HSE and false child abuse allegations

I fully agree with child law expert Geoffrey Shannon who told the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children that new child protection laws need to include sanctions for people who knowingly make false reports of child abuse against individuals (Irish Examiner, Jun 8).

However, there is little point in having such provisions on the statute book if they continue to be ignored by statutory bodies.

Under the Protection for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act, 1998, a false report of child abuse is an offence punishable by a prison sentence of up to 15 years and/or a fine of up to approx €20,000 (both ridiculously lenient). Since this legislation was enacted the HSE has dealt with thousands of allegations of child abuse. Many of these would have arisen in circumstances of marriage or relationship breakdown and some would have involved child custody disputes. At one end of the spectrum, it would be fairly obvious that there was substance to the allegations in some cases. In such cases, the HSE would refer the cases to the appropriate authorities (gardaí, DPP). At the other end of the spectrum, it would be equally obvious that there was no substance to the allegations and many were made to gain advantage in family law disputes.