Health boards do little to help the families of abused children, according to a study published yesterday. Social workers concentrate on helping the abused child in a family while a depressed parent or disturbed brother or sister gets no help, the study says.
Child Protection Practices in Ireland was compiled by three Trinity College Dublin academics, Ms Helen Buckley, Ms Caroline Skehill and Mr Eoin O'Sullivan, whose backgrounds are in social work or in working with homeless young people.
The study is based on child-protection services in the South Eastern Health Board area.
It suggests social workers themselves are aware of the narrow nature of their work which concentrates on the abused or neglected child rather than on family problems which may have contributed to the abuse or neglect.
It suggests social workers are sometimes slow to make an official investigation of a complaint, especially if a family needs a great deal of help which it would not get during an investigation. Instead of starting "the unstoppable process of investigation", social workers often prefer to check out matters themselves before deciding what to do.
The study notes this is a breach of the child-abuse guidelines but it satisfies social workers that they are not taking too-hasty action.