Child Protection Policies in Ireland

Running head: CHILD PROTECTION POLICIES
CHILD PROTECTION POLICIES IN IRELAND
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1CHILD PROTECTION POLICIES
Introduction
Child protection has become one of the key issues in the globalized world, where every
welfare organization is thoughtful about their rights, care and development (Harding 2014). As
every society has its own way to care for children, due to their religion, economic status, socio
economic culture and political context, states also create legislations and protection rights with
respect to those norms of society that maximized the risk of children being abused or misused.
These risk factors includes, breakdown of extended family system, traditional norms and poverty
that affects children emotionally as well as mentally and risks their growth and development
(Sugiyama et al. 2012). The United Nations International Children Education Fund or UNICEF
works in over 130 countries to protect and provide these children their basic fundamental rights
and the organization is determined to change the shift of society from abusive to protective for
these children (UNICEF 2014). The purpose of this assignment is to point out different current
practices of Ireland regarding childcare protection and safety. Further, the assignment will focus
on the risk assessment procedures and will discuss the reporting procedure and issues regarding
interagency working in this topic. The risk assessment, risk management framework will be
depending on a coherent multiagency concept, which will be presented in this assignment.
Aim
The prime aim of this assignment is to analyze different policies and practices of Ireland
related to childcare critically. Furthermore, it will aim to point out the loopholes in the child
protection policies and conduct a risk assessment.

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Critical issues in child care practices
The first childcare act was proposed in the Irish assembly back in 1996. This act was
empowering for children as it had a clause related to juvenile justice and according to that, the
physicians had the power to approve or reject any children who is physically or mentally for fit
for such punishments, given by juvenile court (Child Protection Guidelines 2017). However, in
2011, the Irish government launched a guideline namely the Children Fist Guidelines (2011) that
claims to protect children for physical and mental abuse as well as neglect. To understand the
effectiveness of this act Devaney and McGregor (2016) conducted a retrospective review that
aimed to identify the lags in the program, training of the volunteers and its future implication.
The researchers conducted interviews and surveys to understand the competency level of the
workers involved in this childcare policy and have attended the training program provided by the
Irish government to implement the Children first act successfully. For quantitative analysis, 112
participants of CF guidelines trainees were provided a questionnaire and were asked about the
process, its loopholes and future implications according to them. After the competition of the
analysis it was found that maximum of the respondents thought that the policy was able to
protect children’s rights in every aspect and the Irish government was able to spread awareness
in the society about the policy. However, 13% respondents believes that maximum of the
trainees have joined this social work as their profession that may harm the noble step in future
(Devaney and McGregor 2016).
Furthermore, there are several other acts, proposed by the Irish government to protect the
right of education, safety, nutrition and mental health of children. Hence, the acts such as
Freedom of Information, 1997; protection for person reporting child abuse, the education act
1998, domestic violence act 1996 has been proposed by the government. Within these, the

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domestic violence act for childcare bears huge importance as the number of crimes against
children has been increased tremendously. It provides the health bodies with the ability to
interfere in the violent situation and save the children and his family from violence. However
Featherstone, Morris and White (2013) thinks that there is not much discussion about this section
of child protection and therefore, the government should focus on this section of child care act as
increasing inequality, mental illness and increasing diversity in the society has stopped people to
discuss such issues publically. Hence, the government should focus on ideas to resume such
dialogue in the society to spread the awareness about violence against children. Further, the
review conducted by these researchers indicated to the fact that the government should focus on
improved family practices as it helps in maintaining and sustaining love connection and support
that ultimately helps to protect the children of that family (Featherstone, Morris and White
2013).
Reporting procedures in child protection
According to the child protection and healthcare of Ireland, there are four segments of
children abuse such as emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect and reporting
of children abuse reports are done according to these four sections (Health Service Executive
Ireland 2012). Therefore, according to the government of Ireland, it is the responsibility of the
each individual in the country to report against any unusual practice, which is against the
mandate of the children first act 2011. The reporting procedure. There are different reporting
guidelines for government and non-government organizations for reporting against the individual
or practices abusing children in the society (TUSLA 2018). If the reporting is done in the Health
and Safety Executive office of Ireland (HSE), then the HSE officer is responsible to provide
protection to the person reporting such incidence and take appropriate decision regarding child