Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Under Zero Tolerance - Ireland's Third National Strategy on Domestic Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, action 2.5.2 commits to a “complete examination of the potential application of an approach on the lines of Operation Encompass in an Irish context”. I can advise the Deputy that my Department has engaged with the Department of Education, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and with An Garda Síochána on the issue.

Operation Encompass involves the police service making a notification directly to teachers/principals within 24 hours of being called to a domestic violence incident in which children were a factor. The practice in the UK, which involves police and teacher collaboration, differs from how cases are dealt with in this jurisdiction where contact is instead made with social services; i.e. with Tusla.

In this jurisdiction, Garda policy provides that Tusla are to be notified of every domestic abuse-related incident affecting or involving children, which is not the case in other jurisdictions.

Due to this different institutional landscape, it is important that all aspects are fully considered prior to the introduction of a programme such as Operation Encompass and that process is underway.