Six years after Aras Attracta scandal vulnerable adults are 'falling through the cracks'

The Irish Association of Social Workers has urged the Government to set up an independent authority, saying progress on adult safeguarding is being “kicked on down the road” six years after a shocking exposé of abuse at the Aras Attracta facility. File Picture: RollingNews.ie

Vulnerable adults are "falling through the cracks", with no single independent authority responsible for adult safeguarding in cases of suspected abuse of at-risk adults, six years after the Aras Attracta scandal.

The Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) has urged the Government to set up an independent authority, saying progress on adult safeguarding is being “kicked on down the road” six years after a shocking exposé of abuse at the Aras Attracta facility in Co Mayo, which led to the establishment of a National Safeguarding Office.

In a submission to the Oireachtas Committee on Health last week, the IASW warned that adults are "falling through the cracks" and urged the Government to fully enact the Adult Safeguarding Bill (2017) and Assisted Decision Making Act (2015) to strengthen existing safeguarding measures.

An independent national authority is also required to deal with abuse concerns against at-risk adults by individuals or organisations, Kerry Cuskelly, a social worker and member of the association said.

At present social workers do not have the legal power to enter a private home or residential care facility where concerns of abuse are raised, but enacting safeguarding legislation in full would provide staff with a “firmer footing” to intervene, the Dublin-based social worker said.

The range of bodies involved in dealing with abuse concerns, which can range from physical, emotional, or financial abuse, was “too fragmented”, she said, adding that a standardised national response was required.

Having a standalone agency that can deal with any and all abuse referrals from anyone and anywhere and can support and respond to them would be the ideal.

Ms Cuskelly added that victims of abuse were otherwise facing a “postcode lottery” in how services respond.

The Covid-19 pandemic, she said, had led to a “modest” increase in abuse and highlighted the importance of putting the necessary resources in place.

Last year the HSE recorded around 12,000 cases involving adult abuse concerns, 73% of which related to physical or psychological abuse with financial abuse accounting for 10% of concerns.

Confusion around reporting

Meanwhile, Safeguarding Ireland has called for greater clarity on reporting mechanisms following new research showing that almost a quarter (23%) of 1,000 adults surveyed would not know who to report adult abuse to.

“There are different public bodies that safeguarding concerns should be reported to, depending on the issue, and this can cause confusion,” Safeguarding Ireland Chairperson Patricia Rickard-Clarke said.

The charity said levels of abuse remain under-reported because of the myriad of agencies involved, from Gardai, the HSE and the Health and Information Quality Authority, to the Department of Social Protection to banks or financial institutes.