(1301,'\'All your baby needs is you\': back to basics for new parents','<p>\r\n	New &lsquo;back to basics&rsquo; HSE booklets aim to empower and reassure new parents</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	We humans in the &ldquo;First World&rdquo; love to overcomplicate life with layer upon layer of choice &ndash; in how we live, what we buy, what we eat and what we wear &ndash; and then fret about whether we are making the right decisions.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	There is always somebody ready to capitalise on our insecurity with a product, a service, an &ldquo;experience&rdquo;; none more so than in the lucrative baby and parenting industry.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	But in an age of product proliferation and information overload, there&rsquo;s a lot to be said for getting back to basics as far as babies are concerned. In the majority of cases, their needs are quite simple: food, warmth and love.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It&rsquo;s parents who tend to complicate matters, especially when outside pressures detract from the job in hand. It doesn&rsquo;t help that high-achievers and celebrity mothers are put on a pedestal for speedily reverting to business as usual post-baby: at work, in social networking, fitness and fashion.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It&rsquo;s who can get there quickest and slimmest, agrees clinical psychotherapist Joanna Fortune.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Back in your size 10 skinnies by the time your baby goes to creche . . . That is not in the baby&rsquo;s interest but is driven by something entirely different.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Important message</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She believes &ldquo;back to basics&rdquo; is a really important message to promote to parents. &ldquo;Rather than all the latest gadgets and gizmos, an app for this and an app for that, all your baby needs is you.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Parents can get &ldquo;absolutely addled&rdquo; by the huge pressure from what is a profitable industry, she points out, &ldquo;but really hands-on parenting and eye contact and very rhythmic movements [are what] babies need and that is done with your physical self&rdquo;: holding, rocking and singing.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;You can literally not spoil a newborn baby,&rdquo; says Fortune, who is director of Solamh, the parent-child relationship clinic. The &ldquo;don&rsquo;t respond&rdquo; approach advocated by some is a real bugbear of hers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The absolute opposite is what I am talking about. Touch them and hold them and respond to them as much as you can to reduce any stress and cortisone levels. If you can do that in the first year of life, you&rsquo;ve got a baby who is less likely to develop stress reactions later on.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	All the research into attachment shows that babies are born neurologically wired to attach primarily, and in the first instance, to their mothers but then to other attachment figures. However, while attachment is the buzzword, that is often the end of the process, she explains.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The first stage is getting there and that is around bonding and attunement; they happen from the very first stages with both parents.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Parents really learn to attune to their babies&rsquo; signs and cues: that is much more important to brain development than any structured learning activity or stimulus toy,&rdquo; she explains. &ldquo;You can do that only by spending time with them and learning, &lsquo;that&rsquo;s a hungry cry&rsquo;, &lsquo;that&rsquo;s a dirty nappy cry&rsquo;, &lsquo;that&rsquo;s a tired cry&rsquo; . . .&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While crawling and standing are often regarded as the first big milestones, she says the first milestone for any baby is learning to trust.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;That is the aim and task of the first year of life. If babies learn to trust during that period, their brains are wired to trust throughout life after that.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This trust develops when a baby can count on their needs being met in a consistent and predictable way, and they know that a parent is emotionally available and has soothing routines.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t need anything other than yourself to achieve that,&rdquo; she adds, &ldquo;and that is going to get you from zero to 12 months.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The early weeks and months are a crucial time for the bond between the baby and parents to develop, ideally in a very relaxed environment, says Dr Phil Jennings, director of public health and the child health lead in the Health and Wellbeing division of the Health Service Executive (HSE).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Enjoying physical and emotional contact with the child is so important, which in turn will make the child feel more secure and so is likely to sleep and feed better.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	There is plenty of time to get back to &ldquo;normal&rdquo; life, she says; &ldquo;These are such precious moments in the early years&rdquo; not only for parents but for the baby.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Evidence shows that the most important time in a child&rsquo;s life is the early years so we really want to get that message out to parents, and the services, that the role they are playing is really important. Any help we can give to parents to help them on that journey will pay dividends into the future.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Parenting manuals</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One such aid is a new set of attractive, free parenting manuals, the first of which, Caring for Your Baby &ndash; Birth to Six Months, public health nurses (PHNs) will bring on their first post-birth visit to a baby&rsquo;s home, which is usually within 48 hours of discharge from hospital. The booklets are updated, more user-friendly versions of previous ones and are available online for the first time as well.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Parents consulted in the planning of these publications said they wanted common-sense information and tips about general care, growth and development; advice about what to do if their child has a problem; and details of who to contact for more help and support.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Because we have information overload and so many sources, parents are confused about what is the right thing,&rdquo; says Jennings. &ldquo;It is very reassuring for parents of young children to be able to access information that they know is approved by the HSE.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The approach is to go &ldquo;back to the basics and to empower parents&rdquo;, she says. &ldquo;We live in a society where there has to be an expert in everything, yet parents are the experts: parents know their child.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	All three booklets in the series &ndash; the second deals from six months to two years and the third from two to five years &ndash; open with a chapter about taking care of yourself as a parent.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;That is absolutely key,&rdquo; says Jennings. &ldquo;We know that stress can spread to the child and have a totally negative impact on development.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Baby years are so short and they fly by so fast, you would want every parent to enjoy them,&rdquo; she adds. &ldquo;This is our package to them to help them enjoy the experience more.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	PHNs are &ldquo;delighted&rdquo; with the booklets, says Vivienne Goodwin, a public health nurse manager in north Dublin.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Some of the stuff in them would seem quite basic but, for a new mother who may not have family support around her, who may not have experience with children, I think it is excellent. Even if you do, sometimes you forget and have to be reassured.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	On the first home visit that every mother gets, PHNs have so much to discuss, she says. &ldquo;The parents are reeling with this new baby arriving and there are visitors coming in on top of them, so sometimes the information we give goes in one ear and out the other.&rdquo; But this booklet of &ldquo;really good snippets of good tips&rdquo; can be consulted afterwards.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s basic information and it&rsquo;s from the health professionals rather than just trawling the internet,&rdquo; says Goodwin, who also welcomes that they are accessible online, on an HSE-based site, &ldquo;rather than being sponsored by somebody who is getting you to buy their product&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Eye contact</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The one thing that Fortune wants to encourage technology-using parents to stop doing is looking at their babies through the lens of a phone or a camera and actually make eye contact.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;So many of our kids are growing up only seeing themselves reflected through a lens,&rdquo; she laments. Yet eye contact is so important through that early stage of &ldquo;codependency&rdquo; when babies don&rsquo;t yet know they are separate beings to their mothers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;When they&rsquo;re in the nook of the arm and they look up and their mum looks at them with what we hope is love, they don&rsquo;t see Mum; they see themselves reflected back. They gradually learn that &lsquo;you look at me that way because I am lovable and when I begin to separate out I will seek other people who will look at me in the same way and reinforce that&rsquo;.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Fortune says she can&rsquo;t believe people are taking and posting videos of their babies on the internet. &ldquo;Be in the moment with them,&rdquo; she urges. It is in these &ldquo;moments of meeting&rdquo; with parents that babies really grow and develop.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	See hse.ie/caringforyourbaby</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Pearls of wisdom</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Parents share advice or observations about parenting that has stuck with them</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Aisling O&rsquo;Meara, mother of a four-year-old girl and two-year-old boy, and coordinator of the Dublin North West branch of Cuidi&uacute;, the parent-to-parent support group</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Having one is like having a pet monkey, having two is like owning the entire zoo&rdquo; &ndash; our friend Pat, already a father of two, on hearing I was pregnant with our second child. &ldquo;The days are long, but the years are short&rdquo; &ndash; a second piece of parenting wisdom that has been borne home since my eldest started Junior Infants this month.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ciara O&rsquo;Toole, lecturer in speech and language therapy at UCC, and mother of a three-year-old girl and a 20-month-old boy</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Visitors after 2pm&rdquo; &ndash; when you have a newborn. That way if you have a bad night you can have some sleep and there might be some possibility of you being dressed, or even showered, by the time people call.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t expect to achieve very much in the early days but try to get out of the house even once a day for 10 minutes&rdquo;: you do feel a bit more human. And &ldquo;to put a mirror by the front door&rdquo; so you can quickly check if you are actually dressed or if you have some baby spit all over you!</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It is just a phase&rdquo; really helped me get through some difficult times, and it is true. Sometimes you wonder if they will ever stop waking at night/ refusing fruit/ wetting the bed, or whatever, and they eventually do.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	With my professional hat on . . . the advice to read/share a book every day from when they are small babies really does pay off for their speech.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Daniel Oakes, director of Neighbourhood Midwives and father of three boys aged nine, six and three</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Parenting should always happen &lsquo;in relationship&rsquo; &rdquo; was one of the most valuable nuggets I took away from a parenting course a couple of years ago. Showing empathy and patience is a better way to react to upsetting events such as toddler tantrums, instead of getting caught up in the drama yourself. It helps to calm the situation more quickly and shows a better example to the child (who will be modelling their future behaviour on how you react).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The secret is to parent yourself first, then parenting toddlers is much easier.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The institution of the family meeting is another valuable piece of fathering advice that I took from my own childhood. Every so often, we sit at the table after dinner and take turns holding an old Irish step-dancing trophy of mine. Only the person holding the trophy is allowed to speak. We write the minutes from the meetings in a special book. We have resolved many issues in this way, such as the fair distribution of chores.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Hungarian-born Petronella Burj&aacute;n who runs dublinfox.com, a guide to family-friendly places in the capital, has two sons, aged five and 18 months</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Forget about perfectionism and do not even try to give the maximum in each and every aspect of life when having a new baby, because it is just impossible and your child needs a &lsquo;good enough mum&rsquo; instead of a perfect (and maybe secretly slightly neurotic) one&rdquo;: I think that was the most important piece of advice I got when my first son was born. &ldquo;Do not try to live up to everyone&rsquo;s expectations&rdquo; &ndash; if you try to follow all the advice you get from friends or read on the internet, you will soon go crazy. Try to use (or find) your parental instincts and believe in yourself and your baby.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	After the first few weeks, try to find like-minded and honest(!) parents and/or friends, because motherhood can be a very lonesome experience otherwise.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Krysia Lynch, chairwoman of the Association for Improvements in Maternity Services Ireland, is mother of three children aged 14, 10 and seven</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Realise that when your child cries or behaves in a way that you find uncomfortable, it&rsquo;s not because they want to annoy you, it&rsquo;s because they are trying to communicate something that they may not have words for&rdquo;: this is one bit of advice I offer from my own experience. Also: &ldquo;Be prepared to make mistakes. Be prepared to say sorry to your kids, and to forgive yourself, and move on.&rdquo; Most important of all, &ldquo;nurture yourself and follow your inner instincts and you will grow with your child.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/parenting/all-your-baby-needs-is-you-back-to-basics-for-new-parents-1.2359988\">http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/parenting/all-your-baby-needs-is-you-back-to-basics-for-new-parents-1.2359988</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-09-29 09:24:17',NULL,'all-your-baby-needs-is-you-back-to-basics-for-new-parents'),(1302,'Mental hospital order for child-abduction accused quashed','<p>\r\n	DPP moved to overturn hospital order, arguing District Court not entitled to make it</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The High Court has quashed a lower court&rsquo;s decision to have a woman accused of child abduction remitted to the Central Mental Hospital (CMH) in Dundrum.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The woman is accused of what the High Court heard is the &ldquo;serious offence&rdquo; of child abduction, contrary to the 1997 Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The abduction is alleged to have occurred in D&uacute;n Laoghaire on September 22nd last.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The following day, the woman was brought before the District Court, which ordered she be brought to the CMH.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The DPP launched High Court proceedings seeking to have that decision quashed, arguing the District Court was not entitled to make such an order.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	At Tuesday&rsquo;s sitting of the High Court, Mr Justice Anthony Barr said he was satisfied to grant an order quashing the order remitting the woman to the CMH.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Cannot be identified</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The judge ordered that the accused woman cannot be identified by the media.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The application, brought by way of judicial review, was not opposed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The accused woman&rsquo;s lawyers told the court they had difficulties in obtaining instructions from the woman.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Judge Barr was told the District Court judge who made the referral to the CMH did so out of concern for her health.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Kieran Kelly BL, for the DPP, had sought to quash the order on grounds including that it was in the public interest and that the DPP wants to maintain the prosecution.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	After the accused woman was remitted to the CMH, which the DPP had asked the District Court to amend, it so happened that there was no place available for her, counsel said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	As a result garda&iacute; had to release the woman, as they had no legal basis to detain her.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Lacked jurisdiction</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The court heard it was the DPP&rsquo;s case that the District Court lacked the jurisdiction to remit her to the CMH.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Kelly said a prerequisite for such a referral is that an expert&rsquo;s report must be put before the court in relation to the accused person&rsquo;s health and their fitness to plead to the charge they are facing.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In this case, no such report had been available or put before the court. Counsel said only the court hearing the case can remit an accused person to the CMH.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It had not been determined whether the accused woman will be tried before the Circuit Court or the District Court.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The accused woman is due back before the District Court in respect of the charge on Wednesday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/mental-hospital-order-for-child-abduction-accused-quashed-1.2371696\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/mental-hospital-order-for-child-abduction-accused-quashed-1.2371696</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-09-30 09:43:05',NULL,'mental-hospital-order-for-child-abduction-accused-quashed'),(1303,'Report finds children from poorer backgrounds feel teachers don\'t understand them','<p>\r\n	Children from low-income families are less likely to feel like their teachers understand them, and are also less likely to ask their parents for help with homework.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	That&rsquo;s according to a new report launched by Barnardos this morning which calls for primary school education to be made completely free, at an estimated cost of around &euro;103m a year - or an extra &euro;185 per pupil.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Barnardos CEO, Fergus Finlay, said: &quot;Thay are much more likely to be in larger classrooms, they are much more likely to be in schools that don&rsquo;t have all the facilities they need.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;You are going to find, as a consequence of that, that children are struggling in school.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Head of Advocacy with Barnardos, June Tinsley, says that children can be very aware of the circumstances that they are in, and how that may affect their growth.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said: &quot;Some young people commented how they don&rsquo;t like where they live, because it&#39;s exposed to anti-social behaviour and the garda&iacute; are frequently around.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Others are shielded from the realities, because parents are making a number of sacrifices.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/report-finds-children-from-poorer-backgrounds-feel-teachers-dont-understand-them-698267.html\">http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/report-finds-children-from-poorer-backgrounds-feel-teachers-dont-understand-them-698267.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-09-30 09:48:10',NULL,'report-finds-children-from-poorer-backgrounds-feel-teachers-dont-understand-them'),(1304,'Georgia executes only female on death row despite appeals by children and Pope Francis to save her','<p>\r\n	The only woman on Georgia&#39;s death row has been executed - the first female execution in the southern US state for seven decades.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Kelly Renee Gissendaner was pronounced dead by injection of pentobarbitone at the state prison in Jackson. She was convicted of murder over the February 1997 killing of her husband after she conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The 47-year-old sobbed as she said she loved her children and apologised to Mr Gissendaner&#39;s family, saying she hoped they could find some peace and happiness. She also addressed her lawyer, Susan Casey.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I just want to say God bless you all and I love you, Susan. You let my kids know I went out singing Amazing Grace,&quot; Gissendaner said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	As well as Amazing Grace, Gissendaner also appeared to sing another song before taking several deep breaths and then becoming still.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	More than 100 people gathered in rainy conditions outside the prison to support her. Among them was Rev Della Bacote, a chaplain at Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville, who spent several hours with Gissendaner on Tuesday afternoon, talking and praying.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;She was at peace with whatever was to come,&quot; Rev Bacote said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Gissendaner&#39;s three children visited her on Monday but were not able to see her on Tuesday because they were giving evidence to the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, Rev Bacote said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Two of Gissendaner&#39;s three children had previously addressed the board and also put out a video earlier this month pleading for their mother&#39;s life and talking about their own difficult path to forgiveness. Her oldest son had not previously addressed the board.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Various courts, including the US Supreme Court, denied multiple last-ditch efforts to stop her execution, and the parole board stood by its February decision to deny clemency.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Pope Francis&#39;s diplomatic representative in the US, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, had sent a letter to the parole board on behalf of the pontiff asking for a commutation of Gissendaner&#39;s sentence &quot;to one that would better express both justice and mercy&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He cited an address the Pope made to a joint session of Congress last week in which he called for the abolition of the death penalty.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Gissendaner&#39;s lawyers also submitted a statement from former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Fletcher to the parole board, who argued that Gissendaner&#39;s death sentence was not proportionate to her role in the crime.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Her lover, Gregory Owen, who carried out the fatal stabbing, is serving a life sentence and will become eligible for parole in 2022.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Fletcher also noted that Georgia had not executed a person who had not actually committed a killing since the US Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Gissendaner&#39;s lawyers also said she was a seriously damaged woman who had undergone a spiritual transformation in prison and had been a model prisoner who had shown remorse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	But Mr Gissendaner&#39;s family said in a statement that he was the victim and that his wife received an appropriate sentence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;As the murderer, she&#39;s been given more rights and opportunity over the last 18 years than she ever afforded to Doug who, again, is the victim here,&quot; the statement said. &quot;She had no mercy, gave him no rights, no choices, nor the opportunity to live his life.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Gissendaner repeatedly pushed Owen in late 1996 to kill her husband rather than just divorcing him as Owen suggested, prosecutors have said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Acting on her instructions, Owen ambushed Douglas Gissendaner at Gissendaner&#39;s home, forced him to drive to a remote area and stabbed him multiple times, prosecutors said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/world-news/americas/georgia-executes-only-female-on-death-row-despite-appeals-by-children-and-pope-francis-to-save-her-31569929.html\">http://www.independent.ie/world-news/americas/georgia-executes-only-female-on-death-row-despite-appeals-by-children-and-pope-francis-to-save-her-31569929.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-09-30 09:49:47',NULL,'georgia-executes-only-female-on-death-row-despite-appeals-by-children-and-pope-francis-to-save-her'),(1305,'Child care order cases reveal themes of abuse','<p>\r\n	The misery of children finding nothing under the tree on Christmas morning while their mother slept off a hangover upstairs is just one of the heart-rending cases to feature in the latest batch of reports from the Child Care Law Reporting Project (CCLRP).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One of the children, a young girl, whose mother hit her and called her &ldquo;a scruffy little knacker&rdquo;, had run away from home to live with her grandfather but continued to fret about the welfare of her younger brother.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In a letter to the court she wrote: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m scared for my younger brother. Who is getting him dressed and bringing him to school?&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She told her social care leader that she wanted to live in foster care &ldquo;because most of the time at home I&rsquo;m being hit by my ma, she calls me a &lsquo;scruffy little knacker, a disgrace and a scumbag&rsquo;.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The girl told her that for Christmas last year she had asked for new shoes, but when she got up at 9.30 &ldquo;there were no presents under the tree&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Her little brother got very upset because he thought that Santa had not come.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Their mother got up and told them to go back to bed, then they heard noises in the attic and when they went downstairs &ldquo;there weren&rsquo;t as many presents as we&rsquo;d hoped for&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Her mother had been out all of Christmas Eve night.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The girl said that her mother &ldquo;drinks in the house all the time, there were always loads of parties&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	At one party, an adult sat on the sofa beside her, and then &ldquo;touched her in her private parts and asked if she was ok&rdquo;, the social care leader told the court.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said her friends were &ldquo;telling me to call Childline&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She had last seen her father four years ago. He had sent her a Communion card which she thought her mother had ripped up.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The judge granted a full care order saying the child &ldquo;has nowhere else to go&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Recurrent themes of intergenerational substance abuse, deprivation, learning disabilities, sexual and physical abuse and serious mental health problems feature prominently in the 37 latest cases published by the CCLRP.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In one case the parents abandoned their opposition to an application for a care order when the court heard the children had been living in a house where there was no heating or food, a young girl ate baby formula from the tin because there was nothing else, and the floor was covered in rotten food and dog faeces.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Rats had been seen in the house. One child stank of urine. After three days of evidence the parents&rsquo; barrister conceded the Child and Family Agency case was &ldquo;unassailable&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Social services had been involved with the family for three generations.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/child-care-order-cases-reveal-themes-of-abuse-356894.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/child-care-order-cases-reveal-themes-of-abuse-356894.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-01 09:06:39',NULL,'child-care-order-cases-reveal-themes-of-abuse'),(1306,'Concerns over disability care as workers protest','<p>\r\n	Ability West, a voluntary organisation which provides support for people with special needs, says it is very concerned about the impact industrial action by care workers will have on the provision of services for people with intellectual disabilities.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In a statement this afternoon, it said that the action being taken by care workers was likely to escalate if a dispute over pay was not resolved. Ability West says this would have a direct and negative impact on people availing of both residential and respite services.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The organisation which offers support to more than 500 people throughout Galway City and county, says it is working to ensure the provision of safe services to all those it supports.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Around 400 care workers at Brothers of Charity and Ability West services in Galway and Roscommon today embarked on industrial action, following a long running row over extended working hours payments.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The so-called &quot;twilight payments&quot; are given in recognition of the anti-social hours that some health care workers are rostered for duty.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The payments were introduced around ten years ago but two grades - social care workers and social care leaders - have only been in receipt of the allowances since the beginning of 2015.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In June, the Labour Relations Commission recommended that the workers receive retrospective payments for a three year period between 2012 and 2014.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is estimated this would cost in the region of &euro;4.1 million. Unions claim the Department of Health subsequently rowed back from the deal and say their members have no certainty about if or when the payments will be processed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Staff are initially working strictly to contract and not undertaking any additional duties. The care workers say they plan to escalate the action in the coming weeks but that every effort will be made to minimise the impact on service users.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Department of Health says it is engaging with the HSE to progress the issues involved. In a brief statement it said it hoped the matter will be resolved as soon as possible.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Unions have called on Minister for Health Leo Varadkar to intervene. IMPACT Assistant Secretary General Padraig Mulligan said care staff had embarked on their action as a last resort but that they were determined to see their rights vindicated and would continue their campaign as long as was necessary.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0908/726413-care-workers-protest/\">http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0908/726413-care-workers-protest/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-01 09:35:42',NULL,'concerns-over-disability-care-as-workers-protest'),(1307,'Half the photos on some paedophile sites are photos parents have shared online of their children','<ul>\r\n	<li>\r\n		Photos found on paedophile websites uncovered by eSafety investigators</li>\r\n	<li>\r\n		Many photos are posted on Facebook and Instagram by children&#39;s parents</li>\r\n	<li>\r\n		Some found on paedophile sites are saved in folders titled &#39;kids at beach&#39;</li>\r\n	<li>\r\n		More than 5,000 URLs of child abuse material were investigated last year</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p>\r\n	Half the material found on some paedophile image-sharing websites are just innocent photos of children doing everyday activities that have been shared on social media by their parents.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Australia&#39;s Children&#39;s eSafety Commissioner Alastair MacGibbon said millions of photos of children posted on Facebook, Kik and Instagram were found by investigators looking for child abuse material, Fairfax Media reports.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Many of the innocent photos were posted by their parents and found in folders on image-sharing websites under &#39;kids at beach&#39;, &#39;nice boys play in river&#39; and &#39;gymnasts&#39;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&#39;Many users clearly identify that they have obtained the content through trawling social media accounts,&#39; Mr MacGibbon said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&#39;The images are almost always accompanied by highly explicit and very disturbing user comments. Often, users exchange email addresses with invitations to connect outside the site to trade content.&#39;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Recent figures from the Office of the Children&rsquo;s eSafety Commissioner eSafety Hotline show more than 5,000 URLs of child sexual abuse material were investigated in the last financial year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	All of the content was found to be hosted outside of Australia.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The investigated material resulted in the removal of images depicting more than 25,000 children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&#39;Each image that gets taken down means one less child is re-victimised by the image being viewed and shared,&#39; Mr MacGibbon said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	About 91 percent of the content investigated by the eSafety Hotline was removed in less than three days in partnership with Australian law enforcement and the international network of Internet Hotlines.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3254334/Half-photos-paedophile-sites-pictures-parents-innocently-shared-online-children-beach-doing-gymnastics.html\">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3254334/Half-photos-paedophile-sites-pictures-parents-innocently-shared-online-children-beach-doing-gymnastics.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-01 04:00:00',NULL,'half-the-photos-on-some-paedophile-sites-are-photos-parents-have-shared-online-of-their-children'),(1308,'Teenage mother allowed to leave foster care with her baby','<p>\r\n	&ldquo;She has worked hard at organising her life, towards the goal of independence.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A teenager who was living in a foster home with her two-year-old child may move into accommodation with her partner and the child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Child &amp; Family Agency (CFA/Tusla) recently informed a district court in a provincial city of its decision in relation to the case.