‘Residential childcare costs too much’

Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald has said the State is still spending far too much money on residential and special care for children.

She also said that agreements with retailers on a ban on the sale of inappropriate clothing would prevent the early sexualisation of children.

Speaking at the MacGill Summer School in Donegal, Ms Fitzgerald said efforts were also well under way for the children’s referendum, to be held later this year.

She outlined a number of areas were reform was needed to further advance the care of children. One of the concerns however was that a huge amount of money was still needed to provide for children here and abroad.

“We still spend too much, far too much, on residential and special care both in this jurisdiction and for the small numbers of children and young people we send abroad for care.”

The State still did not have national policies for the use of guardian ad litems, people who act to represent children during court appearances, she also told the conference.

She added: “In addition, we are seeing more and more childcare cases being argued by barristers on both sides. Something that is as costly as it is combative.”

She said that progress was under way on guidelines agreed with retailers to ban the sale of inappropriate clothing for children.

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, she said high street stores had agreed to ‘age appropriate clothing’, in a bid to prevent the early sexualisation of children.

“Childhood is less of a protected space than it has been. There’s an awful lot that intrudes on it, that takes away childhood, very sexualised images, sexualised contacts on the internet, new technology, a huge bonus for young people but a huge threat as well and that is why retail guidelines, which I initiated with Retail Ireland, which is about all key department stores putting signage up and saying for children under 12, we will have a standard.

“Parents sometimes have been a bit anxious about this, anxious about saying no perhaps because of peer pressure, pressure from their own children but I have got a great response from parents and from the retailers.”

Norah Gibbons, director of advocacy with Barnardos, voiced concern about changes to one parent family payments, as part of planned Government cutbacks.

“The proposed measures will, I believe, reinforce the poverty traps that continue to plague our social protection system,” she said.

“These poverty traps make the decision to work difficult for many parents who struggle to maintain low paid, often part-time, employment that allows them to balance working with their parenting responsibilities.”