violent, dysfunctional parents turned up when a child abuse case was being dealt with. Teachers were threatened and there were serious implications for them.

Does the Minister have any research details, statistics or other information on the number of children who have been helped and saved since the introduction of the Stay Safe programme and SPHE, including the excellent work that is done in this respect with teachers and parents?

In dealing with parents' groups, I urge the Minister to use her clout and leadership to get a minority of parents on board who still have reservations about the Stay Safe programme. Even in the last year or two, the number of such parents has fallen dramatically. I would say it is approximately 1% at this stage.

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