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A Care Order had been made for the child, who was born to the girl when she was 15 and was the subject of a Care Order in another jurisdiction. She had fled this jurisdiction when pregnant, fearing her child would be taken into care and adopted.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	When her baby was born the CFA sought a Care Order for it, but placed both the girl and baby in foster care, where she cared for her baby. The case recently came before the District Court for review.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The solicitor for the CFA said there would be an assessment of the girl in the coming months with a view to stepping down from a full Care Order for the baby to a Supervision Order. The baby had been the subject of a one-year Care Order.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&lsquo;She has worked hard &hellip; she is very feisty&rsquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The social worker told the court there had been a lot of developments. The mother&rsquo;s partner, the baby&rsquo;s father, was working full-time and had secured accommodation. A parenting capacity assessment of him had been carried out which was very favourable. They said the mother had outgrown the care system.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She is a mother. She has worked hard at organising her life, towards the goal of independence. She will need ongoing support for herself and the child. Further assessments will be undertaken by Barnardos. The child is generally very healthy. There is a plan. They have got accommodation. They are ready to move in. Her partner wants to live as a family with them. We are fully supportive.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The guardian ad litem (a person appointed by the court to advise on what is in the best interest of the child) said the mother loved her daughter and took very good practical care of her.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She is very honest with me, very feisty, which led to her separation from her own mother and her fears that her child will be taken away from her, so there is some distrust of the social work department &ndash; but she is willing to work with them. My recommendation at the moment is that she be supported to live independently with her child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;She is a good mother. Her social worker has great time for her. Her partner seems very interested in her and very supportive of her. He is aged 25, in a full-time job and willing to support the mother and his child. He came here from [the other jurisdiction]. He didn&rsquo;t come before because she was under the age of consent and he waited until she was older.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The judge commented that this was a very good outcome.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Comments are closed as the case is part of the Child Care Law Reporting Project. The latest volume can be read in full online here.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.thejournal.ie/teenage-mother-allowed-to-leave-care-2361786-Oct2015/\">http://www.thejournal.ie/teenage-mother-allowed-to-leave-care-2361786-Oct2015/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-02 09:38:06',NULL,'teenage-mother-allowed-to-leave-foster-care-with-her-baby'),(1309,'Racist teens who abused elderly couple on the Dart will be prosecuted, says Irish Rail','<p>\r\n	Irish Rail is &quot;seeking to identify&quot; teenagers who racially abused and threatened an elderly couple and a teen at a Dublin train station.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The shocking incident took place in Clonsilla on Sunday evening.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Fiona Lally (28), who saw the incident, took to Twitter to voice her disgust.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Just witnessed racial abuse in Dublin for the first time. Shameful,&quot; she tweeted.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Lally told the Herald that there were several teenagers causing trouble at the train station on Sunday night.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The group began to verbally &quot;abuse a young guy of about 16, then proceeded to abuse an elderly couple&quot;, she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Fiona was left in disbelief after one of the teenagers called the young man &quot;a n****r b*****d&quot; and continued to push and insult him.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	As they left the area, the group of teenagers also racially abused an elderly Asian couple who were standing nearby.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;[The teenagers] were mocking their language&hellip; and calling them &#39;c***ky b*****ds&#39;&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A representative for Irish Rail said: &quot;We will be reviewing our CCTV to establish if we can identify those involved in this incident and work to secure a prosecution.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Several people witnessed the incident but because of the aggressive behaviour of the group, they were afraid to intervene.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;It&#39;s the first time I&#39;ve witnessed it first-hand and it was extremely embarrassing, [and] intimidating to even stand near [the] group,&quot; Ms Lally said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She went on to say how she hadn&#39;t encountered such racism before, but admitted &quot;anyone can get in and out the gate [of the station] at off-peak hours with no ticket or leap card&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Barry Kenny, corporate communications manager at Irish Rail, told the Herald that they very much &quot;regret&quot; that their customers experienced this &quot;anti-social behaviour&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;While it is not unusual here, or internationally, for stations to be unmanned, particularly at less busy times, we do have CCTV on board our trains and at stations,&quot; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Irish Rail employ and deploy mobile security teams who travel around the network to check for issues such as this,&quot; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Incidents of anti-social behaviour are relatively rare and we will respond with additional security resources should they be required.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He went on to say: &quot;We also meet regularly with gardai and where there are specific recurring issues with anti-social behaviour we will address these.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/racist-teens-who-abused-elderly-couple-on-the-dart-will-be-prosecuted-says-irish-rail-31576139.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/racist-teens-who-abused-elderly-couple-on-the-dart-will-be-prosecuted-says-irish-rail-31576139.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-02 09:39:55',NULL,'racist-teens-who-abused-elderly-couple-on-the-dart-will-be-prosecuted-says-irish-rail'),(1310,'My head is on the block each day, says HSE chief O\'Brien','<p>\r\n	HSE chief Tony O&#39;Brien has said his head is &quot;on the block&quot; almost every day.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr O&#39;Brien has two years of his contract as director general of the health service to run.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Earlier this week, it emerged that Health Minister Leo Varadkar sent a memo to senior officials - not including Mr O&#39;Brien - saying heads will roll unless improvements are seen in A&amp;E overcrowding this winter.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr O&#39;Brien said the minister has the power to sack him and that as director general his head is on the block almost &quot;every day&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The hope is that overcrowding will be better than in 2014, when it reached record levels, and no worse than 2013, he told the &#39;Today With Sean O&#39;Rourke&#39; programme on RT&Eacute; radio.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Some 374 patients ended up on trolleys in April 2013 when numbers rose by 2pc.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The modest target means patients can at best hope for a mild reprieve and must brace themselves for long delays on trolleys again.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr O&#39;Brien said he plans that 300 hospital beds will be opened but problems recruiting staff may mean that this is not fully possible.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/my-head-is-on-the-block-each-day-says-hse-chief-obrien-31575832.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/my-head-is-on-the-block-each-day-says-hse-chief-obrien-31575832.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-02 10:18:17',NULL,'my-head-is-on-the-block-each-day-says-hse-chief-obrien'),(1311,'Dyslexia support needs to improve in classrooms','<p>\r\n	The nightmare in the classroom faced by many children with dyslexia is underscored by an abysmally low level of pre-service training among teachers to provide the right supports.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A new survey by the Dyslexia Association Ireland (DAI) found a paltry 30% of teachers reported receiving any pre-service training on dyslexia or special learning difficulties.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Unsurprisingly almost all teachers surveyed &mdash; 97% &mdash; agreed that they need and would benefit from training on dyslexia.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The findings, released to coincide with Dyslexia Awareness Week, show the struggle faced by parents with more than three quarters (76%) believing that early identification of dyslexia would help their child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Rosie Bissett, CEO of DAI, said families are forced to seek private assessment and supports as the education system is simply not meeting their needs.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Our survey also shows that even after dyslexia is identified, 55% of parents report ongoing difficulty in gaining help for their child,&rdquo; Ms Bissett said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said research has long shown the benefits of early identification and targeted intervention.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Bissett said with two thirds of parents dissatisfied with the level of Government support provided to assist families dealing with dyslexia, and a further 22% unsure of what the Government actually provides, &ldquo;there is a lot of work to be done by the Government in assisting families&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	More information on the survey and detail of fundraising activities can be found on dyslexia.ie.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty affecting the acquisition of fluent and accurate reading and spelling skills. It affects approximately 10% of the population.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/dyslexia-support-needs-to-improve-in-classrooms-357472.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/dyslexia-support-needs-to-improve-in-classrooms-357472.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-05 10:00:42',NULL,'dyslexia-support-needs-to-improve-in-classrooms'),(1312,'Warning of funds crisis in child protection','<p>\r\n	Groups providing family support, rape crisis, domestic violence, and marriage counselling services all face further funding cuts, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has warned.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Tusla chief executive Gordon Jeyes said that the agency was in a &ldquo;constant struggle&rdquo; to work within budget and more than 5,000 children, some &ldquo;at significant risk&rdquo;, were awaiting allocation of a social worker.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We are managing that risk, teams are monitoring it, they&rsquo;re looking at it, they&rsquo;re seeing if it changes, but there&rsquo;s nevertheless a significant risk because we&rsquo;re not intervening as early as we could,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We are trapped in a cycle of crisis interventions,&rdquo; he said, adding the situation served nobody.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Later interventions are not only less effective, they&rsquo;re more expensive.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Jeyes was speaking on RT&Eacute; radio after the leaking of a briefing document prepared for a Cabinet subcommittee. The document warns of children being left at risk of serious harm, and seeks a 20% increase in Tusla&rsquo;s budget over the next three years, amounting to an extra &euro;132m.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Jeyes said that, without additional funding, there would be further cuts to the specialist groups that work on Tusla&rsquo;s behalf in a range of family support fields.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/warning-of-funds-crisis-in-child-protection-357474.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/warning-of-funds-crisis-in-child-protection-357474.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-05 10:04:00',NULL,'warning-of-funds-crisis-in-child-protection'),(1313,'Robert Howard: Convicted rapist, child-killer and self-named \'Wolfhill Werewolf\' \'linked with up to six missing women\'','<p>\r\n	Robert Howard died in prison on Friday afternoon</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A child-killer and rapist who was suspected over the unsolved disappearance of an Irish schoolgirl has died in prison.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is believed Robert Howard could be connected to the disappearance of up to six women, including two high-profile cases in Ireland.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Robert Howard was last seen with Arlene Arkinson (15), from Castlederg, Co Tyrone, before she vanished after a night out at a disco across the border in Co Donegal in August 1994.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Howard was the prime suspect in the case but was later acquitted of her murder. The trial jury was unaware of his history of sex attacks and his conviction for strangling London teenager Hannah Williams in 2001.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is believed Howard&#39;s history of sex attacks and suspected murders stretches over 40 years, since he was first convicted of burglary at the age of 13. The 71-year-old called himself the &#39;Wolfhill Werewolf&#39;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	At the age of 19, Howard was convicted in the UK of trying to have sex with a six0year-old girl after he entered her room pretending to be a doctor. He was sentenced to nine days in a UK institution.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In 1973, he was convicted of robbing and repeatedly raping a 58-year-old woman in her Cork home during a terrifying five-hour ordeal.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In 1991, Howard kidnapped a 22-year-old woman and held her hostage for three weeks in Co Tyrone. The woman was repeatedly raped and abused throughout her ordeal. During the trial of Arlene, police became aware of the incident which occurred six years earlier but the victim was too traumatised to testify.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is also reported that Howard kidnapped a 16-year-old girl and kept her in his flat in Co Tyrone for three days in 1993. The girl is understood to have known Arlene, who vanished a year later.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Again, this victim could not give evidence and Howard received a suspended sentence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He was finally jailed for life in 2003 for the murder of London teen Hannah Williams (14) in 2001.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He was in jail in Co Durham, England, and was due to give evidence at the re-ordered inquest into Arlene&#39;s death before his death in jail.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Despite 92 searches and a long-running missing persons investigation, Arlene&#39;s body has never been recovered.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is understood Howard travelled between Ireland and the UK throughout his life after leaving Mountjoy Prison for the rape of the 58-year-old Cork woman in 1981. He lived in Monaghan, Letterkenny, Wexford and areas in Dublin including Coolock, Ranelagh and Clondalkin.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Police in both the UK and Ireland believe Howard could be linked with the disappearance of up to six women, including high-profile cases in Ireland.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He was not recorded on the Sex Offenders Register in Ireland because his convictions occurred before the list was drawn up as part of the Sex Offenders Act 2001.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Howard is believed to have died from natural causes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/robert-howard-convicted-rapist-childkiller-and-selfnamed-wolfhill-werewolf-linked-with-up-to-six-missing-women-31582318.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/robert-howard-convicted-rapist-childkiller-and-selfnamed-wolfhill-werewolf-linked-with-up-to-six-missing-women-31582318.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-05 10:05:53',NULL,'robert-howard-convicted-rapist-child-killer-and-self-named-wolfhill-werewolf-linked-with-up-to-six-missing-women'),(1314,'New \'Don\'t Be Afraid\' campaign urges victims of domestic abuse to speak out','<p>\r\n	One in five women in Ireland continues to experience abuse at the hands of their partner, according to a leading organisation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Women&rsquo;s Aid, which has just launched its &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t Be Afraid&rsquo; campaign, also said that one third of women never tell anyone about what is happening to them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The public awareness campaign encourages women living in an abusive situation to speak out and seek help.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Women&rsquo;s Aid receives calls from more than 30 women on an average day, and received 11,167 calls throughout 2014.<br />\r\n	But Margaret Martin, Director of Women&rsquo;s Aid, said that a &ldquo;huge stigma&rdquo; still remained in relation to domestic abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s much more difficult to leave a relationship when you are in a relationship with children,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;If you are in a relationship with someone who abuses you, people ask: &lsquo;If it&rsquo;s that bad, why hasn&rsquo;t she left him yet?&rsquo;&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Martin also pointed out that domestic abuse could take various forms, such as physical, psychological, financial and sexual abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very seldom that you&rsquo;re going to come across physical abuse and you&rsquo;re not going to come across emotional abuse,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In 2014, those who approached Women&rsquo;s Aid said they had been punched, slapped, kicked, held down, strangled and beaten with household items. Others told counsellors they had been belittled, criticised and stalked during the relationship and after leaving.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Martin also said that some controlling partners would go through receipts in order to track the movements and expenses of the woman, and undermine her independence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Martin said that contacting a helpline could make a &ldquo;huge difference&rdquo; and that Women&rsquo;s Aid were &ldquo;ready to listen&rdquo; &ndash; even if the victim found it hard to express themselves.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It might be a silent call. They might struggle and falter,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;For some women, it might come gushing out.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She also urged friends and families of victims to take time to listen to them, instead of advising them too soon.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;All too often, the response to her is: &lsquo;Just leave him,&rsquo;&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;What we know from research is that the time when a woman is thinking of leaving is the most dangerous time.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;There may not be room in a refuge, and there&rsquo;s a homeless crisis,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;She may end up sleeping on a floor or sofa of a friend.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Friends can be a huge support. If the woman is in court, a friend could pick up the kids from school or just go for a cup of coffee with the victim.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	TV3 presenter Elaine Crowley has also lent her support to the campaign, which will also send fresh information packs to nearly 500 professionals who support women affected by domestic abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;I know women are famous for talking to each other about all that life throws at us but in the case of domestic abuse, many women feel unable to tell even their closest family or friends,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Others do not even know how to start to describe the terrible abuse they are suffering.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	If you need to speak about your experience, call the Women&rsquo;s Aid National Freephone Helpline on 1800 341 900. The campaign also invites people to share the helpline number using the hashtag #DontBeAfraid.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/new-dont-be-afraid-campaign-urges-victims-of-domestic-abuse-to-speak-out-31584822.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/new-dont-be-afraid-campaign-urges-victims-of-domestic-abuse-to-speak-out-31584822.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-06 09:14:36',NULL,'new-dont-be-afraid-campaign-urges-victims-of-domestic-abuse-to-speak-out'),(1315,'Accused care workers challenge use of video film','<p>\r\n	Footage filmed by undercover reporter at care home</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Assault charges against care workers, which relied on video footage filmed covertly for RT&Eacute;&rsquo;s Prime Time programme, were &ldquo;tainted with illegality&rdquo;, a barrister said in court yesterday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Eoin Garavan told Judge Mary Devins at a District Court sitting in Ballina that RT&Eacute; had &ldquo;recklessly revealed&rdquo; the identities of the six HSE personnel who were employed at the HSE-run &Aacute;ras Attracta centre in Swinford.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Judge Devins heard submissions from lawyers representing the six accused on the admissibility of video evidence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Joan Gill, of Dublin Road, Swinford, faces five charges of assault at &Aacute;ras Attracta in mid-November last. The other five face one charge of assault each. They are Pat McLoughlin, Claremorris; Anna Ywunong Bostimbo, Charlestown; Kathleen King, Foxford, Co Mayo; Christine Delaney, Hollymount, Co Mayo; and Joan Walsh, Curry, Co Sligo.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	State Solicitor for Mayo, Vincent Deane, said the footage had been filmed by an undercover reporter. It was the sole evidence by which the State could secure a conviction, he said. The alleged victims were vulnerable intellectually disabled people who would not be able to give evidence. Judge Devins said she will announce her decision on Friday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/accused-care-workers-challenge-use-of-video-film-1.2380072\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/accused-care-workers-challenge-use-of-video-film-1.2380072</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-06 09:16:04',NULL,'accused-care-workers-challenge-use-of-video-film'),(1316,'Plan to move disabled out of institutions will take decades','<p>\r\n	Scheme to relocate up to 4,000 isolated and vulnerable people was due to take six years</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Government plans to move up to 4,000 people with intellectual disabilities out of outdated institutions within a six-year period are likely to take decades based on current trends, internal records show.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Under a policy announced in 2011, the Government and health authorities pledged to close unsuitable &ldquo;congregated settings&rdquo; within a seven-year period and move individuals into smaller group homes with personal supports.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This followed a major report commissioned by the Health Service Executive which found thousands of vulnerable people people living isolated lives, lacking in basic privacy and dignity.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Department of Environment housing records released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act show just 90 individuals out of a target of 300 have been transferred into community-based settings with supports over the past two years.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In addition, a significant portion of State funding &ndash; &euro;700,000 out of a &euro;2 million &ldquo;de-institutionalisation&rdquo; budget &ndash; ended up being returned to the exchequer between 2013 and 2014.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Responding to the figures, Brian O&rsquo;Donnell of the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies, which represents most service providers, said the process of closing down outdated institutions was now likely to take up to 20 years, based on current trends.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said that while providing community-based accommodation with the right support for individuals was complex and challenging for policymakers and service providers, more funding was urgently needed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It takes resources and hard work. I would call on the Government to increase resources if we want to make meaningful inroads into this challenge,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Paddy Connolly of Inclusion Ireland, the main representative group for people with intellectual disabilities, said the figures showed there was &ldquo;no real Government commitment&rdquo; to move people from &ldquo;demeaning institutions&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The idea that you can relocate 4,000 people who have spent at least two decades in care without significant investment is simply wrong,&rdquo; said Mr Connolly, the group&rsquo;s chief executive.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Key role</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said a failure to invest in the right supports for people being rehoused in the community would result in the process itself becoming abusive.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The HSE, which plays a key role in the de-institutionalisation process, has defended its record on the basis that moving individuals out of these settings was not its sole responsibility, but a collaborative one shared between people with disabilities, their families and carers, service providers, Government and wider society.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A new report, meanwhile, has indicated that more than 700 people with disabilities are benefitting from individualised supports .</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Next Steps report &ndash; involving 14 service providers under the umbrella of the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies &ndash; highlights progress in supporting people with disabilities to live a life of their choosing.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It shows many individuals have moved into a range of community settings of their choice, using housing support and rent supplement.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr O&rsquo;Donnell said service providers had managed to move towards a greater emphasis on individualised supports, despite budget cuts.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They way we are funded, by way of block grants, tends to encourage a one-size-fits-all approach,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This is a movement away from that and its trying to reach each person as an individual and identifying their goals in life.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	But he warned the process was being challenged by the &ldquo;burden of compliance&rdquo; linked to the Health Information and Quality Authority&rsquo;s (Hiqa) regulatory requirements.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In addition, he estimated the cost of alone of complying with all standards for service providers was in the region of &euro;54 million.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A series of recent Hiqa reports have raised major concerns over the welfare and safety of people with disabilities in a range of institutions run by the HSE and voluntary service providers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/plan-to-move-disabled-out-of-institutions-will-take-decades-1.2379825\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/plan-to-move-disabled-out-of-institutions-will-take-decades-1.2379825</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-06 09:17:36',NULL,'plan-to-move-disabled-out-of-institutions-will-take-decades'),(1317,'‘Not enough done’ on child sex abuse','<p>\r\n	Not enough is being done to keep children safe from sexual harm, according to one of the country&rsquo;s leading sexual abuse charities.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One in Four has called on the Government to tackle the situation immediately.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We must encourage adult survivors to come forward and take very seriously their accounts of their childhood experiences,&rdquo; said executive director Maeve Lewis ahead of today&rsquo;s launch of the charity&rsquo;s annual report.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;If we are to keep children safe we must have the commitment and resources to put in place an effective child protection system and a criminal justice system that honours the experience of victims of serious sexual crimes, making sure that sex offenders cannot continue to act with impunity.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Lewis said this country still has &ldquo;a long way to go&rdquo; before it becomes a society where lives are not &ldquo;blighted by child sexual abuse&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said most underage victims of sexual abuse do not come forward, which is why the One in Four organisation has to rely on the testimony of adult survivors.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Do we really encourage adults to come forward?&rdquo; said Ms Lewis. &ldquo;Are their accounts taken seriously by child protection services when they report the person who abused them and is still active in the community? Have we a criminal justice system in place that forces sex offenders to account for their actions? The answer, sadly, is no.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Last year, the charity provided counselling to 116 survivors and 43 families, a total of 2,643 therapy hours. Advocacy officers from One in Four provided information and support to 672 people.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One in Four also revealed that it had to close its waiting list for four months because it could not afford to employ enough counsellors to deal with the demand for services, something Ms Lewis describes as a &ldquo;truly terrible situation&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While Ms Lewis admits she was &ldquo;heartened&rdquo; to hear about the new Child and Family Agency, Tusla, which was set up last year, and hoped the response to historic allegations of sexual abuse would improve, she said this was not the case.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Despite policy and legislative developments, we still meet a child protection service in disarray, with inconsistent responses across the country and poor assessments of risk,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We are also not happy with the way anxious, distressed clients are treated by social workers.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One in Four said it worked with 32 sex offenders and their wives or partners last year. More than a third of the offenders were young men aged between 18 and 25.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;During the past year, sex offenders have travelled from all over the country to access the Phoenix Programme, our sex offender intervention programme,&rdquo; said Ms Lewis.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The majority of these men (53%) sexually abused children in their own families. Others abused children they came into contact with in their own communities. Most will never be convicted for their offences because their victims do not want to make a complaint to the garda&iacute;. This means that there are dangerous individuals in every community in this country who are able to continue abusing children.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This is a problem which needs to be tackled immediately, she said, by properly training garda&iacute; in how to deal with sexual abuse victims in a sensitive manner, by encouraging survivors to come forward, by improving the criminal justice system and by implementing effective intervention programmes for offenders.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	For more information on One in Four, go to www.oneinfour.ie or phone 01 6624070.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/not-enough-done-on-child-sex-abuse-357903.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/not-enough-done-on-child-sex-abuse-357903.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-07 09:06:07',NULL,'‘not-enough-done’-on-child-sex-abuse'),(1318,'Corrupt officials face up to 10 years in jail under new Bill','<p>\r\n	Frances Fitzgerald to bring Corruption Bill to Cabinet within weeks</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Holders of public office could face up to 10 years in prison and removal from office if convicted of corruption under new laws planned by the Minister for Justice.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Frances Fitzgerald is to bring an adjusted Corruption Bill to Cabinet within weeks aimed at strengthening the law in this area.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In addition to lengthy prison sentences, it will allow for unlimited fines.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A judge can also order the official to forfeit their office and exclude them from seeking public office for a number of years.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Under current legislation, a person convicted of being corrupt faces a fine of &euro;250,000, or a jail term of up to three years, or both.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Under the new Bill, a public official will be presumed corrupt if he or she fails to declare their interests and if he or she accepts a gift in breach of ethical or disciplinary codes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The proposed legislation will criminalise any person who accepts money associated with their role and those who take a bribe with a view to influencing a public official or planning official.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Family members</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It will also make it punishable for any spouse, civil partner, child or parent of a public office holder to receive any gift or advantage.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The scope of the legislation will cover any interference with the appointment of a person to an office and with the acquisition, letting or sale of any property or land.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It will also include the role of a public office-holder in the functions of the National Asset Management Agency or the Central Bank, and in an investigation or prosecution of an offence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A Department of Justice source said the Bill was aimed at enhancing the ability of the Director of Public Prosecutions in securing convictions against those who accept corrupt gifts or payments.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Donations</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Bill will apply to people in private and public office, including ministers, TDs and senators, judges, civil and public servants and local authority members.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In light of the recommendations of the planning tribunal report, the legislation has been expanded to cover donations made to political parties and to family and associates of public officials.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The revised Corruption Bill will also allow for presumption of corrupt enrichment where a public official&rsquo;s lifestyle or property is out of proportion with his or her official income or registered interests.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Corporations</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Bill will also contain an important new provision whereby a corporate body can be held criminally liable if an employee carries out a corrupt act with the intention of obtaining an advantage for the body.