Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to provide a statement on the deeply shocking and disturbing accounts of abuse in certain schools. I know that all in this House and right across the country will have felt the same sense of shock and revulsion at the revelations made in recent weeks about the extent of sexual abuse in Spiritan schools. I have engaged with survivors over recent days and will continue to do so over the coming days.

At the outset, I commend the courage of those who have come forward and indeed all of those who have been living with the impact of this abuse for many years. Their courage has given voice to a deep hurt that is shared, I am sure, by many others who continue to suffer in silence as a consequence of similar experiences. These revelations of abuse in several schools are deeply disturbing and heartbreaking. Like the rest of the Government, I am very conscious of the enormous trauma that has been endured by all survivors of abuse. The sexual abuse of a child is repugnant to the whole of society and is a reprehensible abuse of power and trust. Parents entrust their children to the care of schools and staff, and should be confident that their children will be cared for, protected and cherished in school.

The Government takes the issue of sexual abuse very seriously. These crimes are abhorrent and I am fully aware of the devastating impact they can have on the lives of people affected. As Members will appreciate, I cannot comment on a specific case, but I wish to reassure the House that there is comprehensive legislation in place to deal with these offences. The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act was enacted in early 2017. It is wide-ranging legislation that significantly enhances laws to combat the sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children.

I have been informed that since the broadcast of the documentary "Blackrock Boys" on 6 November last and as of 22 November last, 32 contacts have been received by An Garda Síochána regarding sexual abuse at six schools run by the Spiritan Education Trust: Blackrock College, Willow Park, Rockwell College, St. Mary's College, St. Michael's College and Templeogue College. Of these contacts, I am informed 27 are from survivors, three from witnesses and two from people acting on behalf of survivors. The reports relate to alleged incidents dating from 1954 until 1991.

I would like to encourage all who have been subjected to or witnessed clerical sexual abuse to contact An Garda Síochána. The sexual crime management unit at the Garda National Protective Services Bureau, GNPSB, is the central point of contact for all reports of clerical sexual abuse. A dedicated email address has been set up to support the reporting of such crimes. People who wish to report such crimes can also contact their local Garda station, the sexual crime management unit, at 01 6663430, or the Garda child sexual abuse reporting line, at 1800 555 222. This is a confidential and free service available to the public on a 24-7 basis.

It is vital that survivors of child sexual abuse have the opportunity to be heard in full and with appropriate respect and sensitivity. They need to know there will be a serious response from the Government. Right across the House, I know we are united in calling for a survivor-led response.

My urgent priority in recent days was to listen to survivors and this will also be the case in the coming days. This is to allow them to share their experiences with me personally should they so wish and for me to begin to get a sense of what they would like to see happen. I would like to express my sincere thanks to those survivors who have engaged with me to date and have done so in the spirit of openly sharing their experiences. They are telling me what they would like to see happen. As I hear a different perspective from each individual, I hope a thread of commonality in terms of an approach or approaches will come through so I can work further with the Government, all in this House and primarily with survivors to arrive at a consensus on the most appropriate way forward.

I acknowledge the calls for an inquiry. I am cognisant that the Government owes it to the survivors to ensure any process of inquiry is the right one and will best deliver the outcomes they feel are most important. To ensure any such response will indeed be effective and survivor led, it is important at this stage to consider carefully the range of options open to achieve these outcomes while acknowledging and analysing the strengths and challenges inherent in any single approach.

Every survivor who has spoken with me has told of how they have entered into this stage or entered in the past into engagement with the order or with gardaí, or taken other legal avenues, and felt entirely unsupported. They have said how difficult that has been for them. There is no doubt but that a significant body of work lies ahead. The next steps will be important and should involve, among other initiatives and opportunities, specific opportunities to speak to survivors on an intensive basis, engaging with Government colleagues and Opposition parties on potential options, thinking about the appropriate expertise that will help us to bring all aspects together so that a coherent picture can be formed of what kind of inquiry will achieve the outcomes required and carefully analysing the learnings from previous inquiries in respect of the appalling legacy of child abuse.

These inquiries have played an important role in bringing accounts of abuse to light. Most notably, the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse was established on a statutory basis in 2000 and published its final report, known as the Ryan report, in 2009. The Ferns, Murphy and Cloyne reports dealt with clerical abuse in dioceses. These reports helped the State to set out a clear pathway towards rectifying the system failures that had allowed a culture of abuse to flourish and have had an enormous impact and resonance for all children in Ireland.

