Act will bring children ‘back from the brink’

THE signing into law of the last sections of the Children Act 2001 by Justice Minister Brian Lenihan was warmly welcomed this week.

Child law expert Geoffrey Shannon said the act could now fully meet its purpose, which, he said, was to make the detention of children a last resort.

The courts can now call in the Health Service Executive (HSE) to try divert the child away from the criminal system and back into the welfare system.