ONLY cases of sexual and physical abuse of children that the Southern Health Board had confirmed were referred to the Garda, according to a spokeswoman for the board. The board did not have any figures for the number of reported cases that resulted in prosecution.
A recent report drawn up for the board, covering Cork and Kerry, showed confirmed cases of sexual and physical abuse have almost trebled in the past year, while a significant number of incidents reported in 1995 was still being assessed.
The biggest increase in reported cases was for physical or non-accidental injury to children, which went from 49 cases in 1994, with 26 confirmed, to 124 reports in 1995, of which 74 were confirmed.
The figures for sexual abuse cases showed there were 176 incidents reported in 1994, with just 24 confirmed. This increased to 289 reported cases in 1995, with 73 confirmed.
A health board member, Cllr Con O'Leary, called for all cases of abuse reported to the board to be referred also to the Garda. "The board should not wait until they have completed their own investigations, especially since these can take some time. It is imperative that the welfare of children is the first concern of everyone and even a visit from gardai in a suspected case could mean added protection for children at risk," he said.
A statement from the board said the child's welfare was of paramount importance and every case was individually assessed.
The board had a number of options, including having the child remain with the family, being placed with relatives or being taken into care. The rights and duties of the parents also had to be considered, together with the wishes of the child, if old enough to understand the situation.
"It is generally in the best interests of a child to be brought up in his or her own family and every effort is made by the board to sustain children in their family environment", the statement added.