Children's Minister to comment on 'Prime Time' creche revelations

The Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald is to make a detailed comment today on the contents of a Primetime Investigates programme broadcast on RTÉ last night which revealed widespread breaches of HSE regulations at child care centres across the country.

The documentary, "A Breach of Trust", focused on three creches in Dublin and Wicklow, showing footage of children being flung onto mattresses, manhandled, shouted and cursed at and strapped into chairs for hours at time.

The programme also obtained a HSE inpsection report which showed that 75% of Irish childcare facilities were in breach of regulations last year.

Almost half of creches breached regulations on adult/child ratios and staff background checks, while over 40% failed to provide a safe environment for children.

The HSE report expressed grave concern at what it described as a "culture of light touch regulation" and a "dangerous over-emphasis on the business interests of childcare providers at the expense of the care of children."

Speaking on the RTÉ programe, Developmental Pyshologist in Trinity College Sheila Greene, said it was upsetting to see children being thrown around like objects.

"To see the children being manhandled… being 'flipped' and thrown," she said.

"They are like little rag dolls, not living children, and they are being treated as objects, not as living persons, not as vulnerable children.

"And it is quite disturbing."

Dr Caitriona O'Toole, Child Psychologist from NUI Maynooth, said the footage of a very young girl being forcefed is deeply disturbing.

"You see an adult forcing a spoon of food into the mouth of a crying child," she said.

"That kind of situation, while it's likely to cause the child to gag, if it's repeated over time it can build up negative associations with food and that's clearly something that we don't want to happen."