Alleged abuser in child job

A HEALTH board worker who was put on sick leave for 17 months while under investigation for child sex abuse was returned to a post in which he continued to have access to children, an independent report has found.

The man, who is alleged to have abused three children, was also a volunteer with a number of community groups. Just two of these groups were informed of the probe, the report found.

The alleged abuse, which first came to the board’s attention in September 1999, happened outside the workplace, but the man is still employed by the board.

The independent report, commissioned by the South Eastern Health Board, found that two of the children were offered counselling, but the third was given no outside help from the time he was interviewed in January 2000 until May of the following year.

While the Gardaí were notified of the matter by the health board in September 1999, no prosecutions followed as the parents of two of the children wanted to save them from further distress.

The report was compiled by Madeleine Clarke, the former deputy chief executive of the international childcare organisation, Barnardos.

While she found that the South Eastern Health Board acted “in a considered and measured fashion” in most aspects of the case, she said that it should consider the following actions:

redeploying the man to a location where there are no children;

dealing with future allegations promptly;

sending any employee against whom allegations are made on administrative leave, or suspending them with pay, rather than sending them on sick leave.

She also urged that appropriate information concerning such allegations be brought to the attention of relevant personnel as soon as possible, and said that the identities of children involved should not be revealed unnecessarily.

She urged that clear criteria be developed to determine when independent expert opinions are to be sought, and that records concerning such cases are combined into two files relating to child care and personnel aspects respectively.

Health board CEO Pat McLoughlin welcomed the report and said the man has since been relocated to an area where he has no contact with children.

The other organisation with which he has been involved has also been informed of the probe.

“The Board has taken on board the two recommendations from the review and these have been implemented,” he said.

“We will continue to develop best practice in relation to child protection and safety, and this report will assist us in that,” added Mr McLoughlin.