HSE to lose child protection role [IrishTimes]
- Published: 11 March 2011
The Government plans to remove child protection and welfare services from the responsibility of the Health Service Executive and hold a referendum on children's rights, Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald has said.
She said the HSE had experienced major problems in providing child welfare services and a new dedicated child protection agency would be set up.
"Clearly there have been major problems; we have had report after report and indeed more reports to come that highlight the inadequacies in our childcare services. We believe that there should be a new way of delivering those services, and we need to have new criteria about transparency and the work that actually being done, about the outcomes, and to avoid having the sort of tragedies that we have had in the past," Ms Fitzgerald told RTÉ's Morning Ireland .
She said holding a referendum to enshrine children's rights within the Constitution was a priority of the Government and she hoped this could take place this year.
Ms Fitzgerald said she would look at the wording for the referendum proposed by the past government and a different wording proposed by an all-party Oireachtas committee. She said she hoped it would be possible to get all-party agreement on the wording.
In a radio interview this morning Ms Fitzgerald also expressed disappointment at the low number of women appointed to the Cabinet.
"I've been disappointed at the low numbers of women appointed to the cabinet . . . I won't be happy until there are 50 per cent," said Ms Fitzgerald, who is one of two women appointed to the Cabinet this week.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
Ruairi Quinn plans forum on transferring schools out of Catholic patronage [thejournal.ie]
- Published: 11 March 2011
THE NEW MINISTER for Education, Ruairi Quinn, has said that he wants to identify ways in which to transfer schools out of Catholic patronage.
At an address to the annual conference of the Catholic Primary School Management Association (CPSMA), Quinn said that he wanted to transfer the schools out of Catholic patronage in order to “create greater diversity and choice.”
The establishment of a ‘Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector’ was set out as part of the coalition’s programme for government.
Quinn said he would be establishing a forum to identify ways in which to do this and said it would focus not on whether this was a good idea but how to make it happen.
Full Story: www.thejournal.ie
Schools face new rules for days lost over bad weather [Independent.ie]
- Published: 10 March 2011
SCHOOLS face new rules next year about making up days lost through unexpected closures because of extreme weather.
Pupils and teachers may have to cut short the February mid-term break or the Easter holidays to compensate for shutdowns caused by severe conditions, such as the heavy snow which disrupted schools from late November.
A new contingency plan to apply in cases of unforeseen closure has been drafted in talks between the Department of Education, school management bodies and teacher unions, the Irish Independent has learned.
Schools will be obliged to open for the first three days of the Easter break and for up to three of the five days allowed for the February mid-term break, if necessary. It will mean parents and teachers will have to think twice before booking holidays in advance for the two spring breaks.
The standardised school year was introduced a number of years ago, fixing specific dates for holidays and mid-term breaks up to three years in advance, mainly for the benefit of working parents.
However, the severe weather over the past two winters caused massive disruption to schools, highlighting the need for flexibility in the school calendar to ensure pupils do not lose out on teaching.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
To the Management Authorities of National Schools on the Assessment of Need process under the Disability Act 2005 [DES Circular 0020/2011]
- Published: 10 March 2011
In my opinion: Taoiseach must create a Department for Children [Independent.ie]
- Published: 09 March 2011
For generations, many children in Ireland have been appallingly treated. The abuse of children and the theft of their childhood is both tragic and shameful.
Even now in 2011, there are still children in inappropriate institutional care as well as children with disabilities, children with special learning needs who, in spite of best efforts, fall between the cracks. Where politicians and civil servants see statistics, principals see children.
To begin to right this wrong, our next Taoiseach should create a new government -- a Department for Children with full cabinet status to take charge of all areas currently under health and education that are relevant to children.
In a short time, the profile of children in our classrooms has changed radically. There are increasing numbers of children in schools suffering from neglect and depression, displaying violent behaviours, attention disorders and emotional disturbance.
Add to that the growing numbers of those who are trying to cope daily with family trauma, dysfunction, generational unemployment, as well as alcohol and drug addictions.
The child should be at the centre of all health and education services. Often, it is the parents of those children most in need of these services who are least aware of the existence of these services and least able to access them.
Take for example speech and language therapy, where diagnosis and intervention between the ages of two and four can make a difference. Far too often children with speech and language difficulties are first diagnosed in junior infants, then put on a waiting list for speech therapy which may not start for up to two years, by which time the child is struggling in class and feels self conscious.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