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The proposed legislation will replace seven overlapping corruption Acts stretching back to Victorian times.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Corruption Bill was initially published by former minister for justice Alan Shatter, in 2012.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Fitzgerald will seek Cabinet approval to publish the Bill within weeks and is seeking to have it introduced in the D&aacute;il in the new year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/corrupt-officials-face-up-to-10-years-in-jail-under-new-bill-1.2381585\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/corrupt-officials-face-up-to-10-years-in-jail-under-new-bill-1.2381585</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-07 09:10:59',NULL,'corrupt-officials-face-up-to-10-years-in-jail-under-new-bill'),(1319,'Enda Kenny willing to meet family of missing girl Mary Boyle','<p>\r\n	Six-year-old girl went missing in Co Donegal nearly 30 years ago</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he is willing to meet the family of Mary Boyle, a six-year-old girl who went missing in Co Donegal nearly 30 years ago.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mary&rsquo;s twin, Ann Doherty, met TDs yesterday and pleaded for further investigations into her sister&rsquo;s case.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Taoiseach told the D&aacute;il he had received information about Mary&rsquo;s disappearance years ago and had passed it on to garda&iacute;. He said he could not say if the allegation made was followed up or not.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Kenny said operational matters for garda&iacute;, on a day-to-day basis, were a matter for the Garda Commissioner. Mr Kenny said he was more than willing to meet the Boyle family if they requested.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Doherty has claimed she has new information about her sister&rsquo;s disappearance and knows who was behind it. She said the circumstances of her death have not been fully investigated and the evidence has not been thoroughly examined.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Doherty met deputies from a range of parties including Sinn F&eacute;in&rsquo;s Pearse Doherty and P&aacute;draig Mac Lochlainn, Fianna F&aacute;il&rsquo;s John McGuinness, Renua leader Lucinda Creighton and Social Democrat Catherine Murphy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mary Boyle was six when she vanished in 1977. She was last seen close to her grandparents&rsquo; home at Cashelard in Donegal on March 18th, 1977. She has not been seen since and is presumed dead.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/enda-kenny-willing-to-meet-family-of-missing-girl-mary-boyle-1.2381501\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/enda-kenny-willing-to-meet-family-of-missing-girl-mary-boyle-1.2381501</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-07 09:14:23',NULL,'enda-kenny-willing-to-meet-family-of-missing-girl-mary-boyle'),(1320,'Children taken into care following neglect allegations','<p>\r\n	Father begs judge for custody of his children during Family Court hearing</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A family of young children were taken into the care of the Child and Family Agency yesterday after the judge heard allegations of emotional abuse and neglect.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Their father, who is separated from the children&rsquo;s mother and not their carer, sobbed in court and begged the judge to allow him to have custody of his children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The children&rsquo;s mother acknowledged that she was not in a position to care for them at present.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dublin District Family Court heard the couple, who were not married, had split in 2014.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The social worker told Judge Marie Quirke that the children&rsquo;s school attendance was very poor and the mother lacked motivation to complete necessary tasks, including taking them to medical appointments.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The social worker said he made very regular visits to the mother&rsquo;s home and the young children were regularly outside unsupervised.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said he had witnessed the youngest running out in front of a car, while older children had thrown stones and broken windows.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Mother struggles with boundaries; the respect isn&rsquo;t there,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They are spending a lot of time in the park and beginning to get into anti-social behaviour.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He accepted that the mother had health problems that made her lack energy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The agency had &ldquo;exhausted every mechanism&rdquo; to support her over the last three years, he said, but nothing had worked.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The social worker said there were concerns over the father caring for the children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said that the couple had a history of domestic violence, witnessed by the children, and although the father had &ldquo;calmed down&rdquo;, he still needed to address his anger issues.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He also said the father was living with his mother and sister in a two-bedroom house.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The father had suggested the children could have one room, his mother and sister the other, and that he could sleep on the couch.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The court heard that there had been an attack on the mother&rsquo;s home and it had been searched for drugs in the past.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The social worker accepted the father, who saw his children once a week, was loving and he described both parents as &ldquo;extremely nice people&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said a rural foster home had been sourced for the children and they would be kept together.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He had agreed with the mother that they would be told she was unwell and that they were going away for a break.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Interim care order</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A solicitor for the mother said she did not accept all of the allegations against her, but accepted the necessity for an interim care order, a short-term order.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The father, who was not represented in court, begged the judge not to make an order.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Please, your honour, don&rsquo;t take my kids away; my kids are my life,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They would never be the same if they go into care.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said there was no need for it and suggested family members who could help care for them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They have me . . . their hearts will be broken,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The judge said the children&rsquo;s hearts would not be broken so long as he was &ldquo;there for them and supported them&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She asked the social worker to ensure the father got greater access to the children than he currently had.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She made an interim order to November 5th.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;These children have very loving parents; everybody has their problems, but that is something you can&rsquo;t buy,&rdquo; the judge said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/district-court/children-taken-into-care-following-neglect-allegations-1.2384437\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/district-court/children-taken-into-care-following-neglect-allegations-1.2384437</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-09 09:20:18',NULL,'children-taken-into-care-following-neglect-allegations'),(1321,'Man who murdered mum and her two young kids on Christmas morning due for parole early next year','<p>\r\n	Brian Hennessy raped and strangled Sharon Whelan before torching the house which led to Zsara, seven, and two-year-old Nadia dying from carbon monoxide poisoning</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A man who murdered a mother and her two young children on Christmas morning is due for parole early next year, it emerged today.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Brian Hennessy raped and strangled Sharon Whelan before torching the house which led to Zsara, seven, and two-year-old Nadia dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The killer targeted the family at their home in Roscon, Windgap, Co Kilkenny, in 2008.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Hennessy later told gardai he did it to avoid his girlfriend finding out he had sex with</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Sharon, 30, despite not knowing her.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He revealed: &ldquo;I just strangled her with my two hands around her neck. I killed her in the living room.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Now Sharon&rsquo;s devastated relatives are bracing themselves for the prospect of meeting him on the streets next year &ndash; just seven years after his conviction.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Sharon&rsquo;s brother John, who is chairman of victims&rsquo; support group AdVic, said: &ldquo;Brian Hennessy raped and strangled Sharon and then remained in the house before he set two fires to cover his tracks.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It was total self preservation to hide any evidence but it didn&rsquo;t work and the DNA evidence resulted in his arrest.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	His family is devastated Hennessy, from Windgap, will be eligible for release in a matter of months.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	John added: &ldquo;People can go for parole now after seven years.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;To allow someone who has been convicted of three murders to go for parole after seven years brings back all the pain and rawness for the family.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The State should prevent families from having to go through this heartache.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;With the way that sentencing is now there is no deterrent out there at the moment.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We have to live with the deaths of our loved ones every day. We are serving a life sentence for the rest of our lives.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	DNA evidence proved crucial in Hennessy&rsquo;s arrest and he was convicted of the three murders in November 2009.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The temporary postman, who initially denied the killings but later entered a guilty plea, was 23 when he murdered the young family.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He was originally sentenced to one life sentence for Ms Whelan&rsquo;s death and one for each of her daughters.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This was successfully appealed by him in 2010 and he is now serving the three terms concurrently &ndash; meaning he is not serving any additional time behind bars for the sisters&rsquo; deaths.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	John said: &ldquo;He is now serving one life sentence for the three murders and my question to the powers that be is, &lsquo;Who is he serving the sentence for&rsquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;No one has ever told me or my parents which one &ndash; is it Sharon or Nadia or Zsara?</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It nullifies the value of the other two lives. This man has wiped out one third of our family in one night and now he can go for parole in February or March of next year.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	John spoke of the &ldquo;cruelty&rdquo; of the criminal justice system, which allows for a murderer to apply for release after just seven years of a life sentence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said: &ldquo;The strain and anxiety and stress that it puts on our grieving family knowing that he can go for parole in a few months is hard to bear.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;After seven years you have tried to move on a bit as a family and have tried to adjust and cope.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Time doesn&rsquo;t heal. You just learn to cope, you learn to live in a different way.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;In our eyes two of our family members&rsquo; lives mean nothing to the State.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	John and AdVic are campaigning for a shake-up of the criminal justice system.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said: &ldquo;We are calling for changes to sentencing, parole and the bail policies which do not serve either families or society as a whole.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;However, so far we have got zero response from the Government.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think the political will is there to change the current system.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Victims are not being listened to and their voices are not being heard.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	AdVic is also campaigning for a mandatory minimum tariff of 15 years in the case of murder, with an upwards increment including the option of a life tariff without parole.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It said: &ldquo;Nothing can bring Sharon and the girls back.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Life is the most precious thing we have and those who choose to take it away deserve stronger</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	sanctions.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;If someone makes a conscious decision to end that we must look at ourselves seriously as a country and as a modern society and say is it good enough for victims and their families that this is how we dealt with that? I don&rsquo;t think it is.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;In the case of Sharon and the girls, a change in sentencing won&rsquo;t make any difference as the law cannot be applied retrospectively but for the next family it could and changes in sentencing would make our society a safer place.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	AdVic is a support service for families bereaved by murder, manslaughter and fatal assault.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It also provides information and help for people.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/man-who-murdered-mum-two-6598881\">http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/man-who-murdered-mum-two-6598881</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-09 09:22:05',NULL,'man-who-murdered-mum-and-her-two-young-kids-on-christmas-morning-due-for-parole-early-next-year'),(1322,'Foreign staff in care homes face racism','<p>\r\n	More than one third of foreign staff working in care homes have experienced racism or discrimination, according to a new report by Age Action.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The research involved a survey of 71 staff members working in 13 care homes across north Co Dublin, and also canvassed the views of residents and managers. It found 27 workers born outside Ireland had experienced discrimination or racially motivated abuse, while a further 38 had witnessed a colleague treated in a similar manner.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	According to the report, in many cases no report was made to management, while in some cases where management was informed, the staff member was unhappy with the outcome.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Age Action head of advocacy and communications Justin Moran said the survey highlighted the need for a robust and easily understood equality policy in every care home.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He also said that staff, when undergoing their personal development training, should be able to undertake a cultural-awareness element so they feel more comfortable with residents, and that special one-off events, like food or music- related activities highlighting foreign cultures, could also benefit residents.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;When we did exercises and intercultural training with them the responses from the staff and residents was very, very positive. Practical things can be done to make a difference,&rdquo; said Mr Moran.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Nobody involved in the study who had been the subject of racial abuse made a complaint to garda&iacute;, and in some cases staff were told the person making an abusive comment had dementia.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Justin Moran said many residents were very grateful for the efforts made by staff, both Irish and foreign, but that it was in everyone&rsquo;s interests if any issues over racism or discrimination were dealt with promptly.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/foreign-staff-in-care-homes-face-racism-358331.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/foreign-staff-in-care-homes-face-racism-358331.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-09 09:24:29',NULL,'foreign-staff-in-care-homes-face-racism'),(1323,'Tusla warning Govt to invest in child services','<p>\r\n	A failure to invest in services for vulnerable children and families could see future costs rise by over nine times their current levels, the Government has been warned.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The business plan of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla), seen by RT&Eacute;&#39;s This Week, says there is a &quot;strong and compelling&quot; case for investment.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Leaving moral and societal values to one side and examining this business case in cold commercial terms, it is clear that resourcing child and family services represents a sensible investment for the State.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The document highlights UK research which estimates savings of over &pound;9 for every &pound;1 invested in early intervention.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The business case notes that such research uses the same methodology as that of Public Expenditure Minister Brendan Howlin&#39;s department.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	An upfront investment of &euro;79.8m would be needed in 2016 to cover the agency&#39;s capital, pay and other requirements, with a further &euro;58m needed by 2018.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	An estimated &euro;42.1m would be needed in 2016 to maintain services at current levels.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A failure to invest, the agency argues, will result in discontinuation of services and an inability to respond to the most serious child protection cases in a timely manner.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Preliminary reports of child protection concerns are not all currently being followed up, according to the report, with over one third not being responded to in the initial 24-hour period, as is required.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Children at serious risk will not be identified quickly and this could result in serious harm to a child&quot;, the document warns.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The document expresses concern that resources constraints could also result in the 742 children who have been identified as being at risk not being sufficiently monitored.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It warns of a &quot;failure to monitor child protection plans that ensure children are safe when ongoing risk of harm has been assessed and identified. This can result in significant harm to children and possible death&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Tusla&#39;s inability to follow up on over 1,200 retrospective reporting of child abuse made by adults may be leaving children at risk from the same alleged perpetrators and leaving the agency open to legal action.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Children may be subject to ongoing abuse from an adult perpetrator&quot;, the document warns and says that &quot;Tusla may be subject to legal action if our response is not timely and robust in respect of fair procedures&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Tusla also faces additional pay costs of &euro;15m arising from decisions from the Labour Court and Labour Relations Commission.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A Labour Court decision on pay for staff working night shifts will result in an increase of &euro;11m for the agency. Another retrospective pay claim, dating back to before the agency&#39;s establishment, will cost Tusla another &euro;4m.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Capital spending of almost &euro;24m is also required, the agency argues, in order to upgrade special care facilities (&euro;20.5m) and roll out ICT (&euro;3.5m) projects, such as the the National Childcare Information System.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Building work includes a fire upgrade at the Ballydowd campus and refurbishment of Creag Aran House for youths with substance abuse issues.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	An inability to upgrade facilities would lead the agency to be &quot;guilty of non-compliance on numerous fronts&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	These include complying with: &quot;Court orders for the detention of children; HIQA and regulatory standards and fire, Health and safety standards.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The business case also warns of the impact of insufficient investment on staff morale and a danger that board members of the agency may resign.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1011/733981-tusla/\">http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1011/733981-tusla/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-12 09:22:12',NULL,'tusla-warning-govt-to-invest-in-child-services'),(1324,'Report recommends weight management centres all over country','<p>\r\n	A new report has recommended that specialist weight management centres be set up in each of the six HSE regions to provide treatment for people who are obese.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland said there needed to be wider access to services in the community and increased funding for obesity treatment for children and adults.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is also calling for the appointment of a national clinical lead for obesity, and said services for obese children and adults should be provided in all healthcare settings.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report said healthcare professionals needed specialist training to help reduce the stigma of the disease for patients.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One in four children and two out of three adults in Ireland are overweight or obese. There are currently two treatments centres for obese patients in the country - at St Colmcille&rsquo;s in Loughlinstown and at University Hospital Galway.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/report-recommends-weight-management-centres-all-over-country-700254.html\">http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/report-recommends-weight-management-centres-all-over-country-700254.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-12 09:23:52',NULL,'report-recommends-weight-management-centres-all-over-country'),(1325,'Man had 170-page manual \'on how to abuse and groom children\'','<p>\r\n	A man has admitted having a 170-page paedophile manual on how to groom children in one of the most disturbing cases ever uncovered in Northern Ireland.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Gary Carruthers (34), from Victoria Street, Belfast, was found with more than 6,000 indecent images of youngsters.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Police also discovered &#39;pseudo-images&#39;, where the faces of children are superimposed onto abuse images. It is believed that one of these images used a photograph of a child known to Carruthers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The 6,000-plus pictures were found on two storage devices which were part of a haul of 30 found in the bedroom of the house Carruthers shared with his mother and sister. The National Crime Agency (NCA) is yet to investigate 28 of the devices.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	An officer from the NCA told the court how some of the files, contained within discs found in a safe in the defendant&#39;s bedroom, were encrypted, and that attempts to secure codes to access them had so far been unsuccessful.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A solicitor for Carruthers said his client had not refused to reveal the codes, rather that he did not know that the files, which were downloaded from a website, were encrypted or he did not know the passwords.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ards Magistrates Court heard yesterday how the images that have so far been accessed varied in degree of severity from level one up to level five.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The NCA officer said the 170-page manual was a guide on &quot;how to approach a child&quot; and gave detailed steps on grooming a youngster, from the first introduction to full physical abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A prosecuting lawyer said that Carruthers, who had no criminal record, presented &quot;a clear and present danger to children&quot;. The NCA officer said he could not disagree with the assessment.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Carruthers appeared handcuffed in the dock of the court with head bowed for the duration of the brief hearing, visibly shaking throughout.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He is charged with possessing the manual on September 16 and with possessing indecent photographs of children on the same date.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He is further charged with making indecent pseudo-images of children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He attended court yesterday following his arrest the previous day, which his barrister pointed out was at variance with a decision by the PSNI to remand him on police bail when first charged on September 16.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The lawyer said that when Carruthers, who made full admissions to the charges, enlisted his services on September 23, police already knew of the charges and the details of the items found.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;He was bailed to his home address to live with his mother and sister but agreed to leave that address and went to stay at a hostel, where he stayed until yesterday before his arrest,&quot; the lawyer added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;In terms of bail, police were aware of this on September 23 and he wasn&#39;t rearrested. My point is that if there was such a concern, then he should have been arrested on that date, but he wasn&#39;t.&quot; The solicitor conceded the contents of the manual were &quot;horrific and alarming&quot; and said his client, who had been working part-time as a cleaner, lived &quot;an isolated existence&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;He has no friends, his only communication with anyone is through the internet and he spends his entire life in his bedroom,&quot; he added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The court also heard that there was &quot;no evidence that he has ever made any approach to anyone&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;These are serious issues, but this is also a person who has detached himself from reality,&quot; the solicitor said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;My submission is that [the files] do not leave his bedroom, and there&#39;s no evidence that he was intending to act upon them.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The solicitor continued that his client had &quot;fallen under the radar&quot; during his life and questioned Carruthers&#39; &quot;understanding&quot; of the crimes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	But refusing bail, district judge Mark Hamill said the existence of the manual meant it was impossible to release him.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Hamill added: &quot;The court finds it difficult to accept that he has it [the manual] for theoretical reasons. The court can&#39;t accept putting children at risk.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Carruthers was remanded in custody to appear in court again via videolink on November 6.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/man-had-170page-manual-on-how-to-abuse-and-groom-children-31601754.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/man-had-170page-manual-on-how-to-abuse-and-groom-children-31601754.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-12 09:26:00',NULL,'man-had-170-page-manual-on-how-to-abuse-and-groom-children'),(1326,'National audit of halting sites ordered after tragic blaze claimed lives of five adults and five children','<p>\r\n	A national audit of halting sites is to be carried out following the deaths of 10 people in Carrickmines.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Department of the Environment confirmed last night that it will write to local authorities today telling them to start checking sites in their areas to make sure they are up to code.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is understood that checks will be carried out to make sure structures are safe and that there is no loose wiring or other potential fire hazards.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Traveller families will also be given fire safety advice and instructions on how to use fire extinguishers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Lord Mayor of Dublin Cr&iacute;ona N&iacute; Dh&aacute;laigh yesterday asked Dublin City Council to begin such a safety audit as she opened a book of condolence at the Mansion House for the five adults and five children who perished in the blaze at a halting site on the Glenamuck Rock at the weekend.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I&#39;ve called on the City Manager to carry out the audit of all our own halting sites, because what we need to learn from this is that this can never happen again and we need to make sure that our own halting sites are actually safe,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Crowds were already gathering outside the Mansion House before the opening of the book of condolence yesterday morning.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;There&#39;s been a huge outpouring of grief and solidarity with the Travelling community following on from the tragic deaths, and this is just an example of it, when you see the queue forming here to sign the book of condolence,&quot; said Ms N&iacute; Dh&aacute;laigh.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Lord Mayor was joined by President Michael D Higgins, who said that he and his wife Sabina wanted to express their sympathy on their own behalf and on behalf of the Irish people.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Higgins called the many books of condolence that were now open across the country &quot;an opportunity for the general public to express their sympathy and solidarity with the families&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I think the whole country is deeply moved by the significance of the tragedy and the grief that must have fallen on that family,&quot; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The queue outside makes its own expression of the anxiety of the public to express their sympathy with the families,&quot; he added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Our thoughts must be with those injured members of the family who are in Crumlin Hospital.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The tragedy happened at the site on the Glenamuck Road, in Carrickmines, at about 4am on Saturday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Flames tore through a prefab and the blaze quickly spread to a second home, leaving the victims with little chance of survival.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Tara Gilbert (27), who was four months&#39; pregnant, died along with her partner Willie Lynch (25) and their children Jodie (9) and Kelsey (4).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Willie&#39;s sister Sylvia Connors (25) also perished along with her husband Thomas (27) and three of their children - Jim (5), Christy (2) and five-month-old Mary.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The 10th victim was Jimmy Lynch (39) - Willie and Sylvia&#39;s brother.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Last night, the Southside Travellers Action Group confirmed that 14-year-old John Connors, one of the two children who had been hospitalised following the disaster, had been released from hospital.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Tom Connors (4) is continuing his recovery in hospital, a spokesperson for the group said. Both Tom and his brother Michael (5) have been orphaned following the weekend&#39;s tragedy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Floral tributes continued to be left for the victims at the scene of the tragedy, with locals as well as extended family members paying their respects.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Our tears are falling and our hearts are breaking for you as you face this unspeakable loss,&quot; read one of the hundreds of messages left outside the Glenamuck Road halting site.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Another message simply stated: &quot;There are no words&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Society of St Vincent de Paul has also opened a bank account for donations from members of the public for the families affected.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Garda&iacute; have not established what caused the devastating fire, however, they are still confident that the inferno was not started deliberately.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/national-audit-of-halting-sites-ordered-after-tragic-blaze-claimed-lives-of-five-adults-and-five-children-31604605.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/national-audit-of-halting-sites-ordered-after-tragic-blaze-claimed-lives-of-five-adults-and-five-children-31604605.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-13 09:08:22',NULL,'national-audit-of-halting-sites-ordered-after-tragic-blaze-claimed-lives-of-five-adults-and-five-children'),(1327,'University of Limerick to clear counselling waiting list','<p>\r\n	The University of Limerick (UL) has implemented new measures to combat the growing number of students on waiting lists to receive counselling.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The institution, which is responding to the huge demand for on-campus counselling services, has allocated extra funds to clear the waiting list for this service by the end of the year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This additional resource means it can employ the services of another full-time counsellor, which translates into 20 extra sessions a week.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Within the first four weeks of term we had developed a long waiting list of more than 40 students. We went, and the Students&rsquo; Union went, to university authorities and they responded and said they weren&rsquo;t happy with the situation either and said they&rsquo;d give funding to ensure no students have to wait to be seen,&rdquo; said head of counselling at UL Dr Declan Aherne.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a response to an issue that has been building over the years. It&rsquo;s clearly not going away so the university has taken a positive step and said yes, let&rsquo;s address it now, in the short term. They&rsquo;ve also agreed in the long term to look at a more sustainable solution regarding an extra position.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said he was &ldquo;absolutely delighted&rdquo; with the decision the university has taken and said its response was extremely positive.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They&rsquo;re [the university[ really showing a genuine commitment to helping students who are struggling.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Students&rsquo; Union, along with Dr Aherne, said it ramped up efforts to tackle the waiting list issue after reading an article in the Irish Examiner which revealed the number of students attending counselling nationwide increased 300% in the last eight years.