Standards for child protection welcomed

New national standards for the protection and welfare of children include annual staff appraisals and safeguards for whistleblowers in what the Government called a “radical step forward”.

The national standards, developed by the Health Information and Quality Authority, were launched yesterday by Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald.

However, neither could confirm a date for the upcoming referendum on enshrining the rights of the child in the Constitution.