David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, a report was published which followed an independent audit of the management of child neglect cases in Roscommon, Waterford and the south-east of Dublin. This report was carried out in advance of a national audit, which was one of the main recommendations that followed the Roscommon child care case inquiry of 2010.

As we know, neglect is the single biggest reason children come to the attention of social services. The main finding of the report was that, despite the involvement of statutory services, the circumstances of vulnerable children had not improved. It found many problems still in the system. The report stated: "Words such as "dirty" and "unhygienic" do not adequately describe the situation endured by some children in homes where beds were saturated in urine, there was no heat, there was dog excrement in the living room and bedrooms, a worker's shoe stuck to the carpet, mouldy food had adhered to kitchen counters and the toilet was black with dirt and excrement." That is the reality for children in some homes in this State, unfortunately.

We need to make sure we learn the lessons from what happened in Roscommon and in other cases throughout this State. As this is just an audit of three counties and we have yet to see the national audit, it obviously points to very significant problems that still have not been addressed. We need to make sure that we properly protect children and that the services are in place and are properly resourced. We also need to make sure that, where there are systems failures, as there have been in the past, senior management in the HSE can be held responsible. In the wake of the publication of this report, it is important to have a debate in this House on its contents so we can all make sure we are making the best possible provisions and providing the resources to ensure children are being properly cared for in this State.