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;After reading that I really wanted to do something so I wrote a press release calling on the HEA and the HSE to collaborate and make sure the funding is part of the budget and then internally we&rsquo;ve been lobbying the director of student affairs and our governing authority,&rdquo; said president of the University of Limerick Students&rsquo; Union (ULSU) Colin Clarke.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve just been saying it every chance I get, at every single meeting, at finance meetings, governing authority, everything, until something was done. And from yesterday the extra hours were there.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Clarke said the move &ldquo;makes sense&rdquo; and that an increase in the demand for services should logically mean an increase in the supply of services.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It makes sense for colleges nationwide to invest in the mental health of their students. UL took on three new people to increase their retention rates because retention rates are obviously very important,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;But if you actually look at the statistics, the biggest thing preventing people from dropping out is counselling. They&rsquo;ve gone to counselling and they&rsquo;ve gotten better and have decided to stick it out. So it&rsquo;s not just the morally right thing to do, it also makes business sense to keep people in college.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Clarke said campaigns such as Please Talk and other mental health campaigns promote the idea of going to talk to a professional if you are having issues.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, the effectiveness of those campaigns is negated if they reach out to a service and cannot be seen immediately, he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/university-of-limerick-to-clear-counselling-waiting-list-358949.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/university-of-limerick-to-clear-counselling-waiting-list-358949.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-13 09:11:37',NULL,'university-of-limerick-to-clear-counselling-waiting-list'),(1328,'Any cuts to Tusla will affect victims of sex assault and rape','<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Domestic violence and rape crisis sector will be the target of further cuts, according to the Child and Family Agency&rsquo;s chief executive, writes Cliona Saidlear</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A leaked Tusla (the Child and Family Agency) briefing to a Cabinet subcommittee regarding the agency being &ldquo;in default of statutory obligations&rdquo; due to a lack of resources, prompted its chief executive, Gordon Jeyes, to make a number of public statements on RT&Eacute;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Those statements highlighted a serious question about how an agency whose overriding priority is child protection can champion and support adult survivors and services for predominantly women suffering violence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	What we learnt was that half of all Tusla cuts to date have been made to its community and voluntary sector spending (it controls statutory funding of sexual and domestic violence services and family resource centres).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Jeyes said the domestic violence and rape crisis sectors will be the targets of further cuts should the Government not meet Tusla&rsquo;s child protection and early intervention funding demands.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Cutting the domestic and sexual violence sector would not gain Tusla the funding it requires to make up its deficits in child protection, estimated by Tusla at &euro;132m over a three-year period. The sexual and domestic violence sector, of 60 services nationwide, represents only 3% of the overall Tusla budget at an annual &euro;19m out of &euro;635m.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	So why, if it won&rsquo;t deliver the necessary funds, are sexual violence victims&rsquo; services being threatened with these cuts?</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	That is a question we cannot answer.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	What we can say, however, is that pitching survivors of sexual violence against child protection is unfair, degrading, and heartbreaking. The protection of children from becoming victims is vital.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Treating with dignity and responding to the needs of those survivors of the State&rsquo;s past failures to protect children is vital. Making survivors and survivors&rsquo; organisations argue for one over the other option is unjust. Yet this is precisely what Mr Jeyes articulated over the weekend.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, before we rush to judgment, we might note that this competition was inevitable when the Government set up Tusla.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Sexual and domestic violence services, predominantly for adults, and predominantly for women, were transferred from the HSE to Tusla &mdash; the Child and Family Agency.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It was clear from the start that child protection would be the biggest &lsquo;driver&rsquo; within the agency and that the agency was underfunded. Yet no safeguards, such as ringfencing the funding of vulnerable organisations at the furthest edges of the agency&rsquo;s priorities, were put in place.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	That the dignity and needs of adult survivors would inevitably be threatened in the interest of preventing children today becoming the survivors of tomorrow was therefore tragically predictable.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Despite 40 years of the feminist movement and considerable advances, sexual violence against women remains, an issue shrouded in silences. We estimate that 80% of survivors do not choose to engage with the State.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is all too easy to say those silences exist because of regressive cultural attitudes and survivor &lsquo;failings&rsquo;. Often overlooked is the institutional and structural failings and discriminations that sets the context for survivors&rsquo; choices and shape a response from the State that continues to fall woefully short.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The only viable path towards the transformation needed to end sexual violence involves treating survivors with dignity and respect. Survivors, whether adults or children, are whole human beings with rights undiminished by the choice a perpetrator made to target them for a crime.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Yet, all too often, survivors suffer from limitations, fears, and consequences that do impinge on their freedoms, their mental health, and their choices.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Services for survivors of sexual violence are not luxury extras &mdash; indeed the area needs increased investment. The EU Victims&rsquo; Directive comes into force on November 16, bringing a wide range of legal obligations, including providing free services to victims (article 8(3)). Despite Government rhetoric, Tusla will struggle to honour these obligations.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It must now be clear to Government that an agency with a remit in child and family welfare which is operating in a funding crisis cannot champion adult survivors of sexual violence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Jeyes has as good as said as much and we welcome his honesty.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is imperative that the Government actively and critically challenges the State&rsquo;s institutional and structural discrimination against survivors of sexual violence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A minister making that commitment to leadership needs the input and analysis of experts and specialists without whose engagement the State, as demonstrated, will sleepwalk its way into colluding with the diminishing of a survivor&rsquo;s rights.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Unfortunately, unless things change, that writing is already on the wall.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Cliona Saidlear is strategic and programme executive with Rape Crisis Network Ireland</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/any-cuts-to-tusla-will-affect-victims-of-sex-assault-and-rape-358919.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/any-cuts-to-tusla-will-affect-victims-of-sex-assault-and-rape-358919.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-13 09:14:38',NULL,'any-cuts-to-tusla-will-affect-victims-of-sex-assault-and-rape'),(1329,'Nurses in work-to-rule over A&E overcrowding','<p>\r\n	Some 35 patients were on trolleys in the emergency department of St Vincent&#39;s Hospital in Dublin yesterday morning, as nurses began a work-to-rule in protest at overcrowding.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The nurses are refusing to carry out some duties such as answering phones, but they are insisting that patient care will not be affected.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dispute</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Efforts by management to deploy more nurses were blocked by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), which insisted that they be paid at a premium rate.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;This is contrary to the claim by the INMO that this dispute is not about money,&quot; a hospital spokesman insisted.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He warned that the nurses&#39; action is causing increased challenges for the hospital&#39;s emergency department.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Nationally, 367 patients were on emergency department trolleys yesterday morning and another 102 patients were on trolleys on wards.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Beaumont Hospital in Dublin was worst hit with 42 on trolleys, while 30 were on trolleys in Cork University Hospital.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Following a meeting of the task force to relieve overcrowding, all hospitals have been told to carefully analyse bed stock and &quot;get sufficient numbers of staff in place to open beds over the next two months&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The aim is to open another 454 beds before the end of the year, including 300 new beds.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Although the delays in allocating a nursing home bed under the Fair Deal scheme have now been sorted, there is a shortage of nursing home places in some areas.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/nurses-in-worktorule-over-ae-overcrowding-31608735.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/nurses-in-worktorule-over-ae-overcrowding-31608735.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-14 10:27:59',NULL,'nurses-in-work-to-rule-over-ae-overcrowding'),(1330,'Child benefit to rise by €5 per month to €140','<p>\r\n	Child benefit is to be increased by &euro;5 per month per child from next year to &euro;140.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin said the reduction in the unemployment level allowed him to make this change.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Howlin also announced that children would be eligible for free childcare for two-and-a-half years, between the ages of three and five-and-a-half.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This extension to the Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme would bring children up to primary school age, he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Funding of &euro;15m would also be introduced which would facilitate the participation of children with disabilities in the scheme, he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Meanwhile, the Government is to legislate for statutory paternity leave of two weeks, which would take effect from September 2016.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This evening, Minister for Children James Reilly announced that the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, is to get an extra &euro;38m next year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, a spokesperson for Barnardos warned it would not be enough to allow the agency to fulfil its statutory obligations.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The charity warned that continued underfunding puts children further at risk.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.rte.ie/news/budget/2015/1013/734535-child-benefit-rise/\">http://www.rte.ie/news/budget/2015/1013/734535-child-benefit-rise/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-14 10:29:09',NULL,'child-benefit-to-rise-by-€5-per-month-to-€140'),(1331,'Fat chance for kids to avoid fast food stores','<p>\r\n	Three quarters of post-primary schools have one or more fast food outlets within 1km of them, a major conference on health will hear today.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The conference, hosted by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH), will also hear that the stigma associated with attending childhood obesity treatment programmes needs to be tackled to improve uptake of such programmes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The IPH&rsquo;s fourth annual Open Conference is due to opened by Tony O&rsquo;Brien, director general of the Health Service Executive (HSE).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Twenty-four papers are being presented at Dublin&rsquo;s Croke Park Conference Centre on a range of public health issues such as income inequalities and health and childhood obesity.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It follows a survey last week of more than 1,000 schoolchildren in Co Cork which found that young children who consume sugar-sweetened drinks are significantly more likely to be overweight or obese.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	More than 80% of eight- to 10-year-olds in Cork City and county consume sugary drinks, according to the Cork Children&rsquo;s Lifestyle Study.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This rises to 91% among children of parents with low levels of education.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Owen Metcalfe, IPH chief executive, said: &ldquo;Today&rsquo;s conference highlights how effective public health interventions can make significant positive difference to the lives of individuals and to the type of society we live in.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It provides an important all-island forum to showcase public health research and opportunities for key players including practitioners, policy makers and the community and voluntary sector to exchange ideas that can help create a healthier population.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Childhood obesity is one of the topics at the conference and Emily Kelleher of University College Cork said strategies to boost recruitment and minimise dropout are required to improve the outcomes of child obesity treatment programmes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Evidence suggests that programmes that are family-based and combine healthy eating, physical activity and behavioural components are effective in treating childhood obesity,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;However, success relies heavily on ongoing family attendance.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Unfortunately, the majority of families referred to such treatment decline and many who do agree to attend subsequently drop out. Such non-attendance impacts negatively on the children and their families, as well as on the health service, due to missed appointments.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A systematic review of existing research on the issue by Ms Kelleher shows that children agreed to enrol in obesity treatment programmes primarily to have fun and make friends. Others engaged with the expectation of improving their weight and appearance.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;However, the stigma associated with attending these programmes discouraged many other children from attending,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	As well as making the treatment programmes more attractive, Ms Kelleher says that possible barriers to participation should be discussed and resolved in advance with the parents and their children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/fat-chance-for-kids-to-avoid-fast-food-stores-358938.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/fat-chance-for-kids-to-avoid-fast-food-stores-358938.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-14 10:30:53',NULL,'fat-chance-for-kids-to-avoid-fast-food-stores'),(1332,'More than 2,000 Irish schoolchildren \'have had images stolen by porn sites\'','<p>\r\n	More than 2,000 Irish schoolchildren have had their images stolen and misused by online porn sites, according to Child Watch.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It says the unsuspecting students - mostly teenage girls - have fallen victim to having their images abused.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The company, which promotes digital-based security for children, is addressing the National Association of School Principals and Deputy Principals today to help teachers educate children about sharing information online.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It says it had identified 270 teenage girls whose images had been abused, but estimated there were more than 2,000 unreported instances.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/more-than-2000-irish-schoolchildren-have-had-images-stolen-by-porn-sites-700997.html\">http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/more-than-2000-irish-schoolchildren-have-had-images-stolen-by-porn-sites-700997.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-16 10:19:31',NULL,'more-than-2000-irish-schoolchildren-have-had-images-stolen-by-porn-sites'),(1333,'Trained public will be allowed give life-saving medicine','<p>\r\n	Schools and sports clubs will start keeping devices like epipens for allergic reactions</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Trained members of the public are to be allowed give life-saving medicines in emergency situations.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Vital treatments like epipens, for allergic reactions, are to be kept on hand in places like schools and sports clubs.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The new rules signed by the Health Minister will also give pharmacists permission to administer vaccines against shingles and pneumonia - saving patients a trip to the doctor.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Irish Independent says the mother of teenager Emma Sloane - who died from a peanut allergy on O&#39;Connell St nearly two years ago - has welcomed the new legislation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.newstalk.com/Trained-public-will-be-allowed-give-lifesaving-medicine\">http://www.newstalk.com/Trained-public-will-be-allowed-give-lifesaving-medicine</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-16 10:22:20',NULL,'trained-public-will-be-allowed-give-life-saving-medicine'),(1334,'Kilkenny man charged with 1987 murder of Ann Nancy Smyth','<p>\r\n	Her murder investigation was re-opened in 2012.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Garda&iacute; in Kilkenny have arrested a 52-year-old man on suspicion of murdering Ann Nancy Smyth &ndash; 28 years ago.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The 79-year-old widow was found dead at her home on Wolfe Tone Street, in Kilkenny, on 11 September 1987.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She had been strangled, after which her house was set on fire.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Her killing was the subject of a cold case investigation, and was featured on an episode of RT&Eacute;&rsquo;s Crimecall in 2012, as reported by the Irish Examiner at the time.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This evening, three years later, Garda&iacute; arrested the 52-year-old suspect in Kilkenny, and formally charged him with murder.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He has been detained overnight, and is due to appear at a special sitting of Kilkenny District Court tomorrow morning at 9.30 am.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.thejournal.ie/kilkenny-murder-arrest-ann-nancy-smyth-1987-2391777-Oct2015/\">http://www.thejournal.ie/kilkenny-murder-arrest-ann-nancy-smyth-1987-2391777-Oct2015/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-16 10:23:56',NULL,'kilkenny-man-charged-with-1987-murder-of-ann-nancy-smyth'),(1335,'Agencies under fire for response to halting site conditions','<p>\r\n	A parish priest has criticised statutory agencies for failing to act on a report carried out over four years, which highlighted appalling living conditions for children at a Limerick City halting site.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report was commissioned in 2011 after repeated approaches to Fr Pat Hogan of the Holy Family Parish in Southill from mothers of children living at Clonlong halting site, where 30% of the children were being treated for asthma.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	After visiting the halting sites during the freezing winters of 2009 and 2010, Fr Hogan said he witnessed the implications for people living in holiday caravans in extreme cold.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	These included frozen water and gas pipes; frozen washing machines; children absent from school for up to six weeks because their uniforms could not be washed; children and adults sleeping in the same bed just to keep warm; up to five heaters operating at full strength but having minimal impact.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The authors of the report, which was carried out over a three-week period in August 2011 were two retired social workers, who visited 10 families comprising a total of 19 adults and 34 children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A nine-month old child was described as suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea as a side-effect of antibiotics. Two others had to be treated for thrush, again attributed to the side-effects of antibiotics.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One six-year-old boy with cystic fibrosis and advanced liver failure needed 24-hour care. While awaiting a liver transplant in the UK, this child had to be hospitalised each time as he developed an infection.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	His family, whose caravan was grossly overcrowded, was on the housing waiting list for 11 years, but have since been rehoused.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	According to the findings 10 children out of 34 had been, or were being, treated for asthma. At nearly 30%, this was considerably above the prevalence of asthma among school age children in Ireland, estimated variously at between 15% and 21%.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The authors were given detailed health information on each of the 34 children, ranging in age from 9 months to 16 years. Among the health findings were:</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li>\r\n		Recurrent wheezing and chest infections (12 children);</li>\r\n	<li>\r\n		Kidney infections (five children);</li>\r\n	<li>\r\n		Constant ear and throat infections (eight children);</li>\r\n	<li>\r\n		Bronchitis (five children);</li>\r\n	<li>\r\n		Tonsillitis (three children);</li>\r\n	<li>\r\n		Asthma (10 children);</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p>\r\n	Only two out of 34 children appeared to be free of regular respiratory or other infections.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report was sent to various statutory agencies, including: Limerick City and County Council, Barnardos, the then ombudsman for children Emily Logan who visited the site along with the then minister for children, Frances Fitzgerald.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, despite the rehousing of one family, nothing much has changed according to Fr Pat Hogan: &ldquo;We got a lot of well-meaning talk but nothing has changed...</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Nothing has changed really and in light of what has happened in Carrickmines in Dublin; we are looking at that on a daily basis and there&rsquo;s a lot of sick children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;A lot of the families are even bigger now with more children and you ask yourself, how can you live in these conditions.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	About 20 families are living on the site; three in permanent dwellings and the rest in mobile homes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/agencies-under-fire-for-response-to-halting-site-conditions-360023.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/agencies-under-fire-for-response-to-halting-site-conditions-360023.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-19 09:39:18',NULL,'agencies-under-fire-for-response-to-halting-site-conditions'),(1336,'Bishop says child fear has led to loss of altar servers','<p>\r\n	Some parishes in a Catholic diocese that was once described as &quot;the most evil diocese in the world&quot; following child sex abuse revelations now have no altar servers due to fears over the safety of young people.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Ferns Report was published 10 years ago this month and the impact of that landmark document in the diocese is still being felt today.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It has led to an &quot;atmosphere of suspicion&quot; around interactions with children, said the Bishop of Ferns, Denis Brennan.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This has resulted in pilgrimages becoming adult-only affairs, altar servers becoming scarce, choirs no longer having many children and parish youth clubs dwindling.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Speaking to more than 250 people at a church conference on child protection in Trim, Co Meath last week, Bishop Brennan said Ferns, where the notorious paedophiles Fr Se&aacute;n Fortune and Fr Jim Grennan served, now had a policy of &quot;zero tolerance&quot; on abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ferns was the first diocese in the world to be the subject of a state inquiry, accompanied by intense media publicity which culminated in Ferns being described as the &quot;most evil diocese in the world&quot;, he explained.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In his address, &#39;Working with Children in our Parishes - a Ministry for Everyone&#39;, Bishop Brennan said this had resulted in &quot;an atmosphere of suspicion and fear around our interaction with children&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Any suggestion of children-focused activities triggered the &#39;what if&#39; fear factor,&quot; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ten years down the road, the church in Ferns was beginning to realise the unintended consequences of this focus on &quot;the mechanics of safeguarding&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The main one is the reluctance of adults, lay and clerical, to involve themselves with children and young people. Some parishes no longer have altar servers. This is understandable but also regrettable,&quot; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, Marie Collins, a survivor of abuse by a priest in the archdiocese of Dublin and the only Irish member of the Vatican&#39;s Commission for the Protection of Minors, does not accept that having robust safeguarding protocols should prevent the church from interacting with or reaching out to young people.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Speaking from Rome, she told the Irish Independent: &quot;Child-protection policies, properly implemented, should not curtail normal activities in the community for children or adults.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In his address, Bishop Brennan accepted that the safeguarding protocols were not an end in themselves but were a means to an end.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While these protocols sometimes give rise to fear on the part of volunteers and clergy working with children today, he emphasised that the church was now in a better place to engage again with young people &quot;and to close the gap that has opened up in recent years between adults and children&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/bishop-says-child-fear-has-led-to-loss-of-altar-servers-34120475.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/bishop-says-child-fear-has-led-to-loss-of-altar-servers-34120475.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-19 09:41:41',NULL,'bishop-says-child-fear-has-led-to-loss-of-altar-servers'),(1337,'Two teens arrested over rape of toddler in India','<p>\r\n	Two teenagers have been arrested for allegedly raping a toddler, in the latest incident of sexual violence against a young child in the Indian capital.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Police have formed 15 teams and questioned more than 250 residents of the western Delhi neighbourhood where the two-year-old girl was raped and left bleeding in a park on Friday night, police said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The two 17-year-old boys were arrested late on Saturday, said Dependra Pathak, a top police officer.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The toddler was playing outside her home on Friday when she went missing during a 10-minute power outage in the neighbourhood.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Family members found the child lying unconscious and bleeding in a park three hours later.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In a separate incident, police on Saturday arrested three men for raping a five-year-old in an east Delhi suburb.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The rape of the two little girls comes a week after a four-year-old girl was found dumped near a railway track after being raped and slashed with a blade.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The assaults have caused uproar, with Delhi residents accusing the city&#39;s government of a failure to protect women and girls.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In December 2012, the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old medical student on a moving bus led to a national outcry.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In response to that attack, the government doubled the maximum prison term for rape to 20 years, created special courts to prosecute cases more quickly and made voyeurism and acid attacks specific crimes under the law.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	India&#39;s National Crime Records Bureau says that more than 2,000 girls and women were raped in New Delhi in 2014.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/two-teens-arrested-over-rape-of-toddler-34120506.html\">http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/two-teens-arrested-over-rape-of-toddler-34120506.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-19 09:43:03',NULL,'two-teens-arrested-over-rape-of-toddler-in-india'),(1338,'Roma family with blonde son settles case for €60k','<p>\r\n	A Roma family whose two- year-old blonde son was removed overnight from them by garda&iacute; in what their lawyer alleged was a case of &ldquo;hysterical&rdquo; and &ldquo;overzealous&rdquo; policing has settled its High Court action for &euro;60,000 damages.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Justice Paul McDermott noted that, notwithstanding the very difficult circumstances and undoubted trauma for the child, a medical report suggested he had not suffered personal injuries as a result of his experience.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	An opinion from the boy&rsquo;s senior counsel concerning his claim had noted there could be difficulties proving garda&iacute; have a duty of care in relation to &ldquo;overzealous&rdquo; policing in childcare matters, the judge noted. The opinion also expressed the view that it was likely to be argued any such duty could have a &ldquo;chilling effect&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In all the circumstances, the judge said he would approve the &euro;60,000 settlement offer, plus High Court costs, for the now four-year-old, who was in court with his parents.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	On the application of Peter Bland SC, for the boy, he also directed a small payment out now to meet the costs of a computer for the child, who, the judge was told, likes playing computer games.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The boy was removed from his home in Athlone in October 2013 after members of the public reported concerns he might not be the child of his parents. He was returned to their care the next day.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The parents later sued the Minister for Justice, the Garda Commissioner, and State claiming damages, including aggravated damages, on grounds including alleged negligence, false imprisonment, and infliction of emotional harm.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Bland said the boy and another child, a seven-year-old blonde Roma girl, were both removed by garda&iacute; from their homes in Athlone and Tallaght respectively following &ldquo;brief hysteria&rdquo; across Europe when a blonde child, &lsquo;Maria&rsquo;, was found in a Roma camp in Greece.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The removal of this boy under the Child Care Act 1991 was unwarranted and the Children&rsquo;s Ombudsman, in an &ldquo;excellent&rdquo; report, later concluded it amounted to &ldquo;ethnic profiling&rdquo;, Mr Bland said. The family also had reason to believe garda&iacute; leaked matters to the media. The Government had apologised over the matter, the court heard.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Bland said that it was an unusual case involving an &ldquo;extremely vexed&rdquo; cause of action which involved imposing a duty of care on garda&iacute; in relation to actions under the Child Care Act. His case would have been that it was fair and reasonable to impose such a duty on garda&iacute; not to act in an overzealous way. The defence to that would argue, when garda&iacute; considered there was a threat to a child, they should not have to worry they might be sued.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Such issues had yet to be decided in Irish law and he could not say he would win should the case proceed, counsel said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The high water mark of his case would be the Ombudsman&rsquo;s report, which concluded there was no well-founded suspicion or immediate emergency justifying the actions of the garda&iacute;, he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In his ruling, the judge noted counsel&rsquo;s opinion relating to the difficulties of establishing a common law duty of care on garda&iacute; in child care matters. He also noted there was no tangible, only circumstantial, evidence to support the view garda&iacute; leaked matters to the media.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/roma-family-with-blond-son-settles-case-for-60k-360252.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/roma-family-with-blond-son-settles-case-for-60k-360252.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-20 04:00:00',NULL,'roma-family-with-blonde-son-settles-case-for-€60k'),(1339,'Support urged for parents over child discipline','<p>\r\n	Proposals to firm up the law against slapping children will not go far enough without support for parents struggling with discipling and controlling their offspring, the Children&rsquo;s Rights Alliance has warned.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The alliance welcomed indications that Children&rsquo;s Minister James Reilly is going to ask the Cabinet to approve introducing laws that would remove the last remaining defence to slapping a child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Slapping is a crime under the general Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, and the Children&rsquo;s Act, 2001, which makes it an offence to assault or mistreat a child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, it is possible for a parent, guardian or minder to seek a dismissal of a charge or reduction of penalty by claiming their actions were reasonable chastisement.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Tanya Ward, the chief executive of the Children&rsquo;s Rights Alliance, said while an outright prohibition on slapping, such as exists in many other European countries, was preferable, the proposed change was very welcome.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It is getting rid of the get-out clause. I think what they&rsquo;ll need to do is follow up with public information for people to that there is complete clarity about what the law says and also you need to support parents in using non-violent forms of discipline,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We did a poll with the ISPCC which was published two years ago and found 78% of parents were looking for more information and support around alternative forms of discipline.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;That&rsquo;s something we need to invest in alongside changing the law. It&rsquo;s not fair on parents if you don&rsquo;t support them at the same time as changing the law.