Child protection - HSE failing to manage

NOT for the first time, the child protection service of the HSE, which deals with the most vulnerable children in Irish society, warrants criticism for its long delay in publishing a mandatory report on the adequacy of the child and family services.

The statutory annual review is meant to inform the public on how these crucial services are working. That makes the HSE failure to issue a report since 2008 all the more deplorable and is a further indictment of management.

As far back as 2006, Children’s Ombudsman Emily Logan urged priority for the annual assessment of the child service. Concerns were raised in 2008 by the ISPCC over the late delivery of the document issued that year. Consisting of columns of statistics, it gave little sense of the adequacy of the services, thus raising doubts about the value of such a narrow approach.

The importance of keeping a spotlight on how the HSE protects children in danger was seen last month when the deaths of 35 young people over the previous 18 months came to light. Known to the social services, they had died from natural causes, suicide, accidents and drug overdoses.

Given the dysfunctional record of the HSE in dealing with young people, it is vital that the review of the adequacy of the frontline child protection service be published immediately.