The recommendations from a Statutory Investigation by HIQA into the management by Tusla of allegations of child sexual abuse against adults are to be implemented in full, according to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone.
Minister Zappone says she is determined that the HIQA findings will be used as an opportunity to improve services to protect vulnerable children.
The Minister ordered the investigation in March last year after becoming concerned about the handling of false allegations against Sergeant Maurice McCabe.
Minister Zappone has outlined a number of immediate actions to be taken:
I welcome what Tusla has achieved and this is acknowledged by HIQA. I am however concerned about the slow pace of progress in some areas. We need to ‘up the tempo’ of reform now. We need to build on what Tusla has started doing. I believe that implementing the HIQA report in full is key to ensuring the ongoing safety of our most vulnerable children.
To move forward, the Minister has directed Tusla to produce an Action Plan as recommended by HIQA as a matter of urgency. This will set out the steps to implement HIQA’s recommendations, with a clear timeline and named individual responsible for each.
The Minister said,
I am appointing Dr Moling Ryan to chair an independent expert quality assurance and oversight group to drive implementation of HIQA’s recommendations, and we will publish regular updates on the group’s work to keep the public informed of progress.
In line with the HIQA report, the Minister will prioritise a number of key initiatives. These include:
- finalising proposals in conjunction with the Minister for Justice and Equality for reforming the way that Tusla and An Garda Siochána deal with historical allegations of child sexual abuse;
- engaging with the Minister for Education and Skills and the higher education and training establishments to support Tusla’s workforce needs by creating formal career path mechanisms for students and graduates;
- using specialist HR expertise to work with Tusla on its skill mix, in parallel with the development of its workforce plan; and
- working with HIQA to identify how a review of best practice in the regulation of children’s social services can inform the development of a regulatory framework for this critical area.
The Minister will meet with the Board of Tusla in the coming days to discuss the implications of the HIQA report in more detail and to agree other steps forward.
Commenting on Tusla's practices, HIQA says the agency took appropriate and urgent action where children were identified as at immediate or urgent risk. HiQA also acknowledges evidence of good front-line practices and committed Tusla staff. The Minister said,
HIQA’s analysis is clear – Tusla has made good progress, but there is an urgency to getting the rest of the job done so that we can ensure the best services possible to protect children. Of course there is no such thing as zero risk, but it’s vital that we take every possible step to manage and reduce that risk for vulnerable children.
I want to assure the frontline teams of care and social workers supporting children, young people and families that Government recognises and supports the work they do to transform young lives.
Together we have made progress on important issues such as mandatory reporting of abuse, the expansion of Family Resource Centres and the on-going move towards better supports for victims of child sex abuse.
Today is a difficult one but it must not and will not deter us from the task at hand as we move to further develop, improve and strengthen supports and protections for those who need them most.