4,228 entries for Historical Context

A culture of respecting and implementing rules and regulations and of observing codes of conduct should be developed. Managers and those supervising and inspecting the services must ensure regularly that standards are observed.

Independent inspections are essential. All services for children should be subject to regular inspections in respect of all aspects of their care. The requirements of a system of inspection include the following: There is a sufficient number of inspectors. The inspectors must be independent. The inspectors should talk with and listen to the children. There should be objective national standards for inspection of all settings where children are placed. Unannounced inspection should take place. Complaints to an inspector should be recorded and followed up. Inspectors should have power to ensure that inadequate standards are addressed without delay.

Management at all levels should be accountable for the quality of services and care. Performance should be assessed by the quality of care delivered. The manager of an institution should be responsible for: Making the best use of the available resources Vetting of staff and volunteers Ensuring that staff are well trained, matched to the nature of the work to be undertaken and progressively trained so as to be kept up to date Ensuring on-going supervision, support and advice for all staff Regularly reviewing the system to identify problem areas for both staff and children Ensuring rules and regulations are adhered to Establishing whether system failures caused or contributed to instances of abuse Putting procedures in place to enable staff and others to make complaints and raise matters of concern without fear of adverse consequences.

Children in care should be able to communicate concerns without fear. Children in care are often isolated with their concerns, without an adult to whom they can talk. Children communicate best when they feel they have a protective figure in whom they can confide. The Department of Health and Children must examine international best practice to establish the most appropriate method of giving effect to this recommendation.

Childcare services depend on good communication. Every childcare facility depends for its efficient functioning on good communication between all the departments and agencies responsible. It requires more than meetings and case conferences. It should involve professionals and others communicating concerns and suspicions so that they can act in the best interests of the child. Overall responsibility for this process should rest with a designated official.

Children in care need a consistent care figure. Continuity of care should be an objective wherever possible. Children in care should have a consistent professional figure with overall responsibility. The supervising social worker should have a detailed care plan the implementation of which should be regularly reviewed, and there should be the power to direct that changes be made to ensure standards are met. The child, and where possible the family, should be involved in developing and reviewing the care plan.

Children who have been in State care should have access to support services. Aftercare services should be provided to give young adults a support structure they can rely on. In a similar way to families, childcare services should continue contact with young people after they have left care as minors.

Children who have been in childcare facilities are in a good position to identify failings and deficiencies in the system, and should be consulted. Continued contact makes it possible to evaluate whether the needs of children are being met and to identify positive and negative aspects of experience of care.

Children in care should not, save in exceptional circumstances, be cut off from their families. Priority should be given to supporting ongoing contact with family members for the benefit of the child.

The full personal records of children in care must be maintained. Reports, files and records essential to validate the child’s identity and their social, family and educational history must be retained. These records need to be kept secure and up to date. Details should be kept of all children who go missing from care. The privacy of such records must be respected.

‘Children First: The National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children’ should be uniformly and consistently implemented throughout the State in dealing with allegations of abuse.

The Congregation took the view that the public apology issued by CORI covered all of the 18 Congregations involved in CORI: we agreed with the publication of the apology, as we see it as conveying our regret and our sorrow that those who were in our care have painful memories and have been upset by their time there.

The Congregation also contributed to the Redress Fund. Sr Claire O’Sullivan, a designated spokesperson for the Congregation, outlined the reasons why as follows: Well, firstly, we decided in principle in October 2000 that we would make a contribution and, like, we did it for a few reasons. In response to the Governments invitation to Congregations to contribute to the scheme was one of the reasons. Also, it was a combination of our pastoral and practical considerations ... Practical considerations were because of the financial restraints. If we went down the road of litigation, it would have cost a huge amount of money and would have gone on for years, as we would see it ... Also, we just didnt want to get ourselves into confrontation with our ex residents at all. There was also the practical thing, that it would lead to a better use of the resources that are available to us, resources that could otherwise be used to help us to assist former residents and for other charitable works, rather than expending resources on preparing for litigation, as I would have said there. It would also, instead of members being very much involved in court cases, it would free up people, our Sisters, to spend time assisting former residents and meeting with them and engaging in other charitable works. So that would have been another reason for us. Also, we were glad to be able to get the indemnity, that we could obtain indemnity from the State, as it is better to contribute to the scheme, rather than processing, as I would have said, down the very costly road of litigation.

The Presentation Brothers operated one industrial school, St Josephs Industrial School, Greenmount in Cork. The Presentation Brothers are currently involved in numerous primary and post-primary schools in Ireland.

The Anglo-Irish Province of the Presentation Brothers has not issued a public apology, but the Congregation issued the following statement on its website, which was referred to at the Emergence hearings: It was along the lines of, “we apologise for any wrongdoing or any abuse that occurred to any person while in our care”. That was done for two reasons. First of all to give our regret. Secondly, to encourage anybody out there who is hurting to come and make that complaint.