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Reilly is expected to ask the Cabinet to allow him deal with the removal of the defence of reasonable chastisement through the Children&rsquo;s First Bill which is working its way through the Oireachtas.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Ward said it would be important to have it finalised by January when Ireland&rsquo;s adherence to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is reviewed by a UN committee in Geneva.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The European Committee on Social Rights found in May this year that retaining the defence was a violation of European law.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;There is a deadline coming that would be very significant so I would imagine that Government would want to demonstrate some sort of change before they go to the UN committee in Geneva in January,&rdquo; said Ms Ward.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The defence dates back to 1860 when a court found that &ldquo;a parent may for the purpose of correcting what is evil in the child inflict moderate and reasonable corporal punishment&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	There are few examples of cases where it has had relevance in recent years as most cases brought to court have involved very severe cases of child abuse rather than an over-reacting but otherwise caring parent, but Ms Ward said what was stated in law influenced society&rsquo;s thinking.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very clear statement that the law and society does not accept in any way any form of violence against children and you must find another way to discipline your child so it&rsquo;s more about attitudinal change.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/support-urged-for-parents-over-child-discipline-360228.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/support-urged-for-parents-over-child-discipline-360228.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-20 09:35:09',NULL,'support-urged-for-parents-over-child-discipline'),(1340,'Change in laws to crack down on drink-driving','<p>\r\n	Plan to overhaul road traffic legislation comes amid anger over conviction rate</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Government is planning the biggest overhaul of road traffic legislation in 50 years as part of a fresh effort to crack down on drink-driving and other safety concerns.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Irish Times reported on Monday that six out of 10 people due before the courts for drink-driving were able to escape without a conviction.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Many solicitors say the low conviction rate is linked to technicalities and loopholes in the law, as well as issues such as Garda resources.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A spokeswoman for Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe said the Government is planning to consolidate a complex mix of primary and secondary legislation dating back to the early 1960s.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In the meantime, officials are focusing on the enactment of the Road Traffic Bill (2015) which will introduce roadside testing for drugs similar to those used to test for alcohol.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Road safety campaigners have long called for a root-and-branch review of road traffic legislation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Susan Gray of the Parc road safety campaign said: &ldquo;The system is broken and the sad fact remains that many more lives will be lost &ndash; and many others will be horribly injured &ndash; as a result of foot-dragging.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said a forensic review of legislation is needed to ensure drivers are not able to escape conviction on technicalities.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Liz O&rsquo;Donnell, chairwoman of the Road Safety Authority, has also expressed support for an overhaul of road traffic legislation to help ensure there are fewer loopholes available to drivers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	New approach</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Former minister for transport Noel Dempsey said a new approach to road traffic law was required as a pattern had emerged of the department bringing forward a new Act every two to three years to catch up with the latest loopholes. &ldquo;I think we need to start again and simplify and consolidate the Road Traffic Acts. I don&rsquo;t think you can fix what is there because of the way the processes have developed around these cases,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	But solicitors with expertise in road traffic law were sceptical that an overhaul of the law will have a significant impact on conviction rates for drink-drinking. Evan O&rsquo;Dwyer, a defence solicitor who specialises in road traffic offences, said whatever legislation is drafted will continue to face robust legal challenge.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;There is so much at stake for drivers who risk losing their licences for two or three year that they will test all aspects of their case,&rdquo; Mr O&rsquo;Dwyer said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Source of dispute</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, the volume of drink-driving cases resulting in non-convictions is a source of dispute among some solicitors.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Charlie O&rsquo;Connor, who has been in practice for more than 30 years in Cork, Kerry and Limerick, said he was astonished by the low conviction figures.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe them to be accurate &ndash; the only way that those figures can be accurate is if they include cases that are adjourned or pending because there are just not that many acquittals,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Defendants in the majority of drink-driving cases plead guilty, well less than half are contested and of those very few are won, particularly since the introduction of the intoxilyzer.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The figures on conviction rates were supplied through a parliamentary question tabled by Tommy Broughan TD.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They show that out of more than 20,000 people due before district courts for drink-driving between January 2013 and May 2015, a total of 6,709 were convicted.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The conviction rate here compares unfavourably with England and Wales, where 97 per cent of drink-driving cases brought before magistrates&rsquo; courts result in conviction.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/change-in-laws-to-crack-down-on-drink-driving-1.2398029\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/change-in-laws-to-crack-down-on-drink-driving-1.2398029</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-20 09:37:33',NULL,'change-in-laws-to-crack-down-on-drink-driving'),(1341,'Teen who died in HSE aftercare unable to access \'appropriate\' accommodation after prison release, inquest hears','<p>\r\n	A teenager who died of a drug overdose while in HSE aftercare was unable to access &#39;appropriate&#39; accommodation upon his release from prison, an inquest heard.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Danny Talbot (19) of no fixed abode, died of respiratory failure due to a toxic combination of methadone and benzodiazepines. He was found dead at a flat on Berkeley Street, Dublin 7 on August 4, 2009, where he&rsquo;d been staying temporarily with a man he met on the street.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dublin Coroner Dr Brian Farrell returned a verdict of death by misadventure following lengthy inquest proceedings into his death.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Speaking after the inquest, Danny&rsquo;s aunt, Donna Lambe said the verdict brought closure to the family. &ldquo;We just want lessons to be learned from his case,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Coroner said he will write to the Irish Prison Service after it emerged that Focus Ireland, providing aftercare for Danny on behalf of the HSE, were not informed the teen was in Cloverhill prison. Dublin Coroner&#39;s Court heard Danny&#39;s engagement with services was &#39;voluntary&#39; and &#39;sporadic&#39;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Karen Doyle, assistant project leader at Focus Ireland&rsquo;s North Dublin Aftercare at the time of Danny&rsquo;s death, said a social worker who visited Danny in prison had left her job and was not replaced before Danny was released. Upon his release, Danny contacted the Caretakers Hostel, Back Lane, Dublin 8 seeking accommodation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;At Caretakers they said he was in good form, he looked well and was presenting drug free,&rdquo; Ms Doyle said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Caretakers hostel was not ideal, but it was &lsquo;not the worst option&rsquo;, Ms Doyle said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Both she and Caretakers&#39; staff had concerns the accommodation was inappropriate, because the hostel targets active drug users and Danny had emerged from prison drug-free.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Homeless advocate Fr Peter McVerry secured a 20-day placement at Cuan Mhuire drug rehabilitation programme and had offered to drive Danny there. The rehab centre was a &lsquo;wonderful option&rsquo; according to Ms Doyle. She said Danny was &lsquo;thinking about it&rsquo; the last time she spoke to him but ultimately he did not take up the offer.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Brian Barrington BL, representing Danny&rsquo;s aunt Sandra Lambe, said a review of accommodation options for young people in receipt of state aftercare leaving prison drug-free was required to ensure &lsquo;they have the best chance possible to maintain a drug-free status.&#39;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The sad thing in this case is that we were very nearly there, by a number of days,&rdquo; Mr Barrington said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Last year Tusla apologised and acknowledged &#39;considerable shortcomings&#39; in Danny&rsquo;s care following a report by the National Review Panel.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Acknowledging the report, the coroner said he will contact the Irish Prison Service with regard to the post-release coordination of young persons in state aftercare.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;I will also write to the Child and Family Agency asking for a review of the provision for young persons such as Danny leaving prison,&rdquo; Dr Farrell said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/teen-who-died-in-hse-aftercare-unable-to-access-appropriate-accommodation-after-prison-release-inquest-hears-34125527.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/teen-who-died-in-hse-aftercare-unable-to-access-appropriate-accommodation-after-prison-release-inquest-hears-34125527.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-21 10:47:34',NULL,'teen-who-died-in-hse-aftercare-unable-to-access-appropriate-accommodation-after-prison-release-inquest-hears'),(1342,'Domestic violence statistics a ‘stark’ illustration','<p>\r\n	Almost 800 people, including 301 children, received support on one day last year</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Almost 800 people, including 301 children, received support from domestic violence services on one day last year, a new report shows.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The annual &lsquo;one day census&rsquo; from Safe Ireland shows also that of this total, 120 women and 166 children were accommodated in refuges, on Tuesday, November 4th last year. Some 18 women were turned away from refuges as there was no space on the same day.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Over the 24 hours, 137 helpline calls were answered by domestic violence services throughout the State. The majority of the women, 290, were aged between 26 and 45 but 23 were over the age of 56 and eight were over the age of 65. Some 18 of the women were pregnant, while services accompanied 31 women to a GP or hospital.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Safe Ireland is an umbrella group representing over 40 domestic violence services across the State.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The organisation&rsquo;s chief executive, Sharon O&rsquo;Halloran, said the one day census provided a stark illustration of the extent to which domestic violence was an &ldquo;every day event&rdquo; for hundreds of women and children every day. It was a crime that continued to &ldquo;risk lives, wreck families and poison futures&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said: &ldquo;The devastating consequences of domestic violence, so horrifically witnessed in Omeath, Co Louth a week ago, could only be addressed when there was strong political leadership, a fundamental cultural shift and significant investment in prevention, training and services necessary to ensure people&rsquo;s safety.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Women and children must, she continued, have access to professional services, understanding and recognition of domestic violence as a serious crime.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This would require a minimum investment of &euro;30 million a year, she said. It is estimated that domestic violence costs the economy &euro;2.5 billion at a minimum through healthcare needs, lost days at work or legal fees,</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Without committed leadership across all government departments and agencies, without significant investment in services and training, and without a fundamental cultural shift in how we view domestic violence as the serious crime it is, it will continue to risk lives, wreck families and poison futures,&rdquo; said Ms O&rsquo;Halloran.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;All our notions of safety in community, safety at home and safety within the systems that are in place to protect us were shattered last week,&rdquo; she continued. &ldquo;The horrific and devastating consequences of domestic violence were exposed, resulting in the serious injury of a young woman and the death of a Garda who was trying to help her escape domestic terrorism.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;If we are serious about righting the wrongs we mourned collectively there has to be investment in prevention, in training for professionals and in the services that women and children must be able to access to escape violence and tyranny,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;At the moment, we are falling far short of what&rsquo;s needed as a minimum and we are failing women, children, families and communities.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/domestic-violence-statistics-a-stark-illustration-1.2400008\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/domestic-violence-statistics-a-stark-illustration-1.2400008</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-21 10:48:44',NULL,'domestic-violence-statistics-a-‘stark’-illustration'),(1343,'Hiqa critical of investigation delay','<p>\r\n	Health watchdog Hiqa has criticised what it called &ldquo;an unacceptable delay&rdquo; in the completion of an investigation into an alleged incident at a home for people with disabilities.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The incident is alleged to have taken place at the designated centre for people with disabilities, operated by the HSE in Wexford, as far back as December 17 last.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In an inspection report, Hiqa said it received notification of the incident &mdash; details of which it did not outline &mdash; on January 15, with a &ldquo;systems analysis investigation&rdquo; currently being undertaken by the HSE.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Interviews for this investigation had taken place on May 27 and Hiqa said: &ldquo;There has been an unacceptable delay in the completion of this investigation.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A separate report on a centre operated by the Daughters of Charity Disability Support Services Ltd in Co Tipperary states the person in charge had not been made aware of a previous complaint made by a nurse working in the centre in November 2013 in relation to alleged poor practices, or about an anonymous complaint last December regarding allegations of abuse in the centre.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/hiqa-critical-of-investigation-delay-360448.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/hiqa-critical-of-investigation-delay-360448.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-21 11:05:40',NULL,'hiqa-critical-of-investigation-delay'),(1344,'Defence for smacking removed by Seanad','<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		Ireland has moved closer to a ban on smacking children after members of the Seanad voted to remove a key defence from proposed legislation.</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n	<ins data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9024837700129787\" data-ad-slot=\"\" data-adsbygoogle-status=\"done\" data-max-num-ads=\"2\"><ins id=\"aswift_0_expand\"><ins id=\"aswift_0_anchor\"><iframe allowfullscreen=\"true\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" id=\"aswift_0\" marginheight=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" name=\"aswift_0\" scrolling=\"no\" vspace=\"0\" width=\"0\"></iframe></ins></ins></ins></div>\r\n<div data-widget=\"Redesign Article Page tools Widget\" style=\"margin-left:-470px;\">\r\n	<ul>\r\n		<li>\r\n			<strong>SHARE</strong>\r\n			<ul>\r\n				<li>\r\n				</li>\r\n				<li>\r\n				</li>\r\n				<li>\r\n				</li>\r\n				<li>\r\n				</li>\r\n			</ul>\r\n		</li>\r\n		<li>\r\n			<strong>GO TO</strong>\r\n			<ul>\r\n				<li>\r\n				</li>\r\n			</ul>\r\n		</li>\r\n	</ul>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		If the Children First Bill 2014 is enacted, parents will no longer be able to plead the defence of &quot;reasonable chastisement&quot; if charged with hitting their child.</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		Public figures and interest groups have welcomed the amendment, but say that more could be done to help parents when disciplining children.</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<h4>\r\n	Punishment</h4>\r\n<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		The Ombudsman for Children Niall Muldoon said the amendment &quot;at long last places Ireland on an equal footing with the vast majority of European member states&quot;.</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		At present, 28 member states of the Council of Europe have prohibited the corporal punishment of children in all settings.</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		Mary Nicholson, Head of Advocacy with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC), said that slapping children had the effect of condoning the use of physical violence and had consequences for their mental health.</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		&quot;We would say strongly that a man who hits a woman or a woman who hits a man is guilty of assault,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		&quot;Likewise, I couldn&#39;t hit my colleague if I didn&#39;t like what she was doing. Why should it be different for children?&quot;</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		Ms Nicholson said that the new legislation should be paired with increased support for parents. She also suggested a phone line or nationally-led hub for parents who are &quot;at the end of their tether&quot;.</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		Laura Haugh of MummyPages.ie said the site&#39;s online community &quot;wholeheartedly support&quot; the campaign to repeal the defence of reasonable chastisement.</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		However, she added that the provision of parenting handbooks, group discussion and coaching from experts would be beneficial.</p>\r\n</div>\r\n<div>\r\n	<p>\r\n		A spokesperson for the Department of Children and Youth Affairs stated that the Tusla website provided various documents and resources with advice for parents.</p>\r\n	<p>\r\n		<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/defence-for-smacking-removed-by-seanad-34130437.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/defence-for-smacking-removed-by-seanad-34130437.html</a></p>\r\n</div>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-22 09:02:18',NULL,'defence-for-smacking-removed-by-seanad'),(1345,'James Reilly defends school completion programme','<p>\r\n	Minister says initiative benefits from being under remit of Child and Family Agency</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The school completion programme is more complex than the schools themselves, Minister for Children Dr James Reilly has told the D&aacute;il.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It also involves parents and their influence on the children, as well as having other activities going on in the school,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He was replying to Independent TD Maureen O&rsquo;Sullivan, who suggested the programme be transferred from his department to the Department of Education.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms O&rsquo;Sullivan said that the teachers involved would support that view.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The programme aims to address early school-leaving and underachievement, particularly in disadvantaged areas.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms O&rsquo;Sullivan said she was not criticising Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, which has operational responsibility for the programme, but acknowledging its severe caseload.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It does not make sense to give it additional work with children who, at certain points, do not need social workers, but teachers,&rsquo;&rsquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	School initiatives</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Reilly said he had visited some of the schools involved in the programme and observed the wonderful initiatives around cooking, art, sculpture and other manual projects.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;For those children who have given up on the reading, writing and arithmetic side of education, this entices them back with other subjects that interest them and reintroduces other educational skills,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said he had heard Ms O&rsquo;Sullivan&rsquo;s points before, but he believed the programme was best placed in an agency with a remit over a much broader area than just education.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Minister said the programme provided targeted supports to approximately 36,000 children and young people and had been under Tusla&rsquo;s remit since January of last year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said that its establishment brought together the educational welfare programmes, which had previously been under the remit of the former National Educational Welfare Board, as part of a new integrated response to meet the needs of children at risk of educational disadvantage.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/james-reilly-defends-school-completion-programme-1.2400765\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/james-reilly-defends-school-completion-programme-1.2400765</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-22 09:03:47',NULL,'james-reilly-defends-school-completion-programme'),(1346,'First \'modular\' homes to be put in use by Christmas','<p>\r\n	At least 22 homeless families will be housed in so-called modular houses by Christmas after the Government approved a &euro;40m investment in 500 units.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Around 150 will be delivered under a fast-track procurement process by early next year, and the remainder over 2016, Environment Minister Alan Kelly said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The move comes as figures from September show there are 3,428 adults and 1,571 children living in emergency accommodation across the State - a rise on those without a home in August.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Of these, 738 are families, with the vast majority - at 637 - in the capital.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The modular homes will be used across the four Dublin local authorities, and councils have been directed to use fast-track planning powers so the houses can be in place as quickly as possible.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dublin City Council has sought tenders to deliver 22 two-storey units on a site in North Dublin, which will include three bedrooms and are designed to accommodate five people.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The closing date for receipt of tenders is next November 2, and the homes must be ready for occupation no later than December 21.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The Government has made a decision in relation to funding for 500 modular units at an approximate cost of &euro;40m,&quot; Mr Kelly said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;These units will be, by and large, used to help people who are in difficulty as regards housing in the Dublin area in particular. A number of units will be delivered before Christmas. I&#39;ve directed the local authorities to ensure they deliver this as quickly as absolutely possible.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The prefabricated houses can be assembled within days and include bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms and storage facilities. They must last for at least 60 years, and must be capable of being expanded to provide more living accommodation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Kitchen, dining and living room areas should be designed to have as much natural light incorporated into the design as possible and take into account the orientation of the sun in relation to the main living rooms,&quot; tender documents add.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The quality of the overall design is very important in the long term in relation to the maintenance and management of the development, but also in the interests of the residents and the quality of the environment that they will be living in.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Permanent</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Families housed in the units will not be considered as being housed on a permanent basis, and will remain on local authority waiting lists. However, the units will form part of the council&#39;s housing stock.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, Fianna F&aacute;il environment spokesman Barry Cowen questioned whether the homes could be delivered before Christmas.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;We still have been given no definitive indication as to what existing planning legislation allows them to be fast-tracked,&quot; he said. &quot;If the normal planning process is to be followed, we are still looking at 12 to 18 months for delivery, which is no different to building a conventional house.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/first-modular-homes-to-be-put-in-use-by-christmas-34130424.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/first-modular-homes-to-be-put-in-use-by-christmas-34130424.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-22 09:05:13',NULL,'first-modular-homes-to-be-put-in-use-by-christmas'),(1347,'Child refugee brides as young as 12 ordered to STAY with men they were forced to marry','<p>\r\n	Child brides as young as 12 have been ordered to stay with the men they were forced to marry after European officials agreed to recognise the partnerships.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It comes amid fears of a paedophilia epidemic inside European refugee camps after a pregnant 14-year-old girl went missing from a Dutch centre.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Fatema Alkasem disappeared along with her 24-year-old husband in August and police are concerned the Syrian girl needs medical care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Netherlands is facing an issue of providing asylum to young girls who are married in their homeland but are below the Dutch age of consent.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dutch asylum centres are reportedly housing 20 child brides aged between 13 and 15, while three a week on average are arriving to the country.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The brides were granted legal permission to join their older partners after the country recognised marriages involving young teenagers if they are officially registered in their home country.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	But some have slammed the recognition by Dutch authorities, claiming it condones paedophilia because the age of sexual consent in the Netherlands is 16.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Outraged Dutch Labour MP Attje Kuiken said: &quot;A 12-year-old girl with a 40-year-old man - that is not a marriage, that is abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;We&#39;re talking about really young children, girls 12, 13 years old. I want to protect these children.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Dutch government is amending family laws so that reunification applications only accept marriages when both partners are at least 18-years-old.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	But Ms Kuiken called on the government to do more for young Syrian brides until the law is changed in December.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	According to Breitbart she said: &quot;The government should take them into foster care and protect them, because before the new law comes into force, they can still be subject to abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/614083/Fatema-Alkasem-Child-Refugee-Brides-Netherlands-Paedophilia-EU-European-Union\">http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/614083/Fatema-Alkasem-Child-Refugee-Brides-Netherlands-Paedophilia-EU-European-Union</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-23 09:13:05',NULL,'child-refugee-brides-as-young-as-12-ordered-to-stay-with-men-they-were-forced-to-marry'),(1348,'Children\'s Ombudsman recommends fitness to teach hearings for teachers','<p>\r\n	Teachers could lose their licence to practice if found guilty of misconduct.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is a recommendation made by the Children&#39;s Ombudsman who says that fitness to teach hearings should be introduced immediately.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Teachers can already be fired for misconduct but these hearings would add further punishments.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Senator and former TUI President Gerard Craughwell says that the inquiries could feature public hearings which could damage the reputations of teachers and provide little benefit.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said: &quot;It&#39;s my view, and it&#39;s the view I believe of the unions involved that before any case would get into a public hearing there should be all of the steps taken.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;We are going through this mad thing in this country where everything has to be open and transparent from a Government that is anything but open and transparent.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/childrens-ombudsman-recommends-fitness-to-teach-hearings-for-teachers-701993.html\">http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/childrens-ombudsman-recommends-fitness-to-teach-hearings-for-teachers-701993.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-23 09:16:28',NULL,'childrens-ombudsman-recommends-fitness-to-teach-hearings-for-teachers'),(1349,'Boy put in room alone for four days for lighting cigarette in Oberstown','<p>\r\n	The use of so-called &#39;single separation&#39; is putting young people in the Oberstown detention centre at serious risk, it was claimed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Single separation is where a young person is confined to a locked room - or is forcibly separated from their peers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One boy was put alone in his room for four days because he lit a cigarette in the centre&#39;s lounge and failed to follow a direction from staff, the health watchdog found.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	HIQA says there has been a significant increase in the use of the practice since last year. And following a new investigation it warns this practice is not always used as a last resort.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Inspectors carried out an unannounced follow-up inspection at Oberstown in June.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A number of work practices were investigated, but the biggest concern is the use of single separation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Young people were placed in isolation 1,420 times in the seven months to May of this year. The figure for May was 346.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	HIQA says an improvement in the reporting of incidents may account for some of the increase. But it found young people routinely found themselves in single separation for verbally threatening staff, using bad language, or smoking.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, this punishment should only be used as a last resort in response to physical violence, attempts at self-harming, or significant damage to property.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The HIQA findings also expressed concern about young people absconding, as well as issues relating to fire safety, and staff absenteeism.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children&#39;s Rights Alliance, said depriving a young person of social contact should always be a measure of &quot;last resort&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Single separation is supposed to be used as a measure of last resort to deal with young people who are a risk to themselves and to others. It should never be used as a form of punishment or discipline,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She called on Children&#39;s Minister James Reilly to ensure HIQA&#39;s report is acted on as part of a review in to the use of single separation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/boy-put-in-room-alone-for-four-days-for-lighting-cigarette-in-oberstown-34133964.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/boy-put-in-room-alone-for-four-days-for-lighting-cigarette-in-oberstown-34133964.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-23 09:26:15',NULL,'boy-put-in-room-alone-for-four-days-for-lighting-cigarette-in-oberstown'),(1350,'Children in care are at ‘major risk’ of joining sex trade','<p>\r\n	A former social care worker claims there is a major hidden problem of sexual exploitation involving vulnerable young people in the State care system.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Maurice Fenton, who worked in mainstream residential care for over two decades, said he saw first-hand young people exposed to the sex trade while still in State care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said there was a dearth of research into the issue here, despite studies in the UK and Northern Ireland that indicate up to 60 per cent of sex workers have been in care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;I have seen the reality of how vulnerable young people in residential child care are to sexual exploitation and prostitution,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It was something which I saw when I started working in the sector in the 1990s. If anything it&rsquo;s become an even bigger issue in more recent years.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	There are about 6,300 children in the State&rsquo;s care system. The vast majority are in foster care, while almost 350 young people are in mainstream residential care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Fenton said children in residential care tended to be among the most vulnerable, often because they had a history of broken care placements.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A 2011 study on child sexual exploitation in Northern Ireland found that children in residential care were more vulnerable to exploitation than those in other care settings.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This study found that, of the sample of 1,102 cases, sexual exploitation was identified as a cause of concern for almost two-thirds of young females.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It would be naive and dangerous to assume we don&rsquo;t have the same problem in the Republic,&rdquo; Mr Fenton said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve tended to see this as an issue of individual failing on the part of young people. But it is a national issue, it&rsquo;s a systemic issue.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It is not restricted to residential care alone. Nor are residential care centres alone responsible for failing to keep these children safe. They have not been resourced appropriately. In most cases the staff there strive to do their level best.