Children’s ombudsman ‘must prioritise hidden issues’

The new children’s ombudsman must prioritise the hidden issues of young people living in poverty, direct provision and inappropriate psychiatric services if he wants to succeed in his role, a leading children’s rights’ group has demanded.

The Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA) outlined the targets after Dr Niall Muldoon formally took over from Emily Logan to become the country’s second-ever official watchdog for the rights of the child.

Speaking after the appointment which has to be ratified by the Dáil and Seanad, CRA chief executive Tanya Ward said Dr Muldoon’s 20-year child protection record was key to moving child protection forward.

However, she said unless the new watchdog ensures the future of the ombudsman role in the “Bord Snip era” and puts his energy into deepening societal problems, any work will only be a qualified success.

“The office of the ombudsman has existed for 10 years. The first thing Dr Muldoon must do is ensure, in the Bord Snip era and with a lot of pressure to fold certain groups, it is still there in 10 year’s time,” Ms Ward said.

“The new position gives him a chance to focus attention on sustained child poverty, which has increased during the recession from 9% to 11%.

“There is also children growing up in direct provision, others inappropriately placed in adult psychiatric wards, and those who don’t even know the ombudsman’s office exists.

“The ombudsman’s own figures show just 3% of calls to it are from children.”

Before his appointment to the six-year tenure in the new position, Dr Muldoon worked with the office of the ombudsman as its director of investigations for two-and-a-half years. He has previously been Children At Risk in Ireland’s director of services, and worked in a number of child protection roles over the past two decades.

Dr Muldoon replaces Ms Logan, who was the first children’s ombudsman and had held the role for 10 years after being appointed in 2003 and re-appointed in 2009.

She stepped down late last year, two years before her second term was due to come to an end, after being appointed chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.