Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 264: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will make a statement on the recent report of the special rapporteurs on child protection appointed arising from the recommendation of the Sullivan Report following the A Case in 2006. [16718/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Government recently published the third report of Mr. Geoffrey Shannon, Special Rapporteur on Child Protection.

Mr. Shannon was appointed in the aftermath of the 'CC case' (sometimes referred to as the 'A Case') and was required to review and audit national and international legislative developments for the protection of children, and to prepare, annually from 2007 to 2009, a report setting out the results of the previous year's work.

In his 2009 report Mr. Shannon makes a number of recommendations and observations in relation to areas under the remit of the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (OMCYA), including:

the Children First National Guidelines;

HIQA inspections;

evaluation of child care services;

the use of a 'Differential Response Model' as an alternative model for the promotion of child welfare and protection;

mandatory reporting;

future inquiries into matters concerning children.

The OMCYA is actively engaged in all the aforementioned matters. Mr. Shannon's report also considers issues of relevance to the Department of Justice and Law Reform. Mr. Shannon's three reports have helped to inform the approach to strengthening the policy and legislative framework covering child welfare and protection. The Government has re-appointed Mr. Shannon for a further term of three years.