Babies too vulnerable to be left in ‘stranger care’

I watched the Prime Time creche investigation a week after it was aired. It was worse then I expected.

Having written many times in the past in the letters page of this newspaper regarding the unsuitability of minding of young children under three in creches, what disgusted me most, was the ongoing commentary by so-called experts as to what was right and what was wrong as they monitored footage of the behaviour of childcare workers in the highlighted creches.

Without a shadow of doubt, what the viewers witnessed was child abuse of the highest order. To me, however, what I witnessed was people who were educated and knowledgeable in the area of early childhood development, defending, promoting and in total denial of what is internationally known, that creches are not suitable places for children under three.

Over two years ago the Irish Examiner highlighted serious inadequacies in creches around the country. What was revealed in the Prime Time Special was of a similar nature, the major difference being that a hidden camera is far more effective in getting the message across than the written word.

The powers that be and those who purport to represent children knew all along that some Irish creches, especially the large chains that are privately owned, were not up to standard.

The public are now outraged, which hopefully means that children will benefit. However babies need emotional attachment and are too vulnerable to be left in “stranger care” for long periods of time. Perhaps the “experts” might take off their blinkers and insist that when young children are being minded that it is done to meet the individual emotional needs of young children.

It will cost, but it will be worth it.

Some day we will be able to say in Ireland that we reared a generation of children that did not have to recover from their childhoods.

Jim Jackman

Castleknock

Dublin 15