“Let in the Light” is Fine Gael’s Campaign for Better Child Care and Protection Services
Despite the publication of many reports detailing the inadequacies and failings of our child care and protection services the HSE has been painfully slow in implementing change. When something goes wrong, too frequently the reaction is obsessive secrecy, lack of accountability, and no mechanism to determine whether recommendations made to remedy disastrous mistakes which have resulted either in the death of children or lack of timely intervention have been implemented.
Fine Gael wants to see radical change. As part of that change we demand, where children have died while in the care of the State or shortly after being in care, that an independent body investigates such deaths, that a full report be published to not only detail what went wrong but to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated and that there be an auditing process by way of follow up to audit the remedial action taken on foot of mistakes made. A similar procedure should be followed where children suffer or their welfare and development is seriously damaged or impaired as a result of a failure on the part of the State to appropriately intervene. Fine Gael demands that completed reports into any such incidents that occurred in the last 12 years be fully published and that incidents that to date have not been the subject of investigation be investigated.
For more information on this campaign please go to www.letinthelight.ie