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Fenton&rsquo;s claims are contained in a book to be published later this month, Social Care and Child Welfare in Ireland: Integrating Residential Care, Leaving Care and Aftercare.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;In order to effectively safeguard young people, research is essential to identify and interrogate these issues and to inform theory and practice,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This deficit in research and support . . . is a matter of grave concern.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The most recent detailed research on this in the Republic by Focus Ireland, in 2000, identified prostitution as a difficulty for up to 14 per cent of care leavers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Most research has found that young people in care at most risk of exploitation include those with poor relationships with carers, unstable lifestyles and who are leaving the care system. Tusla said it is strengthening aftercare arrangements for young people.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/children-in-care-are-at-major-risk-of-joining-sex-trade-1.2406801\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/children-in-care-are-at-major-risk-of-joining-sex-trade-1.2406801</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-27 11:18:20',NULL,'children-in-care-are-at-‘major-risk’-of-joining-sex-trade'),(1351,'Warning as young girls travel here for genital mutilation','<p>\r\n	Garda&iacute; and health officials have issued an urgent warning over fears young girls are being mutilated in a barbaric ritual which has already left at least 4,000 women scarred for life here.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The HSE suspect young girls were trafficked into Ireland this summer from the UK to be the latest victims of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It follows a clampdown on the practice in England where police in July took out the country&#39;s first FGM protection order, preventing two girls travelling to Africa. Garda&iacute; have similar powers here under tough laws introduced in 2012.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	FGM is the practice of removing or cutting the female genitalia. It is practiced among communities originating in countries like Somalia, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt and Malaysia.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Charities warn most attacks on children take place during school holidays, known as the &#39;cutting season&#39;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The HSE and Garda&iacute; are on high alert this week for suspicious movements of young girls into or out of Ireland during the mid-term break.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Claudia Hoareau-Gichuhi, a director at the Dublin-based support group Akidwa, says FGM is normally carried out on children aged between four and ten years.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;FGM is practiced seasonally with the school holidays being the time when most people are at risk,&quot; she warned.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Figures released to the Irish Independent by the Department of Health estimate that more than 3,900 girls and women living here have suffered FGM. But the statistics are three years out of date.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	We have learned the Department issued an alert in July warning that they believed some school chidren were being brought to Dublin from England to be mutiliated.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;There was some intelligence that this was happening because of the clampdown at UK airports,&quot; said one source.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Hidden</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;But the practice is so secretive and so hidden, it is almost impossible to detect.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A spokeswoman for Tusla said the organisation works with garda&iacute; and the HSE to deal with FGM. Garda&iacute; are tasked with investigating the crime whilst Tusla and the HSE &quot;play a crucial role in identifying FGM and in the medical and therapeutic response&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Teachers have also been receiving training in detecting the signs and after-effects of the practice, including pupils constantly needing to go to the toilet and in constant pain.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;People in Ireland need to be aware that this is not just an issue among migrant communities in Dublin, it is happening in towns and counties across the country,&quot; Ms Hoareau-Gichuhi added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/warning-as-young-girls-travel-here-for-genital-mutilation-34144068.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/warning-as-young-girls-travel-here-for-genital-mutilation-34144068.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-27 11:33:16',NULL,'warning-as-young-girls-travel-here-for-genital-mutilation'),(1352,'Child sex abuse: Therapy seen as key to prevent re-offending','<p>\r\n	The need for sex offenders to have access to appropriate treatment services is recognised by Children First, the national guideline for the protection and welfare of children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One of those is the Building Better Lives (BBL) sex offender programme delivered in Arbour Hill prison by a team of psychologists. It has three components: exploring, practising, and maintaining better lives.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Exploring Better Lives (EBL) programme is carried out over two months, after which the six-month Practicing Better Lives (PBL) programme is taken. The final four-month Maintaining Better Lives (MBL) programme is taken a minimum of one year after completion of the PBL.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The focus of the Building Better Lives programme is to develop motivation and confidence about positive change. The PBL component focuses on obtaining a more detailed understanding of past offending and developing positive offence-free self-management plans for the future. The MBL component includes a care plan to help with the transition from prison to community based support.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The programmes are not compulsory .</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	According to Andrew Kelly, spokesperson for the Department of Justice, there were 401 sex offenders within the Irish Prison Service (IPS) as of August 6. Confirming that the BBL programme has been running in Irish prisons since 2009 he says: &ldquo;The IPS has a number of initiatives aimed at increasing the range and availability of therapeutic interventions for sex offenders in prison and at increasing the participation rates in same.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Kelly describes the BBL programme as a &ldquo;therapeutic programme based on international best practice that takes place at individual and group level, for men who acknowledge that they have committed a sexual offence&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Acknowledging that at present the group programme only operates at Arbour Hill, he says that individual intervention takes place in other prisons.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Typically offenders participating in the BBL programmes undergo six to eight hours of risk assessment. They then engage in 18 sessions aimed at enhancing their motivation and identification of their treatment targets. After that, there is approximately 60 to 70 sessions of in-depth therapeutic and risk relevant work.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Throughout, the prisoners&rsquo; progress and level of engagement is reviewed. To remain in the programme, participants must be deemed to be engaging to the required level. Meetings with key supports and family are also undertaken. On average, participating offenders undergo approximately 220 hours of assessment, treatment, support, and planning for resettlement.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	At its core, according to Mr Kelly, the BBL entails a very comprehensive and intensive offence-focused intervention that feeds into detailed risk and resettlement planning.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Acknowledging there is an &ldquo;extensive waiting list&rdquo; Mr Kelly says there are &ldquo;between 40 and 50&rdquo; offenders availing of it.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Probation Service facilitates the third stand of the programme, focusing on maintenance of risk related change and resettlement issues. It also works with the IPS to ensure assessment intervention and risk management is provided to &ldquo;the largest number of sex offenders&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Outside of prison, One In Four runs the Phoenix Programme &mdash; a therapeutic intervention programme for child sex offenders.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Executive director Maeve Lewis said: &ldquo;The aim is to keep children safe. So far we have worked with 119 offenders, and to the best of our knowledge, a total of four of those have subsequently re-offended.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The programme involves group talk-therapy over a two year period, followed by 18 months attendance at an after-care group. &ldquo;All the men attending have sexually abused children and all are aware that both Tusla [the child and family agency] and the garda&iacute; are made aware of the identities of those who attend,&rdquo; Ms Lewis said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While many of those who have or are attending have never been convicted of a crime, Ms Lewis said: &ldquo;Very few sex offenders ever face a Garda investigation because most sexually abused victims &mdash; while they want the abuse to stop &mdash; don&rsquo;t necessarily want a brother, father or other family member to go to prison.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/child-sex-abuse-therapy-seen-as-key-to-prevent-re-offending-361460.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/child-sex-abuse-therapy-seen-as-key-to-prevent-re-offending-361460.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-27 11:36:33',NULL,'child-sex-abuse-therapy-seen-as-key-to-prevent-re-offending'),(1353,'\'My whole life was shattered and my heart was broken when my worst nightmare had been confirmed\'','<p>\r\n	The heartbroken mother of a four-year-old boy killed by a drink driver has told of the struggle to be a mother to her surviving children, while aching with grief for her son.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Gillian Treacy and her husband Ronan said they had gone through hell and back since little Ciaran Treacy died.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The grief-stricken mother said she would never forgive Finbarr O&#39;Rourke, who has admitted dangerous driving causing the death of Ciaran at Ballymorris, Portlaoise on April 17, 2014.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The 40-year-old, of Laurel Drive in Portlaoise, will be sentenced next week.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	At the hearing yesterday at Portlaoise Circuit Court, barrister Will Fennelly read a powerful and emotional victim impact statement on behalf of Ciaran&#39;s parents.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Judge Keenan Johnson said it should be compulsory reading for anyone thinking of drink driving.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Slumped</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The couple wrote: &quot;We will always wonder how life would have been.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;He never got the chance to start school, make his Communion, Confirmation, go to college, get married or have children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;These are the things that will break our hearts even more, knowing he did not get to live his life, a life that was so brutally taken through the drunken actions of Finbarr O&#39;Rourke.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;This I will never forgive Finbarr O&#39;Rourke for.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The head-on collision occurred as Mrs Treacy was returning home to Portarlington with Ciaran and his seven-year-old brother Sean, after spending a day with their grandparents in Stradbally, Co Laois.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She told garda&iacute; the driver &quot;appeared to be slumped over the wheel&quot; just prior to the collision.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The collision happened within seconds, leaving me crushed and trapped in our car, unable to get my boys out of the car, having to wait, which felt like an eternity, for some passers-by to help,&quot; Mrs Treacy wrote. &quot;While we waited for help to arrive, the panic, shock and pain was unbearable.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I fought for my life thinking the car was going to burst up in flames at any moment, while trying to comfort both Sean and Ciaran.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;They were crying and screaming with shock and pain.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;All of a sudden Ciaran became silent. It was a silence I had never experienced before and as a mother I knew was not right.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It took an hour for firefighters to cut Mrs Treacy from the car while Sean was being comforted nearby and Ciaran resuscitated. &quot;The last sighting I had of Ciaran was him being carried to the side of the road, with the evening sun beaming through his blonde hair,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The next time I saw my little boy, was on a stretcher - Dead.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The boys were taken to Portlaoise Hospital, while she was taken to Tullamore Hospital where she constantly asked medical staff about her children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;But I was so critical they could not tell me about Ciaran&#39;s death,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mrs Treacy underwent the first of 10 surgeries in the early hours of Friday, April 18, and when she awoke, was being supported by a ventilator.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The only way I could communicate was to make the letter &#39;C&#39; with my finger on the sheet. It was then that Ronan confirmed what I already knew in my heart that Ciaran didn&#39;t make it,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;My whole life was shattered and my heart was broken when my worst nightmare had been confirmed.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Her son&#39;s body was brought to her and she spent the night &quot;talking to him and making the most of our final hours together&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I spoke to God about Ciaran&#39;s favourite toys, food, colour and all the things that made him unique,&quot; she added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She later attended his funeral by ambulance with the aid of two paramedics and an ICU nurse. &quot;It was a day that no parent should have to endure, seeing their child&#39;s coffin, their families devastated with grief and sadness,&quot; she added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mrs Treacy spent five &quot;long weeks&quot; in hospital, away from her heartbroken husband and vulnerable children, Sean and her daughter Caoimhe.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;We have gone through hell and back since Ciaran&#39;s death,&quot; she continued. &quot;Torn, between being parents, while we ache for our son.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Keeping a face for Sean and Caoimhe and as the day goes on we find ourselves smothering with grief and devastation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Some of my darkest moments have been at night when the children slept, trying to come to terms with everything, from the trauma of the crash, the nightmares, the feeling of being on fire and the screams of my children and being unable to be a mother to them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;On nights that it was unbearable, I just wanted to die, Ronan would hold me while we both cried and ached for Ciaran.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mrs Treacy said she spent months torturing herself, looking for reasons that would have made the outcome different.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;If I had gone home earlier or later, taken another road, but through counselling I now know that this was not my fault,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I was a mother taking her two children home to her husband and their father and our daughter to get ready for Easter.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;We lived our lives for our children. Everything we did was for them and our needs came last, but we were happy with that because they were our world.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said that during all this time, her husband had to care for her while she was in a wheelchair, learning how to walk again. He cared for their children and they lost their business because of the financial strain of hiring extra staff to cover both jobs.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Physically, every day is a struggle. I have days when I cannot function with pain,&quot; she added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;My left leg requires more surgery and if this surgery does not work I could face a lower leg amputation. Even though losing my leg will never be as bad as losing Ciaran.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Family life will never be the same without Ciaran. We speak his name and try so very hard to include him in everything we do. We try to keep his memory alive with the children and they both speak of him as if he has just gone away and will come back. Children do not understand that death is permanent and over time they will have to come to the realisation that their brother will not be coming back.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The following is the statement in full on behalf of Ronan and Gillian Treacy as read out by Barrister Will Fennelly at Portlaoise Circuit Court today:</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	On Thursday April 17th 2014, Both Sean &amp; Ciaran spent day with their grandparents, a perfect day that ended in tragedy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	On our way home, we were involved in a head on collision with Finbar O&rsquo;Rourke. The collision happened within seconds, leaving me crushed and trapped in our car, unable to get my boys out of the car having to wait which felt like an eternity for some passerby&rsquo;s to help. While we waited for help to arrive, the panic, shock &amp; pain was unbearable. I fought for my life thinking the car was going to burst up in flames at any moment, while trying to comfort both Sean &amp; Ciaran. They were crying and screaming with shock and pain.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	All of a sudden Ciaran became silent. It was a silence I had never experienced before and as a mother I knew was not right. I then feared the worst for Ciaran. I knew he had been badly injured or the unthinkable &ndash; Dead. Sean remained crying while I tried to calm him and get him to get himself and his brother out of the car, fearing that the car go on fire at any moment. Thankfully as people came on the scene we were finally getting help &amp; they phoned for the emergency services. Sean was first to be taken from the car, then Ciaran. Shortly after this somebody phoned my husband and held the phone to my ear where I told him what happened and to come quick.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The last sighting I had of Ciaran was him being carried to the side of the road, with the evening sun beaming through his blonde hair. The next time I saw my little boy, was on a stretcher &ndash;Dead. Soon afterwards my husband Ronan also arrived at the scene with our other child Caoimhe. We both had to look on at our two sons on the side of the road, Sean being comforted while Ciaran was being resuscitated. The look of horror and disbelief on his face told me that our lives were falling apart.&nbsp; After an hour of the firemen cutting me from the car, all this time I was watching the panic and fear etched on their faces while they tried to free me from the car and as they worked on me and both my boys.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Sean &amp; Ciaran were taken to Portlaoise hospital, while I was taken to Tullamore Hospital. I constantly asked the medical staffs, was there any update on Sean &amp; Ciaran, but I was so critical they could not tell me about Ciaran&rsquo;s death. I was brought to theatre for my first of ten surgeries in the early hours of Friday April 18th. Hours later I woke up but was being supported by a ventilator. Ronan &amp; his brother Fergus arrived shortly after I woke, unable to speak because of tubes down my throat, the only way I could communicate was to make the letter &lsquo;C&rsquo; with my finger on the sheet. It was then that Ronan confirmed what I already knew in my heart that Ciaran didn&rsquo;t make it. My whole life was shattered &amp; my heart was broken when my worst nightmare had been confirmed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Early Saturday Ciaran was brought to me on a stretcher. I tried to hold him on my best side with total disbelief, none of this made any sense. I spent that night with Ciaran, talking to him and making the most of our final hours together. I spoke to God about Ciaran&rsquo;s favourite toys, food, colour and all the things that made him unique.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	My injuries were two fractured ankles, a compound fracture to my left leg, a fractured pelvis &amp; hip, a fractured elbow and sternum, but the worst injury was the pain which came from my broken heart. Ciaran was taken from me on Sunday morning to be waked in our home. That was the last time I saw our little boy. I attended Ciaran&rsquo;s funeral by ambulance, on a trolley with the aid of two paramedics and an ICU nurse. It was a day that no parent should have to endure, seeing their child&rsquo;s coffin, their families devastated with grief and sadness.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The days after the funeral, I wanted answers as to what happened. I could remember the car coming towards us at speed, the colour of the car, the make of the car and part of the registration.&nbsp; Over the next few days the devastating news filtered through that the other driver was drunk.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	When it all was put together, I had been driving home with Sean &amp; Ciaran when a drunk driver collided with our car.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Five long weeks, ten surgeries later, I returned home. It was only then that we as a family could be together and grieve for Ciaran. I missed all this time away from Sean &amp; Caoimhe while their little minds were trying to come to terms with what happened. Five weeks is a long time to be separated from two very vulnerable children and a heart broken husband. Again this I will never forgive Finbar O&rsquo;Rourke for.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Since then we have struggled every minute of every day trying to be parents to Sean and Caoimhe. To be able to support each other while we are paralyzed with grief and in the depths of despair.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Several milestones have taken place since. Ciaran&rsquo;s months mind mass took place on Ronan&rsquo;s 40th birthday, instead of celebrating we were going through a repeat of Ciaran&rsquo;s funeral. Before the collision, Halloween was a very exciting time in our house, but we had to get through it for our other children.&nbsp; Christmas which should be a time of happiness and joy was filled with despair and heart wrenching moments without Ciaran. Then came the New Year, Ciaran&rsquo;s Birthday January 3rd. His 5th Birthday celebrated for him but without him, surrounded by our families, heartbroken watching Sean &amp; Caoimhe blow out his candles. Then Easter we relived every minute of the time coming up to the collision. On April 17th, It was Ciaran&rsquo;s anniversary, after this day we could no longer say &lsquo;&rsquo;This Time Last Year&rsquo;&rsquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	We have gone through hell and back since Ciaran&rsquo;s death. Torn, between being parents, while we ache for our son. Keeping a face for Sean &amp; Caoimhe and as the day goes on we find ourselves smothering with grief and devastation.&nbsp; Some of my darkest moments have been at night when the children slept, trying to come to terms with everything, from the trauma of the crash, the nightmares, the feeling of been on fire and the screams of my children and being unable to be a mother to them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	On nights that it was unbearable, I just wanted to die, Ronan would hold me while we both cried and ached for Ciaran. We have had to watch our parents, brothers and sister, nieces &amp; nephews and extended family and friends of Ciaran go through this nightmare, the complete devastation of Ciaran&rsquo;s loss. I have spent months torturing myself looking for reasons that would have made the outcome different.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	If I had gone home earlier or later, taken another road, but through counselling I now know that this was not my fault. I was a mother taking her two children home to her husband and their father and our daughter to get ready for Easter. We lived our lives for our children. Everything we did was for them and our needs came last, but we were happy with that because they were our world.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ronan all this time had to care for me while I was non weight bearing in a wheelchair, while I had to learn how to walk again. He had to care for Sean and Caoimhe and tried to keep our business afloat. Since the collision we have lost our business because of the financial strain of hiring extra staff to cover both myself and Ronan&rsquo;s jobs. I am a trained Beauty Therapist and had my own salon for ten years. I took a career break from my business to be a stay at home mother while trying to work evenings in Ronan&rsquo;s shop.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Due to financial pressure we have had to put the premises where I operated the salon from up for sale. My plan was to return to my career when Caoimhe started school but now I cannot due to my disabilities from my injuries. While Ronan tried to run the business, we had to travel to Portlaoise to bank with AIB as the Portarlington branch had closed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Physically everyday is a struggle. I have days when I cannot function with pain. My left leg requires more surgery and if this surgery does not work I could face a lower leg amputation. Even though losing my leg, will never be as bad as losing Ciaran. Family life will never be the same without Ciaran. We speak his name and try so very hard to include him in everything we do. We try to keep his memory alive with the children and they both speak of him as if he has just gone away and will come back.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Children do not understand that death is permanent and over time they will have to come to the realisation that their brother will not be coming back. We as parents comfort them when they ask where Ciaran is we tell them he lives in heaven but he still is also in their hearts. We as parents, Sean, Caoimhe, our parents and extended family will never be able to come to terms with Ciaran&rsquo;s loss.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	We will always wonder how life would have been. He never got the chance to start school, make his Communion, Confirmation, go to college, get married or have children. These are the things that will break our hearts even more knowing he did not get to live his life, a life that was so brutally taken through the drunken actions of Finbar O&rsquo;Rourke. Again this I will never forgive Finbar O&rsquo;Rourke for.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	What keep us alive are Sean and Caoimhe. They need us and it is our goal to be good parents to them and they deserve nothing less. They have suffered enough and will suffer more missing Ciaran in their lives. We carry on knowing we have an angel in heaven watching over us. The only glue that keeps our hearts together is Sean and Caoimhe.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	We all will miss Ciaran everyday of the remainder of our lives. We thank God for four precious years with him but grieve for the life he was denied by the actions of Finbar O&rsquo;Rourke, a drunk driver who shattered and devastated our family.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/my-whole-life-was-shattered-and-my-heart-was-broken-when-my-worst-nightmare-had-been-confirmed-34147995.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/my-whole-life-was-shattered-and-my-heart-was-broken-when-my-worst-nightmare-had-been-confirmed-34147995.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-28 09:52:22',NULL,'my-whole-life-was-shattered-and-my-heart-was-broken-when-my-worst-nightmare-had-been-confirmed'),(1354,'Child sex abuse: Focus on strangers ignores real risks','<p>\r\n	Statistics show that 93% of sexual predators are known to their victims. Parents who ignore this in trying to keep their children safe are only exposing them to risk, writes Rita de Br&uacute;n.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The oddball lurking in the shadows. The shifty-looking loner hanging around the school gates. The driver of the parked van. If only it were that simple. If only we could tell at a glance if someone was assessing our children as prey.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	There&rsquo;s always a predator on the loose. We can&rsquo;t always watch our children and keep them close. So we comfort ourselves by fuelling the myth that sex predators waiting to pounce come in easily recognisable categories; that they&rsquo;re either strangers in general, or stereotypical weirdos in particular; that they&rsquo;re the sort that decent, law-abiding citizens could red-flag as dangerous with one superficial, side-long glance.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	If that line of thinking is a comfort, it&rsquo;s also misguided, as when it comes to endeavouring to keep our children safe, stranger-danger &mdash; in all its terrifying manifestations &mdash; is statistically and realistically the least of our worries.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The vast majority &mdash; 93% &mdash; of sexual predators are known to their victims. This sobering fact comes courtesy of the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI) 2014 Statistics Report, a document which throws light on the darkness of, and elucidates some harrowing truths about, sex abuse in Ireland.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Of the children under 13 that the RCNI came into contact with last year, 45% disclosed they were abused by family members or relatives. Of the 13-17 year olds, 43% said they were abused by non-family members, which according to the report, were most likely to be friends, acquaintances or neighbours.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While strangers didn&rsquo;t feature largely among those who sexually abused children, other children surprisingly did. Some 37% of those who sexually violated children were other children. Of those offenders, 97% were male.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Of victims who linked in with the RCNI, just 33% reported the crimes to garda&iacute;. As for the unknown number who didn&rsquo;t report their abuse to either the RCNI or the garda&iacute;, it&rsquo;s likely that reluctance to endure the ordeal of a trial would have played a role. It&rsquo;s likely too that the vice grip of silence that engulfs so very many of those who survive crimes of this nature, is firmly allied with the fact that the vast majority of sex offenders are well known to their victims.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Because so many sex crimes never come to light, we don&rsquo;t know whether the number of offences in Ireland is rising, falling or remaining static. But what we do know is that the number of recorded sexual offences is on the rise.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In 2004, 1,752 sex crimes were recorded. Ten years later, that number was 2,065. In the intervening decade, the number peaked in 2010, with 2,366 sexual offences logged. In the 12-month period ending March 2015, CSO figures show the number of recorded sexual offences rose by 2.8% (up from 1,995 to 2,051).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	There were 1,420 names on Ireland&rsquo;s sex offenders register in May 2015. In August of this year, it was confirmed that 94 of those named on the register are currently being supervised in the community post release from prison. There were 401 sex offenders within the prison service.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	According to Children at Risk in Ireland (CARI), the HSE received 3,385 new cases of child sexual abuse in 2013.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Figures from One in Four are equally grim, claiming that 27% of youngsters are sexually abused by their 18th birthdays.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Fewer than 15% of that organisation&rsquo;s clients go to the garda&iacute; to report the abuse, allowing the majority of sexual predators to remain at large. Terms used by clients to describe the criminal justice system include &ldquo;alienating, traumatising and dehumanising&rdquo;. Of those who engaged with the criminal justice system, only &ldquo;a small proportion of cases&rdquo; proceeded to trial. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean those suspected of crimes are entirely left to their own devices.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They&rsquo;re not.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The garda&iacute;, the Probation Service and Tusla work with the HSE and other organisations to monitor and otherwise engage with those who have been convicted of sex crimes. They also work with those who, while never convicted, they have reason to suspect of such crimes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Focussing attention on stranger danger is perilous. It diverts attention from the dangerous individuals known to the individual/family, individuals who are far more likely to do harm than any stranger or any unknown convicted sexual offender.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Satisfying ourselves that no convicted sexual offenders live in the vicinity of our kids, serves only to build a false sense of security, when the reality is that vigilance must be exercised at all times so as to protect kids from those who have access to them, individuals they know and trust.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The number of those with either an inclination to behave in this way or a track-record of doing so, is entirely unknown, as only a tiny minority ever come to the attention of the garda&iacute;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	CORK-BASED psychologist and sex offender risk assessor, Dr Joe Sullivan, puts it this way: &ldquo;According to the SAVI (Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland) report, only about 5% of victims report abuse and of that 5%, only about 7% of the allegations lead to convictions. So, the convicted sexual offenders are more or less the 7% convicted of the 5% reported.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Denis Naughten is one of the most vocal and passionate politicians about reforming legislation to better protect society from sex offenders. For him, the biggest bar to reducing risk from sex offenders is our legislation: &ldquo;The Sex Offenders Act 2001 which governs the conditions for registration is not fit for purpose and needs to urgently be reformed to ensure the more effective management of these individuals.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Our sex offender legislation is out of date and fails to meet even the most basic requirements.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;When members of the public hear that a high-profile sex offender has been released from prison, they feel assured, believing there&rsquo;s a physical register of those individuals that&rsquo;s being monitored and scrutinised on an ongoing basis &mdash; which is simply not the case.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Naughten is unimpressed by the notification requirements that apply to some categories of sex offenders in Ireland.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;To comply with the so-called register, an offender need only reside for one out of seven days at a stated address. He could be anywhere for the other six days.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t have to supply a photo or fingerprints. The other problem with the so-called register is that even though it&rsquo;s so easy to comply with it, about 10% of those on it have breached it.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While some breach these laws, others have gone so far as to challenge them in the courts. Earlier this year, a 31- year-old man lost his High Court challenge to the statutory requirement under the Sex Offender Act 2001, to notify a change of address to garda&iacute;. In 2004, he pleaded guilty to a rape which occurred when he was 13.