HM_April09_p6-7:HM_issue4_07-template 09/04/2009 11:10 Page 6 Keeping child protection on HSE radar Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, Barry Andrews tells Maureen Browne that he wants the HSE to appoint a National Director for Child Protection and Welfare Minister for Children & Youth Affairs, where I can pick up the ‘phone to the be life-threatening. Barry Andrews T.D., wants the HSE to HSE and be able to speak to some- “I think the HSE needs a whole- appoint a National Director for child body whose sole job and responsibili- time National Director of Child protection and welfare. ty is childcare.” Services who can ensure that there is a He has already had discussions on The Minister is also seriously con- concentration on the central issues of Mthis with both the HSE Board and his cerned that child protection and wel- child protection and welfare. I believe Cabinet and is confident that the post fare can slip down the radar when this would result in an improvement in will be established as part of the there is nobody to drive it on the the focus on these issues. forthcoming re-structuring of the HSE’s senior management team. “I also want to look at the situation HSE. (Andrews is the only Minister of social workers. As a group of staff, of State to have a seat at Cabinet) Seriousness I don’t think they are given due He is concerned that at present “I don’t think there is anything delib- recognition for the difficult work they there is nobody in the HSE who has erate in this on the part of health do. We can easily sympathise with direct and sole responsibility for managers but their natural bent is cardiac surgeons or the neuro sur- child protection and welfare. “There towards the provision of healthcare geons who have to make split-second should be somebody there to parallel and medical science where the decisions in highly pressurised envi- at implementation level what I am demands are so obvious rather than ronments but we can forget that social doing at policy level. There is an child protection and welfare. We workers are frequently in similar Assistant National Director who has can forget the seriousness of the psy- plights. With the facts at their dis- responsibility for children but this is chological and physical damage posal and in extraordinarily difficult just one of multiple responsibilities, which can be done to child as a result human circumstances, like families including palliative care, which he of abuse and which is so grave that it suffering from alcoholism or violence, carries. I want to get to the stage can affect their whole lives and even they have to make the difficult choice 6 HM_April09_p6-7:HM_issue4_07-template 09/04/2009 11:10 Page 7 children | & youth affairs of, for example, whether or not to Andrews wants a national standard- remove a child into care. isation of child protection and welfare Barry Andrews processes which he says are still frag- Knife-edge mented in the wake of the former Barry Andrews is Minister for Children & Youth Affairs and a “Social workers often have to make health boards. He says that, for T.D.for the constituency of Dún decisions on a knife-edge and while it example, waiting lists can be kept in Laoghaire. He was born in Dublin and is vitally important that all risk fac- different ways and this is not con- educated at Blackrock College tors are taken into account, we must ducive to good practice. and University College Dublin, also be aware that risk avoidance can He also wants to have a national min- where he received a Masters Degree in Modern History. He be the easy way out and not always imum standard for referrals, which will worked as a secondary school the best way. make it clear what constitutes a referral teacher from 1991 until 1997, when he entered King’s Inns and He points out that following the and how referrals are initiated. qualified as a barrister. Andrews Baby P case in the UK, the number was first elected to public office of children taken into care increased IT in June 1999, when he was elect- ed to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown threefold, which he believes was par- The Minister wants an IT system County Council. He was elected tially caused by social workers avoid- which would allow people to see at a to Dáil Éireann at the 2002 gen- eral election. ing risk as far as possible in their push of a button how any particular Andrews comes from a family decision. child in the system is being cared for with strong political connections. He is concerned that social workers at that time, how he or she is pro- His grandfather, Todd Andrews fought in the War of should not be forced to take these gressing and the services being Independence and became a very difficult decisions directly they organised around him or her. founder-member of Fianna Fáil, while his grandmother, Mary come out of college. He wants to see A Business Plan for this is being Coyle, was a member of Cumann them have greater mentoring and prepared by the HSE and it is part of na mBan. assistance and thinks social workers the HSE’s 2009 Service Plan. The His father, David Andrews served as a T,D. from 1965 to should have reached a certain age Department of Finance is being 2002 and is a former Foreign and maturity before being pitched asked to approve the €1.2 million Minister, while his uncle, Niall Andrews, is a former Fianna Fáil into the very complex human areas. cost and although the Minister would TD and MEP He also disapproves of the current not comment on the likelihood of this system where promotion is linked to being forthcoming in the present eco- desk jobs. Promotions should be nomic circumstances, we would each of the services involved may linked to field work, he believes. The probably be better off not holding our have information which is vital to the current system sends out the wrong collective breath. overall planning and delivery of serv- signals about the value of people There are workshops going on at ices,” he says. working on the ground. present to clarify these plans for “Some parents in disadvantaged social workers with a task force areas are very good at availing of Morale chaired by Hugh Kane, Asst. services and linking in to what is “However, I am encouraged by the National Director of Primary, available whereas in other cases par- fact that Primary Care Teams will try Community and Continuing Care. ents just do not get involved. This to include social workers as part of The Minister is pleased with the means we can spend money on areas their multidisciplinary approach. work of the Children’s’ Services of disadvantage, yet not reach the “ In order to explore the complex Committees which have been estab- really disadvantaged to whom we issues facing social workers I am lished in four counties at present. need to tunnel services. planning to travel around the country These inter-agency groups, chaired by Luckily, in the current economic cli- to meet social workers and clarify the HSE, bring together the expertise mate, Andrews does not believe that with them our future plans to develop of the HSE, voluntary groups, school more money will necessarily solve our child care and protection. authorities and the Gardai. He problems in the areas of child protec- “Many changes are required to emphasises that they differ from previ- tion and welfare. He says that what improve the services. We have to ous ventures in this area in that they we need is lateral thinking, removing remember that only 60 per cent of are high level and have got buy in people from their comfort zone, exam- social workers have access to comput- from all the various groups. ining how we can improve our servic- ers at present which is not acceptable. “I think they are important because es, working in a smarter fashion. 7.