Children’s groups meet over plan to merge offices

THE OMBUDSMAN for Children Emily Logan met with children’s representative groups yesterday to brief them on Bord Snip Nua’s proposal to merge her office with the Ombudsman’s Office.

Ms Logan said she called the meeting with the ISPCC, Barnardos, CARI, One in Four and the Children’s Rights Alliance as the office belongs to them. There is huge shock across the children’s sector that the Government could consider diluting the power of this office two months after the Ryan report was published.

“I am not this office. They are the people who campaigned for it since 1995. It is a recognition of their campaign,” she said. The Bord Snip Nua says the state will save €300,000 by merging the office with the Data Commissioner and the Ombudsman’s Office.

One in Four chief executive Maeve Lewis yesterday said: “We are absolutely distraught at this proposal. This office is so important to the children of this country.”

The number of complaints to the Ombudsman’s Office increased by 10% last year and have risen by 23% since the Ryan report was published in May.

“We must learn the lessons from the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. The Ryan report tells us that we must ensure that children come first, above personal, professional or institutional loyalty, above all else,” Ms Logan said.

The ombudsman is due to meet with ministers Mary Harney and Barry Andrews shortly to discuss the Ryan report implementation plan which Mr Andrews is due to bring to cabinet at the end of the month. Her office is hoping to have a role overseeing implementation of the recommendations.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern is likely to receive the report into clerical abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese next week.

Ms Lewis asked the department recently to delay publication of the report as her organisation and the Rape Crisis Network could not cope with the volume of calls since the Ryan report emerged.

“Since May 20, we have had 520 new cases. We normally have 450 cases in the year. Under normal circumstances we see about 150 for psychotherapy but we have had 150 new requests for psychotherapy since May,” she said.Despite the avalanche of new calls, One in Four has received no extra funding.