Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Gabhaim buíochas leí as ucht an díospóireacht seo a láimhseáil. The Minister has perhaps the most important job in the Cabinet. For many people, she has become a signal of change and of a new start. Children have been put first by the Government and the State. It is important that a new Department is dedicated to children and youth affairs. The Minister was correct when she said it would have been better if this had been done ten years ago. The millions, if not billions, of euro that were spent on vanity projects could have been used more wisely. Hindsight is a great thing.

When parliamentarians are appointed to the Cabinet, they receive a seal of office from the Uachtarán and accept responsibility for their portfolios. Sadly, the State has been negligent in fulfilling many of its responsibilities. I say that as a Member of this House who has been involved with children for a long time. I have worked as a teacher and have been involved in Cumann Lúthchleas Gael. It is important, as stated in Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children, that we all recognise our responsibilities, obligations and duties. That is important for people who are involved with children at all levels, including parents, social workers, teachers, youth club workers and GAA trainers.

I commend Deputy O'Brien on his fine speech. I disagree with part of what he said about one matter. It is probably a bone of contention that will get me in a bit of trouble. An element of abdication of responsibility is creeping into and permeating Irish society. It is not correct to say that parents are not at fault in some cases. They are sometimes at fault. It should be possible for a person to say he or she is unable to be a parent. As a State, we should be able to help such people out. Vulnerable young women, in particular, have been let down by a State that has failed to assist them in the rearing of their children.

One of the great tragedies of the world today is our failure to put children first. We have not put children first. Young people require assistance, help, leadership and understanding in their most formative years. They need to be listened to, guided and brought along. Those of us who studied psychology know that children engage in imitative behaviour. Children imitate what they see and hear. We have an obligation, a duty and a responsibility to look after them.

The Children First guidelines state that no child should be shattered by abuse. Sadly, that is not the case. Look at one of the greatest universities in the world, Penn State in America. It has a college football programme which brings in millions of dollars each year but it has been mired in controversy this week because it allowed - I had better be careful because I am not in full possession of the facts and only know what I have read and heard - the lure of the dollar to influence decisions in regard child protection.

It is appalling that young children are shattered by abuse. During August I wrote a piece in the Evening Echo on the Cloyne report. I included a line in it, which I think was important, that for the first time ever, I knew one of the abused and one of the abusers. It was an appalling position in which to be. That young person who was abused will never forget it. It saddens me that we lived in a society in which we did not put the safety and protection of our children to the fore. Hillary Clinton was right - this is where I agree with Deputy Jonathan O'Brien - that it takes a village, a community, society, institutions, parents and grandparents to raise young people. Deputy O'Brien was also right when he spoke about the issue of fostering. We have outstanding foster parents in our communities. They reach out and bring the most vulnerable young people who need them the most into their homes. Fostering must play a greater role.

I have known the Minister for a long time and admire her as a person and as a Minister. I am very happy she is in this Department because this debate is important. To me, she is the most important Minister in Cabinet. This is about the deaths of young people. As the Minister said, any death is a tragedy but when it happens to young people in the care of the State, it is appalling.

I welcome the establishment of the national review panel and the publication of the report. I also welcome the Minister's speech today and her remarks prior to today. She said there is a regime change and a willingness to make difference and that there will be no abdication of responsibility. She spoke about a stringent approach and I very much welcome the fact we are more stringent than the United Kingdom. We have no reason not to be.

It is important we have joined up thinking. I do not know the answer to this but I hope the Minister will address it in her concluding remarks. I hope we have joined up thinking between the Departments of Justice and Equality, Education and Skills, Social Protection, Health and the Minister's Department and that a lead is taken. For too long, there was a culture of indecision, passing the buck and of not accepting responsibility.

I go back to that key word "responsibility". The State can no longer say it is not responsible and that it was someone else's job. The reality is that the book stops with of us, which is the way it should be. There must be joined up thinking because as the Minister said, there are 6,215 young people in the care of the State.

To go back to the Children First guidelines and striking a proper balance between protecting children and respecting the rights and needs of parents, carers and families, where there is conflict, the welfare of children must come first. That is why the Minister has my full support in taking her time with the children's referendum. Travel safely and slowly. The Irish phrase, taisteal go mall, is very appropriate here. There is no need to rush a referendum. We all accept there is a compelling need to have one but we must take our time to ensure we get the result we want, which is guaranteeing the protection and the welfare of children. If that requires time, I will support the Minister all the way because it is imperative that the rights of the child are taken seriously and that we understand the approach to be taken. I might not be correct in saying that but it is important we take our time.

A recent referendum was defeated. Some people in the Opposition were waiting to snipe at the Government and to vote against it. There were others in the wings who came in with a red herring. This referendum is far too important to play politics with it. It is about the most vulnerable children in our society.

The Minister used the word "architecture" a lot in her speech. It is a grandiose word which I like because it covers a multitude. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien referred to resources. The Minister said there was approval for additional social workers which is necessary as it is critical that there is an adequate number of social workers. However, resources are not everything. It cannot all be about resources and allocation of same because as the Minister said, there will be more than 25,000 referrals to social work child protection teams in 2011. That is a huge figure and why I go back to the following fundamental point. Given that the Minister accepts we have limited resources, there is a compelling need to have joined up thinking across all the Departments, institutions and organisations.

I very much welcome the fact the Minister said that 99% of all children in residential care have an allocated social worker, with 96% having a written care plan. We all accept it should be 100%. A written care plan is a key component and is important because it gives an identity and a sense of individualism to the person. We are talking about people here. These are not figures but people who we need to protect and look after. We have a responsibility to do that.

I refer to the multidisciplinary team approach to child abuse and neglect. If we are to make progress and achieve results, that multidisciplinary team must report and be answerable to somebody. It is not about buying a solution or publishing grandiose plans with PowerPoint presentations in glossy brochures. Those of us who work at the coalface of community and society either as teachers or volunteers understand those families which are struggling. We must offer the child who feels unprotected or unloved more than hope or platitudes in a guideline.

The GAA was one of the first organisations to introduce child protection. It did so at a time when such measures were not so widespread. I was involved in the implementation of this child protection code. Now, thankfully every club and county board has a child protection officer.

The Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, has my full support in her difficult job. However, she will make change happen. I believe in 25 years when the history of this period in politics is written, she will be seen as the driver of transformation in child protection measures. This report cannot be left on a shelf gathering dust but must be built upon. At the same time, after the recent referendum on Oireachtas inquires, we must get the children's rights amendment to the Constitution right. Taisteal go mall.

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