We need to consider in broad terms the response of the order in terms of restorative justice, the provision of supports, how complainants are treated and supported and whether standards are being met in terms of accountability within the order. Further discussion and engagement will take place with survivors, the Government and the Opposition, child welfare experts and others to determine the final shape of any proposals. I will return shortly to the Government with proposals in this respect.

I want to take a moment to reflect on the children in our society today. While we should never be complacent, I want to reassure parents that a robust child protection system is now in place in our primary and post-primary schools. This includes enhanced mechanisms in respect of detection and reporting, including mandatory reporting of child protection concerns, vetting and greater overall awareness. These procedures have been developed in alignment with overarching national policy which is being led by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability Integration and Youth and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, will give a comprehensive picture of that national policy which has impact for the benefit of all children and their presence in all sectors, including the education sector.

The Children First Act 2015 seeks to raise awareness of child abuse and neglect, provides for mandatory reporting by key professionals and improves child safeguarding arrangements in organisations providing services to children. My Department's child protection procedures for primary and post-primary schools, which were issued in 2017, provide guidance to schools on their responsibilities under the Children First Act 2015 and the Children First national guidance 2017. These procedures provide necessary information to school authorities and personnel tohelp them to be alert and aware of what to do in situations where there is a concern, suspicion or allegation that a child may have been abused or neglected, is being abused or neglected or is at risk of abuse or neglect. In all cases, the most important consideration to be taken into account is the protection of children and young people.

The procedures require that in any situation where a member of school personnel receives an allegation or has a suspicion that a child may have been abused or neglected, is being abused or neglected or is at risk of being abused or neglected, he or she shall, without delay, report the matter to a designated liaison person. The designated liaison person is responsible for ensuring that any reasonable grounds for concern are reported to Tusla. It is not necessary for the designated liaison person to prove that abuse has occurred in order to report a concern. All that is required is that there are reasonable grounds for concern. The Department's inspectorate monitors compliance with the child protection procedures for primary and post-primary schools 2017 during all school inspections. The inspectorate's monitoring work in this regard is one of a range of quality assurance and oversight measures to ensure that schools and their staff are operating in compliance with the Children First Act 2015.

In addition, any concerns of a child protection nature received by staff in my Department are dealt with in accordance with the Department's procedures for responding to child protection concerns which come to the attention of staff employed by the Department of Education. Under these procedures, the Department ensures that the details of any concern reported to the Department are immediately transmitted to Tusla for assessment.

On foot of the launch of the updated child protection procedures for primary and post-primary schools in 2017, the Department of Education has funded the delivery of continuing professional development, CPD, support and training for teachers, school leaders and staff to outline the statutory obligations that apply to organisations such as schools under the Children First Act. The CPD also provides guidance and directions to school leaders and teachers in regard to meeting their new statutory obligations under the Act. The Professional Development Service for Teachers, PDST, also has a role in providing in-school support for schools who require additional guidance.

Personal safety skills are part of the safety and protection strand unit within the social,personal and health education, SPHE, curriculum of all primary schools. The Stay Safe programme is a mandatory personal safety skills programme for primary schools, both mainstream and special. Its overall objective is to prevent child abuse, bullying and other forms of victimisation. CPD training for teachers has been provided by PDST advisers and associates.

My Department also provides for online safety in schools through a range of programmes, including formal curriculum content, teacher professional development, strategies around well-being and bullying, and the use of innovative materials. An Internet safety initiative is a key educational resource on online safety issues and promotes the autonomous, effective and safe use of the Internet by young people. On a broader level, online safety and the safe and ethical use of digital technology is a key component of the Department's digital strategy for schools. Throughout the implementation of the strategy, webwise.ie will continue to develop and disseminate relevant resources and run campaigns addressing key topical issues as they arise.

These measures highlight the importance this Government, and other recent governments, have placed on child protection. This does not, however, lessen in any way the trauma and experience of survivors of sexual abuse. The recent revelations of abuse in certain schools are repulsive and shocking. These appalling acts merit a serious response and my Government colleagues are working to ensure such a response will be provided.

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