MANDATORY reporting of suspected child abuse is expected to be rejected by the Government in an announcement on Monday.
Instead, the Minister of State, Mr Austin Currie, is expected to announce other measures to make child protection services more effective.
These may include training for doctors, teachers and others on how to deal with child-abuse allegations. They may also include ways of strengthening co-operation between agencies involved in dealing with child abuse, including health services and the Garda, according to child-care experts.
An inspectorate of social services, to maintain standards and investigate failings in the child protection system, is expected to be established in the first half of next year.
If, as expected, Mr Currie has decided against the introduction of mandatory reporting by individuals of suspected abuse, the move will be widely welcomed by social workers and health boards.
They fear the child protection system would break down under the strain of investigating suspicions while having no time or resources to put into prevention services.
The decision is likely to be criticised by agencies such as Barnardos and the ISPCC which believe resources should be increased or reorganised to enable the child protection system to deal with any extra complaints received.
A forum of child-care professionals and interested organisations, organised by Mr Currie in September, produced a consensus that mandatory reporting should not be introduced, or at least not yet.
Delegates called for more resources to help families at risk, training for professionals, effective co-operation between agencies and a clearer definition of what constitutes abuse.
It is thought that Mr Currie will also announce a pilot scheme in one or more health board areas to try to establish more effective ways of dealing with child abuse.
Mandatory reporting was recommended by the inquiries into the Kilkenny incest case and the Kelly Fitzgerald case.
