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Children & Youth Affairs Minister Frances Fitzgerald today launched Children First 2011 - National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children. It promotes the protection of children from abuse and neglect, and states what organisations need to do to keep children safe, and what different bodies and the general public should do if they are concerned about a child's safety and welfare. The Guidance also sets out specific protocols for HSE social worker, Gardaí and other front line staff in dealing with suspected abuse and neglect.

The launch comes after the publication on Wednesday of the Commission of Investigation Report into the Catholic diocese of Cloyne.

While Minister Fitzgerald acknowledged and commended all those who work hard to make sure the children they interact with are cared for, she said that the Cloyne report and other reports published:

...cumulatively shine a light on horrific episodes from our past; and indeed from our very recent past; where as a state and society we failed in our moral duty to cherish and protect our nation’s children. My role as Minster is to seek that never again will these evils be countenanced.

The Minister indicated her intention to bring forward legislation to require, for the first time, statutory compliance with Children First. The legislation will provide that all organisations will have a duty to comply with Children Frist, to share relevant information and to cooperate with other relevant services in the best interest of the child. The legislation will provide for a strong system of inspection and oversight and the need to provide demonstrable evidence that the guidance is being implemented correctly across all sectors.

The Minister added:

I want the message to go out that it is absolutely critical that if somebody has, on good faith, reasonable concerns over the abuse or neglect child then those concerns must be reported to the relevant authorities and to this end statutory reporting requirements will be addressed as one aspect of the proposed new Children First legislation.

View the Minister's full speech below (Sound quality improves 3 minutes in)

A question and answer session followed the statements...