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Deputy Naughten believes the notification periods for sex offenders here should be in line with those in Britain: &ldquo;They did away with the seven day notification period in the UK some years ago.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Because we have yet to do that, it has been said that the Irish system puts this country at risk of becoming a haven for sex offenders, and sure enough, one such individual who was wanted in Scotland was found hiding out in Kerry just recently.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Under the terms of the Child Sex Offenders (Information and Monitoring) Bill 2012, which I published and which is already in the system and accepted by Government, Ireland will be in line with the UK in so far as three days will be the maximum the sex offender can be gone from the address he gave to garda&iacute;, before there is an obligation on him to inform the authorities of his whereabouts.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Electronic tagging of dangerous sex offenders is something about which the deputy feels strongly. &ldquo;If a sex offender wants to reoffend he will do that if he can, and electronic tagging would help prevent that.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Last year, the prison service purchased 60 or 70 electronic tags to monitor high- risk offenders post release. Before that purchase, they had a dozen or so, but used only two or three of those to tag prisoners who were released to go into hospital. Until the new legislation comes in, those new tags will sit gathering dust in a box somewhere.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Given that young teenagers who have consensual sex can end up being labelled sex offenders, Mr Naughten is in favour of the introduction of spent conviction legislation: &ldquo;The reality is that some individuals do stupid things when they are young. Why should their lives be completely destroyed by having their names go on a sex register for that, especially when they then go on to live exemplary lives?</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Also, if a 16-year-old commits statutory rape with his younger girlfriend, he may go on to marry that girl and never pose a risk in the community. His information to my mind should not be accessible anywhere as he doesn&rsquo;t pose a risk.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	There are two core aspects of his bill introduced in 2013. One is to close off loopholes on the sex offenders register. The other is to introduce a type of Sarah&rsquo;s Law in Ireland. &ldquo;We are a very small country. We don&rsquo;t want everyone&rsquo;s private information blasted all over the place. But we need checks and balances and that&rsquo;s partly what this Bill is about. If parents have a concern about an individual who is associated with their child, they can go to the garda&iacute; and ask if there is anything about which they should be concerned.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;What&rsquo;s worrying is that while most people think it&rsquo;s usually a family member who abuses kids, the reality is that it&rsquo;s more often someone close to but outside the family, or someone who befriends the family so as to have the opportunity to abuse a child.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, Mr Naughten&rsquo;s bill has effectively been parked for the best part of two years: &ldquo;I am pleading with the Justice Minister Francis Fitzgerald in the interests of children, women and vulnerable adults, that she will now direct her officials to bring my legislation through committee and report stages in the D&aacute;il, so that we can at least ensure that we have an effective sex offenders register in this country, and so that parents can for the first time get access under the law to information about high risk offenders that might have direct access to their sons or daughters.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Confirming he hasn&rsquo;t received a reason for the delay, he says: &ldquo;If complexity is the cause, then it would make sense if the sections that are causing difficulty could be left out and introduced as soon as possible after the legislation is enacted... On the other hand, there should be and there are in place public protection arrangements, in order to assess the risks they continue to pose, together with supervision of them in the community, so that the public is protected.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/child-sex-abuse-focus-on-strangers-ignores-real-risks-361458.html?google_editors_picks=true\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/child-sex-abuse-focus-on-strangers-ignores-real-risks-361458.html?google_editors_picks=true</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-28 09:54:50',NULL,'child-sex-abuse-focus-on-strangers-ignores-real-risks'),(1355,'Independent body requested to deal with traveller accommodation','<p>\r\n	There are calls for county councils to be stripped of the responsibility to provide Traveller accommodation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Travellers&rsquo; rights groups have said the issue has become too contentious for local authorities to deal with.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They want the Government to set up an independent body to take over the job and de-politicise the issue.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They are planning a major protest outside the D&aacute;il this lunchtime with those representing Travellers around the country.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Patrick Nevin of lobby group, Minceirs Whiden has said the Carrickmines fire proves things need to change.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The vast majority of county councils haven&rsquo;t provided the appropriate accommodation,&rdquo; Mr Nevin said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;You take the example again and dare I say it of the Carrickmines situation, when the council did identify emergency location for the families, local residents came out and opposed that and the council caved in.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/independent-body-requested-to-deal-with-traveller-accommodation-702724.html\">http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/independent-body-requested-to-deal-with-traveller-accommodation-702724.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-28 09:56:36',NULL,'independent-body-requested-to-deal-with-traveller-accommodation'),(1356,'Ethnic needs in mental health for members of the Traveller community','<p>\r\n	Mental health services should have ethnic or cultural identifiers for members of the Traveller community to help deal with problems including high suicide rates, according to an expert committee which looked at the issue.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In an article published in the latest edition of the Irish Association of Social Workers&rsquo; Journal, a principal social worker at Dublin South Central Adult Mental Health Services outlines how the group decided, on balance, that identifying the level of Traveller interaction across mental health services would mean &ldquo;routine monitoring of trends would be facilitated and appropriate care provided&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Frank Browne was a member of the Traveller Mental Health Sub-Committee of the National Traveller Monitoring and Advisory Committee, alongside representatives of Traveller support groups, the HSE, the Department of Justice and the Department of Health.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	According to the article: &ldquo;The [Traveller Mental Health] sub-committee debated the pros and cons of an ethnic or cultural identifier, and appreciated that there would not be universal agreement, with legitimate concerns around confidentiality and potential fears that the disclosure of Traveller identity might result for some in experiencing greater discrimination.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;While conscious of these concerns, the sub-committee nonetheless concluded that the benefits far outweigh any concerns if, in the long term, sufficient data is to be available to monitor progress in facilitating treatment and reducing suicide rates among the Traveller community.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The sub-committee&rsquo;s recommendations were to contribute to the next National Traveller Health Strategy and Mr Browne said as far as the group was concerned ethnic identifiers were &ldquo;a no-brainer&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/ethnic-needs-in-mental-health-for-members-of-the-traveller-community-361933.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/ethnic-needs-in-mental-health-for-members-of-the-traveller-community-361933.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-29 09:44:21',NULL,'ethnic-needs-in-mental-health-for-members-of-the-traveller-community'),(1357,'Understaffed centre ordered not to take in new residents','<p>\r\n	Health watchdog Hiqa has strongly criticised a centre for people with disabilities, ordering no new residents be taken in until issues of understaffing are addressed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The inspection uncovered a string of failings at the designated centre for people with disabilities, which is operated by the HSE in Co Westmeath.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The failings at the facility included inappropriate staffing, shortcomings regarding nursing care, inadequate management systems, and insufficient systems in place in the centre for the assessment, management, and ongoing review of risk, including a system for responding to an emergency or emergencies.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Residents were also not provided with opportunities to participate in activities in accordance with their interests, capabilities, and developmental needs, and were not provided with access to facilities for occupation and recreation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It was agreed there would be no admissions to the centre until a stable nursing and non-nursing staff was consistently in place.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	According to the report by Hiqa: &ldquo;There were complaints from December 2014 to May 2015 in respect of insufficient staff being available to meet the needs of the residents; for example, there were occasions when residents were unable to go to bed and get up at a time of their choice, go on planned visits, and celebrate significant occasions.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Family members had already complained about the centre&rsquo;s policy not to stay with a resident who was hospitalised and of the distress endured by a resident in an unfamiliar environment and with unfamiliar medical personnel.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A resident who had planned to visit a family member remained in the centre while awaiting the return of a staff member and resident who had been out for an appointment.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/understaffed-centre-ordered-not-to-take-in-new-residents-361932.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/understaffed-centre-ordered-not-to-take-in-new-residents-361932.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-29 09:45:56',NULL,'understaffed-centre-ordered-not-to-take-in-new-residents'),(1358,'Five children die after migrant boats sink off Greece','<p>\r\n	At least five children died when boats carrying migrants sank off Greece today, as rescue workers battled to save more children on the seashore in the latest desperate scenes in Europe&#39;s refugee crisis.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Two adults also died as four vessels went down on the dangerous sea crossing from Turkey.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	More than 200 people, many suffering hypothermia, were rescued from one sinking off the north coast of the Greek island of Lesbos.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Images from Lesbos, a major entry point for the flow of migrants trying to get to Europe, showed doctors and paramedics fighting to revive at least one child on the island&#39;s shoreline.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The child was later taken to hospital in a critical condition.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Patrol vessels, fishing boats and even locals on jet skis joined in efforts to search into the night for more survivors in the water, struggling with strong winds.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Port police said it was not clear how many people might be in the water, with survivors giving a confusing picture of how many were on the boat that capsized off Lesbos.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The new accidents brought to 36 the number of migrants found dead in Greek waters this month, according to an AFP tally based on data from Greek port police.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Since the start of the year, 560,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in Greece by sea, out of over 700,000 who have reached Europe via the Mediterranean, according to the International Office for Migration.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	More than 3,200 people have died during these crossings, most of them children, the IOM says.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1028/738120-migrant-boats/\">http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1028/738120-migrant-boats/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-29 09:47:13',NULL,'five-children-die-after-migrant-boats-sink-off-greece'),(1359,'Victims to hear why suspects are freed','<p>\r\n	Almost half the case files examined by the Director of Public Prosecutions last year were returned to garda&iacute; with orders not to press charges.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Some 44% of the 11,692 files disposed of by the DPP in 2014 came back with directions for no prosecution. That was a 2% increase on the previous year which in turn was a 2% increase on the number in 2012.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The number in which prosecution on indictment was directed &mdash; meaning the suspect should have a jury trial in the circuit court &mdash; was down 2% on the previous year, while the number directed for summary disposal, in the district court without a jury, was down 1%.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The most common reason for directing a suspect not be charged, accounting for 80% of no-charge cases, was insufficient evidence. Other reasons included the injured party withdrawing their complaint, the suspect being dealt with by way of caution or juvenile diversion programme, and time delays in progressing the case.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	From next month, victims of crimes will be able to request an explanation from the DPP as to why a suspect was not prosecuted.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Since 2008, those affected by cases involving deaths have been able to seek explanations and a total of 91 requests had been received up to June this year, 63% relating to road traffic fatalities.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Most requests for explanations were granted but four were declined, one was withdrawn and a decision was still pending on eight.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The move to widen the facility to victims of all crimes &ldquo;subject to some limited exceptions&rdquo; is being driven by the EU Victims Directive which comes into effect on November 16.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	DPP Claire Loftus has set up of a dedicated victims liaison unit in her office to handle requests but she warned the work would be &ldquo;very resource intensive&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Around 5,000 files sent by garda&iacute; to her office are returned with a decision that there should be no prosecution each year, but it is unknown how many victims are likely to seek an explanation and/or a formal review of the case as EU law will allow.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It remains to be seen whether the resources sanctioned will be sufficient to meet our obligations,&rdquo; Ms Loftus said. &ldquo;This is a matter which will be kept under review in the coming months.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Her annual report shows the number of convictions secured in cases prosecuted on indictment is falling, down to 68% from 72% the previous year and 73% two years earlier, but that may be due to increases in the number of cases still waiting to be heard at the end of the year. Some 26%, of cases had not been heard at year&rsquo;s end compared to 21% the previous year and 19% two years earlier.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Conviction rates varied depending on the nature of the crime. In fatal offences, the rate was just 67% but it was on average 87% for sexual offences, 97% for offences against property and it rose to 100% for fraud and revenue offences.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In the Special Criminal Court, just five of the 25 prosecutions for membership of an unlawful organisation resulted in convictions. Four cases were awaiting hearing at year&rsquo;s end and the rest were acquitted.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/victims-to-hear-why-suspects-are-freed-362108.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/victims-to-hear-why-suspects-are-freed-362108.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-30 10:05:31',NULL,'victims-to-hear-why-suspects-are-freed'),(1360,'China allows couples to have two children','<p>\r\n	China&rsquo;s ruling Communist Party has decided to allow all couples to have two children, abolishing a policy that limited many urban couples to only one child for more than three decades.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The decision is the most significant easing of family planning policies that were long considered some of the party&rsquo;s most onerous intrusions into family life.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The restrictions led to an imbalanced sex ratio because of a traditional preference for boys, and a strict enforcement that sometimes included forced abortions.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A communique from the party&rsquo;s Central Committee said that the decision to allow all couples to have two children was &ldquo;to improve the balanced development of population&rdquo; and to deal with an ageing population, the official Xinhua News Agency said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, the move may not spur a huge baby boom, in part because fertility rates are believed to be declining even without the policy&rsquo;s enforcement.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Previous easings of the one-child policy have led to fewer births than expected, and many people among China&rsquo;s younger generations seem to prefer smaller family sizes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The communique followed the panel&rsquo;s meeting this week to chart the country&rsquo;s economic and social development to 2020.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	China, which has the world&rsquo;s largest population at 1.4 billion people, introduced the one-child policy in 1979 as a temporary measure to curb a then-surging population and limit the demands for water and other resources.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Soon after it was implemented, rural couples were allowed two children if their firstborn was a girl. Ethnic minorities are also allowed more than one child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Chinese families with a strong preference for boys have sometimes resorted to aborting female foetuses, a practice which has upset the ratio of male to female babies.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The imbalance makes it difficult for some men to find wives, and is believed to fuel the trafficking of women as brides.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In November 2013, the party announced that it would allow couples to have two children if one of the parents is a single child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The decision announced yesterday removes all remaining restrictions limiting couples to only one child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The government credits the one-child policy with preventing 400 million births and helping lift countless families out of poverty by easing the strain on the country&rsquo;s limited resources.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	But many demographers argue the birthrate would have fallen anyway as China&rsquo;s economy developed and education levels rose.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Moreover, the abrupt fall in the birthrate has pushed up the average age of the population and demographers foresee a looming crisis because the policy reduced the young labour pool that must support the large baby boom generation as it retires.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/world/china-allows-couples-to-have-two-children-362099.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/world/china-allows-couples-to-have-two-children-362099.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-30 10:08:36',NULL,'china-allows-couples-to-have-two-children'),(1361,'Sexual health strategy aims to combat rising STI levels','<p>\r\n	Move follows reports highlighting increase in cases of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The HSE has launched a new sexual health strategy which aims to ease the &ldquo;significant increase&rdquo; in levels of sexually transmitted infections in Ireland.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The first ever National Sexual Health Strategy and Action Plan proposes to improve access to sexual health education and information, and to ensure high-quality sexual health services are available to all on an affordable basis.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The policy was developed after a series of recent reports outlined the rapid growth of diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis among sexually active people.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The European Centre for Disease Control last month identified Ireland as having one of the highest rates of new cases of gonorrhoea across the continent over the last decade, with the incidence of syphilis and chlamydia both doubling in the same period.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The strategy covers the next six years, but specific measures including auditing of all clinical sexual health services and the establishment of a national sexual health training programme will be completed by the end of 2016.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Our goals are to expand existing services and make it easier for people to get tested,&rdquo; said Minister for Health Leo Varadkar, who announced the strategy on Thursday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really because of the fact that we&rsquo;ve had a significant increase in sexually transmitted diseases in the last couple of years and we want to turn that around.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The strategy runs over six years, but it&rsquo;s important that it doesn&rsquo;t just sit around for six years, that we actually deliver on key actions in the first two years.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Consultant genitourinary physician Dr Fiona Lyons has been appointed national clinical lead for sexual health services as part of the move, and &euro;150,000 has been allocated to pilot a new rapid HIV testing service in Dublin, along with an expansion to existing services in Cork and Limerick.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Students and gay men are two particular groups being targeted by the plan due to increasing infection rates. Tiernan Brady of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) welcomed the new approach.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said: &ldquo;This strategy both calls on all relevant groups to work together to prioritise sexual health, and sets out for the first time a clear plan of how that can happen.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We especially welcome the strategy&rsquo;s emphasis on the need to develop specific policies and actions which are targeted and tailored to population groups with specific needs such as gay and bisexual men.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/sexual-health-strategy-aims-to-combat-rising-sti-levels-1.2410071\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/sexual-health-strategy-aims-to-combat-rising-sti-levels-1.2410071</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-10-30 10:09:59',NULL,'sexual-health-strategy-aims-to-combat-rising-sti-levels'),(1362,'State too slow to help many at-risk kids, says report','<p>\r\n	Four out of every five children who are reported at risk of abuse are going weeks without being assessed by child protection officers, according to a new report.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Children&#39;s Ombudsman, Dr Niall Muldoon, said he is &quot;seriously concerned&quot; that thousands of children are being left in vulnerable situations without &quot;the proper, timely support from the State&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A quarter of all complaints the ombudsman received last year related to the Child and Family Support Agency (Tusla).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The annual report says that the ombudsman completed a number of investigations into the handling of abuse cases.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Concern</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, more than three quarters of initial assessments of children were carried out after the 21-day target window once a concern has been raised.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;It is of serious concern that the quarterly data issued by Tusla in 2014 indicates that there is a very low percentage of initial assessments being completed within the target time frame of 21 days,&quot; Dr Muldoon says in his report.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;According to the Quarter 2 National Performance Activity report, only 21pc (544 out of 2,580) of children in the country who required an initial assessment, following a preliminary enquiry, received one within 21 days of receipt of referral.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report says that the issue has been raised with Tusla and that steps are being taken to address the problem.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	But he also warns that &quot;it is crucial that any child reported as being at risk of abuse is catered for in the best possible manner and receives the best service within the quickest possible time ... to minimise the length of time which they remain in a vulnerable state&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The annual report says there has been a 9pc increase in complaints to the office since 2012.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Many complaints related to children being placed in inappropriate care facilities, including direct provision centres and adult psychiatric wards and prisons.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He called on the Government to commit to moving legislation before the next election, so that all 17-year-olds will move out of Wheatfield and St Patrick&#39;s Prisons immediately.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Education was the biggest single area of concern, with 47pc of all complaints relating to bullying, individual schools, or the Department of Education itself.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.herald.ie/news/state-too-slow-to-help-many-atrisk-kids-says-report-34163042.html\">http://www.herald.ie/news/state-too-slow-to-help-many-atrisk-kids-says-report-34163042.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-03 12:33:48',NULL,'state-too-slow-to-help-many-at-risk-kids-says-report'),(1363,'One \'stateless\' child born every ten minutes','<p>\r\n	A stateless child is born every ten minutes, the United Nations said this morning, warning that the problem has intensified as the conflict in Syria has sparked a global migrant and refugee crisis.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A new report by the UN refugee agency highlights the long-term consequences of statelessness for children such as being deprived of medical care, education and future access to employment.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The problem is particularly severe among migrants and refugees affected by conflict, said the report, which is to be launched by UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres at UN headquarters in New York tomorrow.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In Syria, children can acquire nationality only through their fathers, but the four-year civil war has forced more than four million people to flee the country and left 25% of refugee families fatherless.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Women who fled Syria while pregnant told UN interviewers that their hopes of one day returning home with their families could be crushed without a birth certificate to prove that their children are Syrian.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Syria&#39;s war has also forced hundreds of thousands of people to seek refuge in Europe, including women who have given birth while trying to move across borders.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The agency said that in the 20 countries hosting the largest stateless populations, &quot;at least 70,000 stateless children are born each year&quot; or one about every ten minutes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;In the short time that children get to be children, statelessness can set in stone grave problems that will haunt them throughout their childhoods and sentence them to a life of discrimination, frustration and despair,&quot; Mr Guterres said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Several million children are watching their childhoods slip away without the sense of belonging and protection that comes with a nationality,&quot; the report said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report notes that in 30 countries national documentation is required to access basic medical treatment, while in 20 countries stateless children cannot even be vaccinated.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The UN agency proposed several measures to eliminate the problem of statelessness, including the reform of discriminatory laws that prevent mothers from passing on nationality to their children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Children should also automatically become nationals of the country where they are born, UNHCR further said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report identified discrimination as the main cause of statelessness, pointing to 20 countries where nationality can be denied on the basis of ethnicity, race or religion.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In some countries, laws prohibiting such discrimination are ignored in practice, such as the Dominican Republic where people of Haitian descent have often been denied Dominican citizenship, UNHCR said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The refugee agency has previously set a goal to eliminate statelessness by 2024.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1103/739188-migrants/\">http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1103/739188-migrants/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-03 12:40:49',NULL,'one-stateless-child-born-every-ten-minutes'),(1364,'Abuse Claims Report: Whistleblower to receive ‘extracts’ of foster home investigation','<p>\r\n	A whistleblower who made claims of horrific sexual and physical abuse at a foster home in the Waterford area over a twenty-year period is to receive extracts from a HSE- commissioned report into the allegations, THREE YEARS after it was completed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Despite increasing public and political pressure, the HSE has still not published the inquiry report by consultant Conal Devine, which was launched in 2010 and completed two years later at a cost of &euro;124,797.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Now it&rsquo;s emerged that the Waterford-based social worker, who has previously criticised the HSE for failing to act and the Government&rsquo;s response to the disclosure, will be shown elements of the report on 24th November. The D&aacute;il&rsquo;s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which the social worker provided with an extensive dossier of allegations, has been told that the methodology and recommendations of the report will be made available to the social worker, though no personal information of service users will be released.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report investigates allegations dating back to the early 1990s that an intellectually disabled, non-verbal girl who lived with the foster family was subjected to years of horrific physical, sexual and emotional abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It&rsquo;s one of two reviews &ndash; costing a total of over &euro;500,000 &ndash; which have been commissioned by the HSE into the allegations. The separate &lsquo;look back&rsquo; review of all placements with the foster family, conducted by Resilience Ireland, has also yet to be published. It examined claims that up to 40 intellectually challenged children and adults who stayed at the foster home were emotionally, physically, sexually and financially abused. Some service users remained at the home for years after the initial allegations were made.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Waterford social worker was one of two whistleblowers who provided extensive information to the Department of Health back in 2009 under protected disclosure legislation, citing serious failures by the HSE (and formerly South Eastern Health Board) in mishandling the allegations.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	At the PAC last week, local Fine Gael TD Deputy John Deasy queried the HSE&rsquo;s continued failure to publish the Conal Devine report. He pointed out that the HSE had previously justified its non-publication by citing an ongoing garda investigation into the case. However this investigation has concluded and the DPP has ruled that there will be no criminal prosecutions arising, Deputy Deasy said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He heavily criticised Tony O&rsquo;Brien, Director General of the HSE, for not having read the Devine report himself and called for the immediate implementation of a new HSE policy to stop appointing former staff members to sensitive investigation into alleged failings in the health service. This new policy comes on foot of a recommendation by the PAC, after Deputy Deasy accused a &lsquo;clique of HSE managers&rsquo; of sweeping the abuse claims &lsquo;under the carpet for several years&rsquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;For the families of the children involved, there will be some sense of relief that policy change has resulted from the issues that have affected them. However I intend pursuing the non-publication of the relevant reports to date and the reasoning given and will be taking it up with the Department of Justice when they appear before the PAC next week.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.munster-express.ie/front-page-news/top-stories/abuse-claims-report-whistleblower-to-receive-extracts-of-foster-home-investigation/\">http://www.munster-express.ie/front-page-news/top-stories/abuse-claims-report-whistleblower-to-receive-extracts-of-foster-home-investigation/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-03 12:41:32',NULL,'abuse-claims-report-whistleblower-to-receive-‘extracts’-of-foster-home-investigation'),(1365,'Protect your child from sexual abuse by helping them find the right words','<p>\r\n	You can help protect your children by ensuring they can talk to you about anything, writes &Aacute;il&iacute;n Quinlan</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It&rsquo;s one thing for parents to read reports of child sexual abuse in the newspapers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It&rsquo;s another thing entirely to realise your child may have been abused &ndash; and that you must sit down and talk to him or her about the ordeal.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Difficult and all as it may be, such a discussion will be even more demanding if the subject of sex or sex abuse is something that has never been mentioned in the family.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Some parents find it extremely difficult to give their children basic information about their private parts or to talk about sexuality or sexual abuse, according to psychologist and university lecturer Dr Rosaleen McElvaney, who has worked in the area of sexual abuse for more than 20 years.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	So now she&rsquo;s written a book explaining how parents can talk to children, not only about sex and sexual abuse, but about other difficult life events such as bereavement, bullying and parental separation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, she says, sexual abuse is a topic many parents find particularly difficult to tackle.