KEY areas of child protection should be changed before the introduction of mandatory reporting of child abuse. This was the consensus of more than 400 experts after a forum to discuss the issue yesterday.
Delegates at the forum, "The Reporting of Child Abuse The Contribution of Mandatory Reporting", said that more resources were needed to support families at risk. Existing reporting arrangements should be improved and a definition of child abuse and when it should be reported were needed.
As well as protecting the rights of those accused, delegates said staff who reported abuse in good faith should be protected. The public should be involved in preventing child abuse, through education and campaigning.
Organised by the Minister of State with Responsibility for Children, Mr Austin Currie, the forum heard him repeat his commitment to make a decision on mandatory reporting this year. Those who made submissions to Mr Currie on his Putting Children First discussion document, published in February, outlined their views.
In a wide ranging speech, Mr Currie said he was finalising draft legislation on the reform of the juvenile justice system. This would attempt to keep first time non serious child offenders out of the criminal justice system. And it would deal with serious offences with "community sanctions".
Mr Currie also said the final two parts of the 1991 Child Care Act would be in place by the end of the year. He said £35 million a year had been allocated to implementing the Act. Public awareness of the "intrinsic evil of child abuse" was placing new pressure on all the agencies which serve children, he said. There were 900 more staff employed in child protection than in 1992. And he added that the Government had approved proposals to develop further child care services in the next three years.
The delegates from over 150 groups included doctors, social workers, health board managers, teachers, gardai, church representatives and hospital consultants.
Mr Currie said work was under way on a social services inspectorate to regulate child care services and investigate cases where the system fails. "Above all else, the interests of children are our paramount concern, he said. The views of the forum would help him decide how best to proceed.
Mr Currie said his office would accept further submissions and the question of increased resources would have to await his decision. Delegates reporting back from eight workshops said there was a broad consensus that mandatory reporting would not solve the problem on its own. One delegate said that mandatory co operation between all professional groups was more important.
The director of continuing care at the Department of Health, Ms Ruth Barrington, said they had agreed there was a need to "tread carefully" on the issue of mandatory reporting. "Clearly we have shattered the culture of secrecy, but what we haven't yet established is a climate of safety for children and professionals," she said.
