Children’s Ombudsman finds HSE failed to provide support & therapeutic services for a child following allegations of sexual abuse

The Ombudsman for Children has published a report today (Tuesday) in which she found that the HSE failed to provide timely support and therapeutic services for a protracted period of time to a child who made allegations of sexual abuse.

In addition to her findings, the Ombudsman for Children makes 10 recommendations dealing with this specific case and that have broader implications for the way the new Child and Family Agency should engage with families in the future.

The Ombudsman for Children made findings across three key areas: the handling of the case; assessment of the child; and communication. The Ombudsman for Children upheld the complaint by the family and found that the HSE’s actions negatively affected the child.

These findings included:

• The HSE’s record keeping was poor;
• The HSE failed to allocate a social worker or single point of contact;
• The HSE did not arrange an early face to face meeting with the child;
• The HSE failed to acknowledge, consider or address the views of the child expressed through her mother;
• The HSE did not provide psychological or therapeutic services for this child.

Of particular concern to the Ombudsman for Children were findings in relation to very significant communication difficulties between the HSE and the child’s mother. The HSE did not ensure that the mother was fully aware of their procedures and the relationship between the HSE and the child’s mother broke down.

The Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan said: “In this case the breakdown of the relationship between the HSE and the child’s mother became a very real impediment to providing the necessary services to the child. The period following a disclosure of alleged sexual abuse by a child is very traumatic for both a child and his or her family. It is imperative that HSE staff communicate clearly and in a compassionate way with parents at this extremely stressful time. The HSE (in the coming months the Child and Family Agency) is the agency with statutory responsibility for child protection. The new Agency must ensure its staff are trained and supported to adequately respond to families following disclosures of alleged abuse including through the provision of practical, accessible and timely information.”

The Ombudsman for Children made 10 recommendations to the HSE. The first relates to this particular case and the support the child still requires. The remaining nine have wider application and outline the systemic failures which must be addressed to support other children and families dealing with the HSE or the Child and Family Agency on child protection matters. These should inform how the new Child and Family Agency engage with families following disclosures of abuse.

The Ombudsman for Children recommends that:

1. the HSE continue to engage with the child and mother in order to assess the child’s current needs and provide appropriate therapeutic services;
2. the HSE prioritise direct contact with children;
3. the HSE inform and educate parents of children making disclosures of alleged sexual abuse about the full range of services available to them;
4. the HSE have face-to-face contact with families;
5. the HSE allocate a social worker to complex cases;
6. the HSE improve record-keeping;
7. the HSE set case management goals;
8. the HSE streamline the system for organising medical examinations;
9. the HSE review availability, accessibility, gender balance of physicians qualified to carry out medical examinations;
10. the HSE continue to work towards a systemic joint approach with An Garda Síochána for cases of suspected abuse.

In its response to the investigation, the HSE accepted all of the Ombudsman for Children’s recommendations and committed to undertaking them in a timely and coordinated manner. However, the Ombudsman for Children was dissatisfied with the level of response regarding four recommendations and has written to the HSE to communicate her views. These recommendations are:

1. the HSE continue to engage with the child and mother in order to assess the child’s current needs and provide appropriate therapeutic services;

3. the HSE inform and educate parents of children making disclosures of alleged sexual abuse;

5. the HSE allocate a social worker to complex cases;

6. the HSE continue to work towards a systemic joint approach with An Garda Síochána for cases of suspected abuse.

The Ombudsman for Children will assess the progress of these and all recommendations when she carries out a six-month review of this case.

ENDS

Note to Editors:

• The Ombudsman for Children wishes to emphasise that no prosecution has occurred in this case and the role of the Ombudsman for Children’s Office is to examine the HSE’s response to the allegations.
• Download the full investigation statement into the provision of supports and therapeutic services for a child following disclosures of alleged sexual abuse (PDF, 409KB)
• Contact: Nikki Gallagher at 01-8656803 or 086-8163246

• 1 October 2013
• Type: Press Release
• Topic: Child Protection