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	<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0725/breaking34.html">Taoiseach Enda Kenny </a>said he expects legislation to pave the way for a referendum to strengthen children&#39;s rights to be produced shortly after the D&aacute;il resumes in September. He said he has asked Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald to work with other interested parties to help draw up a proposed referendum wording and related legislation on adoption over the summer. The Taoiseach was speaking at the launch of new national standards by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) for child protection services. These standards will ensure that frontline services will be subject to independent inspection for the first time to ensure they are providing adequate care and protection to vulnerable children. This follows a series of damning reports which have highlighted serious failures in child protection and welfare services. The standards set out clear requirements for HSE managers, social workers and other professionals on how to deliver a consistent and speedy service for young people at risk. Tracey Cooper, the chief executive of Hiqa, said that for too long the needs of children have not received a sufficiently significant priority. &ldquo;All children have a right to be safe and to have access to appropriate services and support to enable their growth and development,&rdquo; she said. Ms Cooper said Hiqa will monitor child protection and welfare services to ensure they comply with new standards and complies with its statutory obligation to ensure young people are adequately protected. Mr Kenny said there have been numerous &quot;devastating&quot; reports into the failures of children&#39;s services in th</p>
