Dr Katherine Zappone, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, in
conjunction with the Minister for Health Simon Harris and the Minister
for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan, has announced that a pilot
‘One House’ centre for children who have been sexually abused will be in
operation in early 2019.
The joint approach sees three Departments (Department of Children and Youth
Affairs, Department of Health and Department of Justice and Equality)
working together, with the three agencies (Tusla, Health Service Executive
and An Garda Síochána), towards establishing this model.
Currently, where there are concerns that a child been sexually abused has
to be interviewed by the Gardai and Tusla child protection social workers
and may need to have a forensic and medical examination. At the moment
these assessments may all take place in different places at different
times. The child and family may then be referred to another service for
counselling and support.
Under the proposed model, all services and supports will operate from under
one roof. Children who have been abused will be brought to this child
friendly centre where they, and their family members, will meet with the
Gardai, doctors and social workers who will co-ordinate their assessments
so the child does not have to repeat their experiences. The pace at which
the care and supports will be provided will be dictated by the child and
their family's needs.
Minister Zappone said
I am delighted to say that the pilot centre for a new interagency service
to work with children who have been sexually abused, and their families,
will open in early 2019 in Galway.
This new approach is aimed at ensuring children are not re-traumatised by
having to recount the details of their ordeal a number of times to
different people.
Together with the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Geoffrey Shannon,
representatives from the Gardaí, the Child and Family Agency, Tusla and
Officials from Department of Justice I have seen at first hand, similar
approaches that are working well in New York, Northern Ireland and
Oxfordshire.
Those fact finding missions together with the expertise within our own
frontline agencies are allowing us to develop an Irish model – the One
House approach funding for our new pilot was secured in Budget 2019.
Minister Flanagan said:
The ‘One House' pilot centre, will provide fully coordinated services for
children and adolescents who have been sexually abused in a child-friendly
setting.
The 'One House' will bring together the forensic, protection, health,
therapeutic and policing services in a child centred way. The centre
should improve the efficiency and effectiveness of child sexual abuse
services and develop specialist expertise, skills and knowledge in this
complex area for the benefit of children who have suffered from sexual
abuse.
Minister Harris added:
We know the effect multiple interviewing can have on a child who has
experienced sexual abuse. It adds to the trauma and the pain children and
their families face.
These families have already endured so much and we, as a Government, must
do everything we can to assist them during this difficult time but also to
ease their burden in any way possible.
That is the aim of this centre - to minimise the trauma a child and their
family face by providing a range of services under the one roof. The
measure of the success of the project will be in how it assists those
affected.
Notes for Editors
· An Inter-departmental Committee, a collaboration between the Minister
for Children and Youth Affairs, Minister for Health and Minister for
Justice and Equality, is being led by Minister Zappone, to develop
the One House project.
· The One House project is informed by the international best practice,
such as the Barnahus model (Iceland) and Child Advocacy Centre models
(USA).
· The centres are intended to provide wraparound services for children
and adolescents where there is a concern that sexual abuse has, or
may have occurred. A key purpose is to minimise the need for
children to repeat their trauma, and for families be supported in
caring for their child throughout this difficult process.
· The 'One House' will bring together the forensic, protection, health,
therapeutic and policing services in a child centred way to minimise
as far as possible any additional trauma for the child and their
family.
· The centre should improve the efficiency and effectiveness of child
sexual abuse services and develop specialist expertise, skills and
knowledge in this complex area for the benefit of children who have
suffered from sexual abuse. This will build on the existing work of
Sexual Assault Treatment Units (SATUs) and selected hospitals that
provide such services to children.