Written answers
Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Child Safety
Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein)
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122. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if, following on from his statement in the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children on 20 September 2023, relating to his current lack of confidence in the child safeguarding measures of an organisation (details supplied), and subsequent media coverage of same, he will detail his role and remit, and that of agencies under his Department, in respect of ensuring that children are currently safeguarded when engaged by the staff of the organisation; to detail his role and remit in ensuring that the organisation is adhering to the State's child safeguarding and reporting requirements; to detail his powers where he does not have confidence in such an organisation for these reasons; and what role the State can play to ensure that current children are not at risk where such an organisation is not fulfilling its function to the confidence of the Minister. [41696/23]
Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Department's officials continue to liaise with St John's Ambulance ireland (SJAI) with regard to the publication of the Independent review report by Dr. Shannon which SJAI commissioned.
The Department's officials have been informed by Tusla Children's Regulations Service, Child Safe Guarding Statement Compliance Unit (CSSCU), that the organisation Safeguarding statement has been audited for compliance and has been approved as such. The Department's officials have been advised that all of the organisation's employees are Children First training compliant and all staff are Garda vetted in line with the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Person's) Act 2012. A new internal vetting tracking system to track Garda vetting status of staff and also staff training compliance has been introduced by SJAI to ensure all adult members are fully compliant with same.
SJAI has published last March, along with the publication of the Independent review report by Dr. Shannon, a ' response document' in relation to implementing all of the recommendations contained in Dr. Shannon's report. A quarterly update to the progress of the implementation of the recommendations contained in the SJAI response document was provided to the Department in July 2023. As I mentioned in the contribution to the Joint Oireachtas Committee to which the Deputy refers, and as outlined above, there has been clear progress within SJAI in implementing those recommendations, however I also noted the critical importance of the recommendation that a national safeguarding lead be recruited, a process which I am informed is underway. As I stated at the committee meeting, once that process is complete and the national safeguarding lead is in place, I will be satisfied as to the capacity of SJAI to absolutely ensure the safety of every child within the organisation.
Officials will continue to liaise with SJAI to ensure continued progress on the implementation of Dr. Shannon's Independent review report recommendations. SJAI have informed the Department that they will continued to provide quarterly updates to their response document on the implementation of the review report's recommendations.
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