Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)

I appreciate the Senator's comments and I will convey them to the Minister on his behalf. The Minister has asked me to make some closing remarks on this.

It is important to state that robust legislative policy and practice measures are in place to promote safeguarding of children in Ireland. Government Departments promote compliance with Children First within their funded bodies. Under this legislation, all bodies providing services to children are legally required to ensure that, as far as practicable, each child availing of the service from the provider is safe from harm while availing of that service. They are also obliged to carry out risk assessments, publish child safeguarding statements and set out the principles and procedures they have in place to safeguard children.

That Act operates side by side with the non-statutory obligations provided for in Children First, the national guidance for the protection and welfare of children. The Department is in the early stages of a review of the Children First national guidelines. The purpose of the review is to ensure that the guidance incorporates, as appropriate, the range of legislative and operational developments since its publication as well as learnings from the implementation date. In addition, consideration is being given to whether the definitions and descriptions of child abuse and at-risk children in the 2017 guidance need to be updated to take a fuller account of forms of harm to children that have gained wider recognition since the publication of the guidance, including online harms, organisational and organised abuse, peer abuse, child trafficking and sexual exploitation, and exposure to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

Department of Children, Disability and Equality officials continue to work closely with Department of education officials, and indeed officials from all Departments, in the context of the Children First interdepartmental implementation group to ensure our continued effective implementation of the Act and guidance. In addition, Tusla's Children First information and advice service provides ongoing support and guidance to implementing bodies.