Time for fire-fighting in care system is over
Issued : Friday 12 March, 2010
Statement by Alex White TD
Reports in the media today on a series of issues concerning children in state care reveal that the system is fundamentally dysfunctional.
The announcement today that HIQA is investigating 19 allegations of abuse by foster carers in local areas in Dublin and Cork emerges in the same week that we learned that foster care vetting procedures are virtually non-existent in some parts of the country.
In addition, it has been revealed that this week one teenager in care was effectively abandoned in an internet café thanks to the failure of the HSE to find appropriate accommodation for him, while another has gone missing in Finglas in circumstances that are extremely worrying.
Meanwhile the circumstances surrounding the death of Tracey Fay are still being investigated.
We are all rightly outraged by these dreadful developments, but if we are to genuinely address the fundamental deficiencies in the system, we need to do more than express righteous indignation.
As Labour Party spokesperson on Children I am in the process of arranging a seminar on mapping the future of our care system, its infrastructure, processes and procedures. I will be inviting the participation of professionals in the sector, campaign groups, policy makers and all other interested parties, with a view to producing a significant policy document in this area. I will be announcing details of this event in the coming weeks.
The time for fire fighting is over. What we now need is a root-and-branch evaluation of the care system, where it is failing and how it can be fixed.
