FIANNA Fail has called for the immediate introduction of mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse. The party's health spokeswoman, Mrs Ma ire Geoghegan Quinn, has accused the Government of publishing a discussion paper in order to defer its introduction.
The Minister of State with special responsibility for children, Mr Austin Currie, yesterday presented Putting Children First, a discussion document on mandatory reporting. He wanted to establish whether such reporting would prove a useful addition to the measures that exist to protect children from abuse, he said.
Putting Children First highlighted some of the major issues involved in the introduction of mandatory reporting, and he had an open mind on the issue, the Minister said. He wanted a consultative period and widespread debate. He hoped to make a decision by autumn.
He wanted to tease out all the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory reporting so that he could make a properly informed decision. He called for a wide debate and invited written submissions, specifically requesting the Catholic Church to do so.
Mandatory reporting would mean placing designated professionals under a legal obligation to report known or suspected abuse to the authorities. "I am anxious to establish whether mandatory reporting would prove a useful addition to the range of measures that currently exist to protect children from abuse."
Mrs Geoghegan Quinn, however, said the time for such a paper had passed. Its publication was designed to buy time and allow the Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, and Mr Currie to delay again the decisions necessary in relation to mandatory reporting.
"Until the Government takes the decision to introduce mandatory reporting, no headway will be made. The decision itself will just initiate the process as it is only then that social workers and other child care professionals can sit down and work out the necessary guidelines," she said.
Mr Currie was also criticised by Barnardos and the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. They pointed out that mandatory reporting had been studied in depth by the Law Reform Commission in 1990. Barnardos said the discussion document was weighted heavily against the introduction of a requirement that actual or suspected abuse of children be reported to the authorities.
The ISPCC said the document was a delaying tactic. "The Minister, the Department of Health and the health boards should be the ones providing political and professional leadership in response to the obvious system failure in cases like the Kilkenny case, the Kelly Fitzgerald case, the west of Ireland farmer case, the Brendan Smyth case and the Madonna House case.
"By duplicating the exhaustive consultation process carried out by the Law Reform Commission the Department is negating both the recommendations and report of that Commission," the ISPCC said.
Meanwhile, both the Progressive Democrats and the Rape Crisis Centre welcomed the publication. Ms Liz O'Donnell, PD justice spokeswoman, said the document was long overdue. But Rape Crisis Centre director Ms Olive Braiden said failure by a designated person to report child sex abuse should be an offence.
Mr Currie said the remaining sections of the Child Care Act, 1991, would be implemented before the end of this year. His other priorities, he said, included reforming the adoption law; introducing a Children's Bill to update law in relation to juvenile justice; and new legislation on truancy.
He also plans to introduce an inspectorate of social services and was investigating the possibility of appointing an Ombudsman for children.