James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We now know only too well that our response to child abuse has often been lacking. Some have put protection of their respective institutions ahead of protecting the child. Whether by the Catholic Church or the IRA, alleged perpetrators have been moved to different locations, protecting them from justice and, unforgivably, exposing more children to risk. Too many of our children have paid the price for such failures and we know from recent research that the impact of child abuse follows people throughout their lives, often with profound consequences.

The State has endeavoured to learn lessons from our history and to consign to the past many of the practices that left us with such an appalling legacy. The legislative and administrative regime now in place seeks to ensure that children at risk of abuse receive the best service possible. Robust processes are in place between the two main State agencies that work with child and adult survivors of child abuse, namely, Tusla - the Child and Family Agency - and An Garda Síochána. Child care services themselves are subject to regulations and standards against which they are inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority. My Department actively monitors responses to these published reports as an additional quality assurance measure.

The possibility that alleged abusers in Northern Ireland were moved into this State by republican and-or IRA actions and could present a current risk to children is of deep concern. In this regard, Tusla confirms that it has received some non-specific information from survivors. This information is being rigorously pursued to determine issues arising for agencies in this jurisdiction. Tusla assesses the risk that any alleged perpetrator of child abuse presents to children, whether that abuse is current or historic, in order that we can achieve our objective of protecting children. The investigation of alleged offences falls to the Garda and, in doing so, it works closely with Tusla and other relevant services. If they are to do that job, however, they need information, and it is imperative that anyone with information about potential risks to children would pass it on to the authorities without delay.

This Government committed to reforming child protection services. We promised to create a dedicated child and welfare protection agency. Tusla was established on 1 January this year. We are putting the Children First guidelines on a statutory footing through the Children First Bill, published in April of this year. That legislation puts the child at the centre of policy and practice, which heretofore was all too often not the case. It forms part of a suite of child protection legislation, including the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 and the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012.

The Children First Bill has three key elements. First, it will oblige certain professionals and others working with children to report child protection concerns to Tusla and, if requested to do so, to assist in assessing child protection risks. Second, all organisations providing services to children will be required to carry out a child protection risk assessment and to develop a child safeguarding statement, which will be available both to parents and the public more generally. Third, it puts the Children First interdepartmental group on a statutory footing to oversee implementation and compliance. The group will report annually to me as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in order that we maintain the drive for better child protection where best practice becomes the absolute norm.

I note the recent calls for an all-island approach to child protection. There already exists a structure and work programme on child protection and it is in place under the North-South Ministerial Council. As recently as this morning I met the North's health Minister, Mr. Jim Wells, in Armagh where the issue of child protection was discussed. A cross-Border group of relevant officials in both jurisdictions has been working to intensify co-operation on child protection since 2008. There is also the interjurisdictional protocol for the transfer of child care cases between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which was completed in 2012. While the current work streams on child protection have already been agreed, should this debate indicate potential for further co-operation with our colleagues in the North, I will pursue the matter through the relevant channels.

What survivors of child abuse, both current and historical, are entitled to expect is to be at the centre of our response and that the relevant statutory agencies on both sides of the Border collaborate as necessary on child protection cases. Anyone and everyone with information about abuse should bring it immediately to the relevant authorities. We have the structures, legislation and clarity about roles in place. What is needed now is for the authorities to have the information they need to do their job, that being, protecting and supporting survivors of abuse and, as far as possible, preventing future abuse. If we are to address the failings of our past, which we know were many, we must recognise we have a duty to put children first. This means all of us all of the time. Otherwise, we will fail our children again.

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