Child care a duty, not a passing whim

THERE can hardly be a country in the world better placed than this one to understand the need, the absolute obligation, to have robust and effective child protection services and policies in place.

Our history, and the recent and harrowing uncovering of that history, can leave this society in no doubt about what it must do to protect children from the twin horrors of neglect and abuse.

Yesterday’s report that gardaí in north Dublin have told Hiqa that investigations of allegations of physical abuse of children have been impeded by considerable delays on the part of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in informing them fully about the allegations, suggests that we still regard child protection as optional, as something we might do when we get around to it.