Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 149: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the percentage of primary schools which have implemented the Stay Safe programme; the number of times this should be carried out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32772/05]

Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 183: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools here offering the Stay Safe programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32697/05]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary schools which do not offer the Stay Safe programme; the reasons these schools do not offer the programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32698/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 149, 183 and 192 together.

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, which is also known as the child abuse prevention programme, 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-victimisation and teaches them that they should always tell an adult who can help 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, approximately based on a sample survey 80% to 85% of primary schools are teaching the programme to their students, but it should be recognised that the Stay Safe programme is not mandatory and schools can decide whether to introduce the programme.

It should be noted, however, that 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.

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 Stay Safe programme in addition to the coverage of the overall issue of child protection within SPHE is very positive. I would strongly encourage all schools to use the Stay Safe programme.