Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will make the Stay Safe programme compulsory in view of the Ferns Report and the need to ensure that children are empowered to deal with inappropriate behaviour; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32908/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Child protection and the implementation of the Stay Safe programme for all children in every primary school are priorities for my Department. The Stay Safe programme, also known as the child abuse prevention programme or CAPP, is a primary school-based approach to the prevention of child abuse. The programme aims to reduce vulnerability to child abuse through the provision of in-service training for teachers, parent education and personal safety education for children at primary school level.

The Stay Safe programme is a four-stage approach to preventing child abuse, involving children's safety education, teacher training, parent education and community awareness. The programme aims to give children the skills necessary to enable them to recognise and resist abuse or victimisation and teaches them that they should always tell of any situation which they find unsafe, upsetting, threatening, dangerous or abusive. Stay Safe is a personal safety skills programme which can be used with primary school children from senior infants to sixth class. It seeks to enhance children's self-protective skills by participating in lessons on safe and unsafe situations, bullying, touches, secrets, telling and strangers.

An initial one-day in-service training seminar on the Stay Safe programme has been provided for all primary schools. Since the programme was introduced, 99.7% of primary schools have participated in this training. At present, based on a sample survey, approximately 80% to 85% of primary schools are teaching the programme to their students, but the percentage may be higher.

It should be recognised that the Stay Safe programme is not mandatory and schools can decide whether to introduce it. However, the central elements of the programme, primarily personal safety strategies and, more importantly, the overall issue of child protection, are now taught as integral parts of the subject of social, personal and health education, SPHE, which is part of the curriculum taught in every primary school. Specifically, the strand unit entitled "safety and protection" provides material for teachers to explore with children appropriate strategies in personal safety which incorporate elements of the Stay Safe programme. In addition, the implementation of my Department's child protection guidelines for all primary schools has given an additional impetus to the stay safe programme as well as the overall issue of child protection.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

It is a priority of my Department to ensure that a high level of awareness and the necessary skills to address child protection issues, which includes the implementation of the Stay Safe programme, is maintained in all schools. For this reason, my Department will continue to support the promotion of child protection within the context of the social, personal and health education curriculum.

The current high level of take-up of the stay safe programme, combined with the implementation of my Department's child protection guidelines and the incorporation of the central elements of the programme, and in addition to the coverage of the overall issue of child protection within SPHE is very positive. However, I strongly encourage all schools to use the stay safe programme.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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While listening to the Minister, I could not help thinking how useful that programme would have been to many of the young children abused in the Ferns diocese. Why is the programme not mandatory? It is very useful because it involves giving the children skills. It also involves teachers, parents and communities. I do not understand why it cannot be made mandatory or has not been made so. Does the Minister intend to make it mandatory, or is there some obstacle which prevents the Department making it mandatory in all schools? We cannot take the risk of having children left out of such a valuable programme.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I agree it is a very valuable programme and it is desirable that all schools would agree to have it implemented. As I noted, it is not just a programme administered between the classroom teacher and the children because it also involves parents, the wider community and teacher training. All those need to sign up for the programme to be part of the school. The current high take-up is very encouraging, as is the fact that we have the guidelines, and so much of the programme is now incorporated into the SPHE programme. All that is very positive.

I will keep the programme under review. Over the weekend I looked at the various books for the different classes and I cannot see why anyone would object to teaching the programme or why any parent would object to his or her child being taught the programme. It can be taught very sensitively in the context of the school ethos and I strongly encourage and recommend that all schools implement the programme.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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I am just trying to find out why the Minister cannot make the programme mandatory and give a directive to all schools to implement it. I received a letter from the Catholic Primary School Management Association which said that Catholic primary schools are required to follow the national guidelines for protection following consultation with the parents with regard to the stay safe programme. From the Department's point of view, is enough effort being made towards ensuring that all schools follow the programme? Has the Minister any indication as to what type of schools are not in the stay safe programme or what reasons are given as to why they might not be included in the programme?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that teachers are very positive about the programme. The schools in which it has not been implemented are those where parents have objected to it. The reasons included a dislike of the emphasis on "yes-no" and a preference for "right-wrong" in a moral context. Some parents felt that the basis of the programme was quite dubious.

In a school where the programme is offered, parents have the right not to have their children participate in it. We have evidence only with regard to about 46 children withdrawn from the programme, but 26 of those were from one school. It is clear therefore that there were particular issues in a small number of schools. I would much rather see a situation where by explaining the programme properly and bringing those parents on board, the programme could be implemented with the full co-operation of the entire school community rather than by diktat from me or the Department. We are very close to seeing the programme fully implemented. Even though I supplied a take-up figure of 80% to85%, I understand the INTO believes the figure to be a good deal higher. I will keep the situation under review but would prefer if the school communities themselves appreciated the value of the stay safe programme in protecting children.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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It would be better if no children were left out.