Report highlights concerns on reporting of child abuse

MANDATORY reporting of suspected child abuse may not lead to more cases being tackled, while inquiries into some child abuse cases are not sufficiently independent or transparent, according to a new report by the government-appointed Rapporteur on Child Protection.

The report from child law expert Geoffrey Shannon is due to be published this week and is the latest since he was appointed Special Rapporteur on Child Protection in 2006.

The Irish Examiner understands that in addition to raising concerns about a possible overloading of the system were mandatory reporting to be introduced, it also calls for legislative action to bind the state to delivering on its commitments on child protection, including measures outlined in the Ryan Report into clerical child abuse.