Reports of suspected abuse dropped sharply when schools closed

Professor Conor O'Mahony: 'Schools are a key source of child protection referrals, so school closures disrupted the flow of information to social services – compromising their ability to identify children at risk and respond to their needs.'

Teachers have reported an average of 190 suspected child abuse cases per month, a total of 9,000, since they became legally obliged to do so in late 2017.

The number of reports dropped sharply during periods of pandemic school closure, with the Government Rapporteur on Child Protection Professor Conor O'Mahony warning on Monday that some children's right to protection from violence was "seriously compromised".

More than half (55%) of reports between January 2020 and September 2021 related to suspected physical abuse, according to figures released by Tusla to the Irish Examiner.

Almost another fifth (18%) related to suspected sexual abuse.

Since December 2017, teachers have been legally required under the Children First Act to report child protection concerns over a certain threshold to Tusla.

Between then and September 2021, registered teachers submitted 8,915 mandated reports of suspected harm to children.

The suspected child abuse includes neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse.

The number of reports made by teachers fell from 2,790 in 2018, the first full year the Children First Act was in place, to 2,434 in 2019.

The number fell again by a further 12% in 2020, a year marked by the first pandemic school closures, to 2,053.

In April 2020, the first full month of online teaching, teachers filed just 11 reports.

Just 230 mandated reports were filed by teachers from March to June 2020 during the first period of pandemic school closures, a drop of almost 80% from the same period in 2019.

Teachers made almost 1,300 mandated reports to Tusla between September 2020 when schools reopened, and Christmas 2020.

During the school closures from January and March 2021, teachers submitted 360 reports, almost half the number made during the same period in 2020.

During April, May, and June as students began to return to their classrooms again, the number of mandated reports made by teachers also steadily increased to 883 across the three months.

"Schools are a key source of child protection referrals, so school closures disrupted the flow of information to social services – compromising their ability to identify children at risk and respond to their needs," said Prof O'Mahony.

"The evidence consistently shows that the impact of school closures was not evenly spread; it fell disproportionately on the most marginalised and disadvantaged children," he added. 

People legally required to report any knowledge, belief or suspicions of child abuse or neglect include doctors, nurses, gardaí, social workers, youth workers and other professionals who work closely with children and young people, or who come into contact with them.