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Parents become de-skilled in the face of anything to do with sexual abuse because of their own anxiety about getting it wrong or their own discomfort in talking about sex with children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They forget that they have the skill to do it,&rdquo; says McElvaney. &ldquo;There is no one way to talk with a child about sexual abuse. It depends on how you normally converse with your child and on how they talk about things.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;You have to tailor the conversation to your particular scenario.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;I put a lot of emphasis in the book on knowing yourself and knowing how you feel about something, on getting support for yourself through research and through talking about it with friends or partners before you have the conversation with the child.&rdquo; It makes the process a little easier, she says, if children have already been given what she terms &ldquo;the language for their private parts.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;When I worked in Temple Street I&rsquo;d ask parents what kind of words their children used for their private parts. In some families they&rsquo;d say that they didn&rsquo;t have any words &ndash; that they &lsquo;didn&rsquo;t talk about that&rsquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, she warns, if such matters are never spoken of, a child who has endured sexual abuse would find their experience very difficult to discuss because they simply didn&rsquo;t know such a thing even existed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They find it hard to make sense of it and very difficult to communicate, because if you cannot make sense of it, you won&rsquo;t know what to say.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Sometimes children may be in shock and numbed and not speak about it. They may freeze or not be able to talk or else they will act out or be very boisterous or rowdy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They&rsquo;re trying to communicate that something&rsquo;s wrong but they don&rsquo;t know how to do it in a way they can be heard,&rdquo; explains McElvaney who also worked in the public health service before becoming a lecturer at Dublin City University.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	McElvaney recommends starting to talk about the issue of private parts and a child&rsquo;s rights in relation to his or her body even before the playschool years &ndash; &ldquo;start as early as you start having a conversation with the child,&rdquo; she says.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Very small children can talk about their own body; about the fact that it&rsquo;s their own body, that nobody touches them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable or touches them in a &lsquo;not nice&rsquo; way or in a way that makes them feel &lsquo;yucky&rsquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	With older children, she says, you discuss the fact that sexual abuse does happen, &ldquo;that there are people who touch children in ways that are not ok.&rdquo; &ldquo;I would say to start talking about it as soon as you start talking with children at all.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	If you can start talking to a child from a very early age, she says, at least they will be aware that such things can happen.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The whole thing is so strange and overwhelming that they cannot begin to talk about it.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;You have to get in there first and talk about it so that they know that when or if such a thing happens, they must come straight to you and talk about it.&rdquo; She recommends reading the information leaflets available to parents from organisations such as the NSPCC in the UK, as well as the Irish Stay Safe guide.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Begin by setting up a family culture of discussing things, she advises &ndash; from chatting about tiffs with friends to interesting things that happened in school.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Create a culture early on where children feel they can ask you about things.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, be warned, McElvaney adds &ndash; even if you do this, don&rsquo;t complacently assume that your child will report a sexual abuse incident.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;This is a really difficult thing for children to tell, and people need to understand that and they don&rsquo;t appreciate how difficult it is for children to talk about it.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It&rsquo;s difficult, not just because they may not be able to make sense of it, she says &ndash; children can also think they&rsquo;re in some way to blame for what happened, and may be afraid to tell.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They may also be afraid that they&rsquo;ll get in trouble, or that the abuser &ndash; who may be someone they like &ndash; will get into trouble.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;An older child will know there will be trouble and won&rsquo;t want to feel responsible for that.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Older children may also be afraid that their parents will be upset and want to protect them.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Be alert and observe behavioural changes she advises &ndash; a child who is outgoing suddenly not wanting to go out, or becoming more withdrawn and not wanting to go places or see people, children who are suddenly getting into trouble for the first time in school, having nightmares or becoming easily upset, irritated or experiencing tummy aches.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;These signs are not specific to sexual abuse but they indicate that something is not right in the child&rsquo;s world,&rdquo; she says.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	There are no magic rules to handling the conversation, says McElvaney, other than thinking about it carefully beforehand.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	If you&rsquo;re uncomfortable at even the prospect of having such a talk, seek advice from other parents or from websites such as www.staysafe.ie.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The same rules and principles apply to talking to children about other difficult topics such as bereavement or separation, she says.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She adds that, if, in the end, you believe somebody else would be better at talking to the child about the issue, it&rsquo;s important to have this resolved before approaching the child, so that negative non-verbal messages are not communicated to them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Parents find it difficult to talk to children about topics such as bereavement, but says, child psychotherapist and play therapist Ursula Somerville (MIAHIP) the first thing you need to do is find the age-appropriate language.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The natural language of children is play &ndash; that&rsquo;s how they integrate information,&rdquo; she explains. Very often a child&rsquo;s real concerns emerge through their creative work, she says, this can be a way into a discussion of difficult life events such as bereavement and parental separation. Be realistic too, she emphasises. &ldquo;They need to be at the funeral and to be a part of it, and they need to experience other people&rsquo;s grief so that it normalises it for them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They should see people crying at the funeral,&rdquo; she says, adding that as a parent, allow them to express their thoughts in play &ndash; whether it is drawing or playing with miniature people, cars or animals for example.&rdquo; Allow the play to take place without either interpreting it or interrupting the child, she advises, adding however, that in a case where the parent has had a severe loss, and is not available emotionally to hold the weight of their child&rsquo;s loss, it may be a good idea to bring in a professional.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Finding the Words: Talking Children through the Tough Times by Dr Rosaleen McElvaney. Published by Veritas &euro;12.99 paperback</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	TALK OPENLY AND DIRECTLY TO CHILDREN</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Some tips from the CARI Foundation, an organisation providing support to child sex abuse victims and their families:</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Talk to your children about sexuality and sexual abuse in age-appropriate terms. Talking openly and directly about sexuality teaches children that it is okay to talk to you when they have questions.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Teach children the names of their body parts so that they have the language to ask questions and express concerns about those body parts.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Teach children that some parts of their bodies are private. Let children know that other people should not be touching or looking at their private parts unless they need to touch them to provide care. If someone does need to touch them in those private areas, a parent or trusted caregiver should be there when it happens. Tell children that if someone tries to touch those private areas or wants to look at them, or if someone tries to show them his or her own private parts, they should tell a trusted adult as soon as possible.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Assure your child that it is okay to get help, even if someone he or she cares about might be upset or embarrassed. Do not try to put all this information into one big &ldquo;talk&rdquo; about sex.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Talking about sexuality and sexual abuse should be routine conversations.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Use everyday issues to begin conversations. Be involved in your child&rsquo;s life.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	For more information visit www.cari.ie</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/features/protect-your-child-from-sexual-abuse-by-helping-them-find-the-right-words-362901.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/features/protect-your-child-from-sexual-abuse-by-helping-them-find-the-right-words-362901.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-04 10:35:05',NULL,'protect-your-child-from-sexual-abuse-by-helping-them-find-the-right-words'),(1366,'Almost 200 new beds for homeless in Dublin for winter','<p>\r\n	Some 195 new extra emergency accommodation beds have been confirmed for Dublin as part of the Cold Weather Initiative.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Some 55 units are also being available for families and couples in the Dublin region.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Cathal Morgan, Director of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive said today that no families or individuals should be homeless this winter. The top up of the number of beds will bring the total to 3,300.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We will put in place 195 beds to cover the winter period, we will also be putting in place a whole range of measures for families who become homeless,&rdquo; he told RTE&#39;s Morning Ireland.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Last winter, we put in place 271 new beds, they&rsquo;re still in place. We&rsquo;re seeing a rise in rough sleeping again despite the interventions being put in place.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just about providing emergency cover for single people and rough sleepers, but also families.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Between 100 and 150 people are still sleeping rough in Dublin, he said, but he stressed that the sole focus in tackling homelessness should not be only in providing emergency shelter.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We have to stem the flow coming at us.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He added: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a case that people come into homeless services and don&rsquo;t move through. We do see throughput of individuals moving through the system.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We will do as much as we can to get people off the streets. We have to emphasise the work of An Garda Siochana as well.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Some 37 family units are opening in Glasnevin and Ballymun plaza, which started taking in people in the past few days. Meanwhile, 18 long-term units for couples will also open on Sean McDermott Street later this month.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A further 20 single beds will be put in by the Civil Defence place during the extreme cold weather and a further 80 rooms are yet to be confirmed for families.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The beds will be available from this month and will remain available until the end of April, according to the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	There will be at least 100 single beds for men and women at a temporary night shelter in Dublin city. The beds in Thomas Street will be available later this month.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Homeless charity the Peter McVerry Trust praised theExecutive but said there was more to be done.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Peter McVerry Trust CEO Pat Doyle said: &quot;In the first nine months of 2015, the homeless sector in Dublin has moved 729 people out of homelessness, an increase of over 200 on the same period last year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;In the first nine months of 2015, the homeless sector in Dublin has moved 729 people out of homelessness, an increase of over 200 on the same period last year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Despite that increase and despite the 271 new beds added to the homeless system in Dublin last winter, we face a situation where we need to add an even larger number this winter.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The reality is that the Cold Weather Initiative is planning to provide additional homeless accommodation to over 500 people between now and Christmas.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;That in itself is a scandalous reflection of the failure by Government to protect those most at risk in Irish society.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/almost-200-new-beds-for-homeless-in-dublin-for-winter-34169112.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/almost-200-new-beds-for-homeless-in-dublin-for-winter-34169112.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-04 10:36:39',NULL,'almost-200-new-beds-for-homeless-in-dublin-for-winter'),(1367,'Woman claims her brother sexually abused her in family home, court hears','<p>\r\n	A woman claims she was raped and sexually and physically abused over some four years by one of her brothers in their family home.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She claims it began when she was aged eight in an action for damages she has brought against the brother in the High Court.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The woman told her father about the assaults by her older brother at the time they were happening but she was not believed and was beaten, her counsel Sasha Gayer said. Afterwards, the woman felt like an &ldquo;outcast&rdquo; from the family, counsel added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The woman became upset while telling a jury she believed the abuse began around the time of her First Communion when she was aged eight.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She was one of eight children and believed her brother was around 16 at the time. When Ms Gayer said there was an issue about her brother&#39;s exact age at the time and whether he was aged 13 or 14, the woman said he &quot;looked bigger&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said the abuse could happen any time of the day and she could not remember particular dates or times.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Any chance he could, he would.&quot;&nbsp; It began with &quot;playing&quot; and later became &quot;more intense stuff&quot;, she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Now aged in her forties, the woman has sued her brother over the alleged rape and assaults on her on dates from 1976 to 1980 in the family home.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In a defence read to the court, the brother denies all the claims.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The case opened&nbsp; Tuesday (Nov 3) before Mr Justice Colm MacEochaidh and a jury.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In her action, it is alleged she was subjected to repeated, sustained and wrongful acts of rape and sexual and physical assaults.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is claimed the defendant was in a position of control over her at the time, forced her to commit oral sex on him and watch him masturbating, raped her vaginally and anally, emotionally taunted and tormented her about sexual and quasi sexual matters and exposed her to abuse when he knew she would be damaged by that.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The claim is for damages for alleged rape and assaults, battery, abuse, false imprisonment, breach of duty and breach of rights.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This is a very serious case involving claims the woman was sexually abused by an older brother when she was a young child, counsel said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The woman was traumatised by the assaults, still experiences psychological symptoms and flashbacks and a psychologist would tell the court she suffers Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, counsel said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Counsel said the woman was one of eight children living in a three bedroom house with their parents and the abuse took place in a bedroom of the house.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The woman left school in her mid teens and worked in a shop, counsel said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She met her husband and followed him to the UK after he emigrated there.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She had tried to get on with things and constantly suppressed memories of the abuse but always suffered trauma and depression, Ms Gayer said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Her relationship with her husband and three children was affected and she had difficulties with children being tactile toward her which she attributed to the alleged abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In 2004, her memories came to the force and she had counselling which she found helpful.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It was only then she felt able to tell her family about what happened and that set in progress the procedure which led to this case, counsel said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The case continues.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/woman-claims-her-brother-sexually-abused-her-in-family-home-court-hears-34167104.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/woman-claims-her-brother-sexually-abused-her-in-family-home-court-hears-34167104.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-04 10:38:06',NULL,'woman-claims-her-brother-sexually-abused-her-in-family-home-court-hears'),(1368,'Ireland should follow Portugal on drug laws, report suggests','<p>\r\n	Proposals for Government suggest possession should be similar to road traffic offence</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ireland should follow the example of Portugal and offer counselling and other assistance to people caught by garda&iacute; with small quantities of drugs rather than prosecute them, a new report for Government by an Oireachtas committee is proposing.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	People found with drugs including cannabis, heroin and cocaine would face a civil or administrative response rather than a criminal justice one.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The proposals come just days after Minister in charge of the National Drugs Strategy Aodh&aacute;n &Oacute; R&iacute;ord&aacute;in said a more liberal and progressive attitude towards illegal drugs was needed in the Republic.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He told The Irish Times medically supervised injection rooms &ldquo;will happen next year&rdquo; and said the &ldquo;stigma&rdquo; and &ldquo;shame&rdquo; around being addicted to drugs needed to come to an end.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In Portugal, people caught with up to 10 days supply of drugs are sent before a dissuasion commission to discuss the reasons they are consuming the substances.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The possession of drugs would still remain illegal in the Republic under the new plan, but the response of the criminal justice system would be scaled down to one similar to that of a road traffic offence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	And rather than engaging in a process ending in a criminal record and court sanctions such as fines or imprisonment, those caught with drugs would be offered treatment and counselling and supported towards a more stable and productive lifestyle.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Future policies</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The new proposal is contained in a report on future policies around drug abuse and harm reduction compiled by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality chaired by David Stanton.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report, due to be published on Thursday morning, follows a public consultation process in which more than 80 stakeholders and citizens made submissions.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The committee also held public hearings and a delegation of four members, led by Mr Stanton, went to Portugal to study the radical approach being taken there.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In July the Oireachtas committee published a report on its visit to Portugal and concluded initial fears the new approach would lead to an increase in drug use and attract drug users from other jurisdictions have proved to be unfounded.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Its interim report did not make any recommendations for Ireland based on the Portuguese experience, but said the approach there had freed up the police and courts from time consuming and expensive cases involving those caught with drugs for personal use.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Users had also escaped the stigma of a criminal record, which often proves a major disadvantage later in life.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The number of crimes related to drug use in Portugal had decreased and the police had more time to focus on catching drug dealers and frustrating drug trafficking.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Under the proposals to be unveiled on Thursday, people caught with small quantities of drugs would be referred to dissuasion committees made up for addiction and mental health professionals as well as social workers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The reasons for their drug use would be assessed and treatment options made available.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In Portugal, the authorities put positive discrimination in place for those who engage with the process, with tax breaks for employers who hire those undergoing treatment and counselling and the government contributing to paying the person&rsquo;s salary to the value of the minimum wage.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	And the management of the process under which those found with drugs is the responsibility of health and welfare state agencies in Portugal, having been taken out of the criminal justice system.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/ireland-should-follow-portugal-on-drug-laws-report-suggests-1.2417447\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/ireland-should-follow-portugal-on-drug-laws-report-suggests-1.2417447</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-05 09:51:32',NULL,'ireland-should-follow-portugal-on-drug-laws-report-suggests'),(1369,'Sinn Féin TD criticises Traveller criminality','<p>\r\n	Some have disgraced their community, says first TD from Traveller background</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Travellers involved in criminality are a disgrace who have shamed their own community and shown disrespect to settled people, Sinn F&eacute;in TD P&aacute;draig Mac Lochlainn, who is half- Traveller, has said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Some of the &ldquo;mistrust&rdquo; felt by the settled community has been justified by &ldquo;very poor behaviour and worse&rdquo; by some Travellers, said the Donegal TD, who has urged the State to recognise Travellers as an ethnic group.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;There is criminality within the Travelling community. They are a disgrace, those involved in criminality, they let down their own community and they shame their own community,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not in denial that there have been some in the Travelling community that have let down their people by criminality and by disrespect for the settled community. So it&rsquo;s a two- way street. This is not about hugs and kisses.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The first TD from a Traveller background, Mr Mac Lochlainn was born in Leeds in 1973 and brought up in Birmingham by &ldquo;two strong Traveller women&rdquo;, his grandmother Lizzy Gavin and mother Mary Mac Lochlainn.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	His father, R&eacute;amonn Mac Lochlainn, was in the Provisional IRA and was jailed in England for nine years. The family moved back to Donegal in 1983. His father died in a swimming accident two years later.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Traveller ethnicity</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Mac Lochlainn has spearheaded the campaign for the State to recognise Traveller ethnicity, with the debate he initiated in the D&aacute;il this week provoking a passionate speech from Minister of State for Equality Aodh&aacute;n &Oacute; R&iacute;ord&aacute;in on Tuesday night.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr &Oacute; R&iacute;ord&aacute;in did not read his official script but suggested the Government was slow to grant ethnicity because of the response from focus groups.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Aodh&aacute;n&rsquo;s speech was very courageous because he set aside the Civil Service script and spoke from his heart, and it was a great speech. And he meant it, I know he means it. On this issue we&rsquo;re colleagues and we&rsquo;re allies and we&rsquo;re friends,&rdquo; Mr Mac Lochlainn said in an interview with The Irish Times.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Sinn F&eacute;in TD said he had been terrified by some &ldquo;vile commentary&rdquo; voiced on social media about the tragedy of the 10 people who died in the fire at the halting site in Carrickmines, Dublin, last month.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The next step for society should be to have an honest conversation to address the &ldquo;quiet prejudice&rdquo; against Travellers that had grown up among some otherwise tolerant settled people. &ldquo;That is the slippery slope to bigotry and to racism.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He stressed those who advocated for Travellers&rsquo; rights had no difficulty in saying antisocial behaviour and criminality must be tackled head-on. &ldquo;It is not Travelling culture to be involved in criminality,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Deeply disrespectful</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Mac Lochlainn said the vast majority of Travellers were &ldquo;good, decent people&rdquo; but he had spoken out about an incident a number of years ago when a group of Travellers from &ldquo;down the country&rdquo; came to Buncrana in his constituency and &ldquo;took over&rdquo; amenities at the shorefront for two weeks in August.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It was a deeply disrespectful thing to have done to another community. I conveyed that to the Travellers who were there.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Mac Lochlainn said all citizens had responsibilities as well as rights. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a right-wing thing to say . . . People think it&rsquo;s Thatcherite to say that. It&rsquo;s not. It&rsquo;s Republican to say that,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;This is one of the last great civil rights challenges in Ireland, the Travellers issue. We&rsquo;ve buried it under the carpet, we&rsquo;ve papered over the cracks for too long. And we need to now have an honest conversation, warts and all.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;And everybody needs to accept their responsibility on both sides of the debate for what needs to be done.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He invited people with concerns about some Travellers&rsquo; behaviour to come and speak to him or other public representatives, adding that he had no illusions that advocating for Traveller ethnicity was a vote-winner.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/sinn-f%C3%A9in-td-criticises-traveller-criminality-1.2418161\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/sinn-f%C3%A9in-td-criticises-traveller-criminality-1.2418161</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-05 09:53:54',NULL,'sinn-fã©in-td-criticises-traveller-criminality'),(1370,'Taskforce to meet over alleged fishing industry abuse','<p>\r\n	A new taskforce looking at the alleged mistreatment of migrant workers on Irish fishing boats is to meet for the first time on Thursday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The inter-departmental government group was established in response to allegations made by The Guardian newspaper that illegal African and Asian workers are routinely used as cheap labour on board some Irish trawlers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The paper reported that undocumented workers have been employed in the Irish fishing industry on extremely low pay, less than half the minimum wage, and they endure terrible working conditions including sleep deprivation and inhuman hours.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It was also reported that some may have been trafficked via Belfast on UK transit visas in what they described as a &ldquo;catalogue of abuses&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Representatives from the Departments of Justice, Jobs, Transport, Marine, the Attorney General&rsquo;s office, agencies and the Garda&iacute; are to attend.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Minister for the Marine Simon Coveney will chair the group, which is to meet in Dublin.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	His department said the meeting aims to &ldquo;formulate a co-ordinated and effective cross-government approach&rdquo; to the matter.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The chairman of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Andrew Doyle, said: &ldquo;It is important for the reputation of the Irish fishing industry that we involve all relevant arms of the State in putting in place a comprehensive and exhaustive examination of these claims.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;At our committee meeting, members expressed deep concern at such allegations but also wished to place on record their support for the many members of the Irish fishing industry that operate within the confines of the law.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Andrew Doyle, Chairman</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;These allegations, especially in relation to the safety of workers, deserve the highest level of attention in order to safeguard the future of our fishing industry and we will monitor the work of the taskforce closely,&rdquo; he added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://utv.ie/News/2015/11/05/Taskforce-to-meet-over-alleged-fishing-industry-abuse-48291\">http://utv.ie/News/2015/11/05/Taskforce-to-meet-over-alleged-fishing-industry-abuse-48291</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-05 09:56:05',NULL,'taskforce-to-meet-over-alleged-fishing-industry-abuse'),(1371,'Layla (1) becomes first person to be cured of cancer using \'designer\' DNA','<p>\r\n	A one-year-old girl has become the first person in the world to be free of leukaemia through a ground-breaking genetic editing technique which creates designer immune cells to fight cancer.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Doctors had given up all hope of saving Layla Richards, now 17 months, after she failed to respond to chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	But when desperate parents Lisa and Ashleigh begged Great Ormond Street Hospital to try anything to cure their daughter, specialists agreed to attempt something entirely unique.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A team of scientists and doctors took donor immune cells and used &#39;molecular scissors&#39; to edit out genes to create specialised killer cells which could hunt out and eradicate her leukaemia.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	All-clear</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The treatment, which had only been tried in mice, was so experimental that specialists had to apply for emergency permission from health regulators and the hospital&#39;s ethics committee.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It took just 10 minutes to administer and now, just a few months on, Layla is free of cancer and back at home. Doctors are hopeful that she is cured but want to wait a year or two to make sure the disease does not return before giving her the all clear.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Professor Paul Veys, Director of bone marrow transplant at Great Ormond Street, said: &quot;As this was the first time that the treatment had been used, we didn&#39;t know if or when it work so we were over the moon when it did.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Her leukaemia was so aggressive that such a response is almost a miracle. She&#39;s a very tough little girl, almost indestructible.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Layla was born June 2014 but at just 14-weeks-old a blood test showed she had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). Doctors described it as &#39;one of the most aggressive cases we have ever seen.&#39;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The baby underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant but the cancer kept returning and eventually consultants informed her parents it was &#39;hopeless&#39; as there were no treatments left Specialists said the only option was palliative care until Layla inevitably passed away.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;We didn&#39;t want to accept palliative care and give up on our daughter,&quot; said mother Miss Foley, of Enfield, north London. &quot;We asked the doctors to try anything.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Unknown to the family, the consultants had been working with University College London on a cutting-edge new genetic treatment. It works by tweaking the DNA of donor immune cells so they would only target leukaemia cells and would not be rejected by the body.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It was hoped that a transfusion of the cells would clear Layla&#39;s body of any remaining leukaemia so that she could have a bone marrow transplant to reboot her immune system.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Layla was given an infusion of 1ml of the genetically engineered immune cells in a procedure that lasted around 10 minutes before being placed in isolation to protect her from infections.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Within a fortnight Layla had developed a rash which showed that an immune response was happening and her body was starting to fight off the leukaemia.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Two months later, Layla was given a transplant to replace her bone marrow which had been affected by the treatment, and one month later she was able to go home.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I consider ourselves lucky that we were in the right place at the right time,&quot; said Ms Foley. &quot;Hopefully Layla will stay well and lots more children can be helped.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The team at Great Ormond Street and UCL said the donor immune cells could be edited to help fight many other types of cancer and inherited diseases. They now plan to start clinical trials to show that the effects can be replicated.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Landmark</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Waseem Qasim, professor of cell and gene therapy ad UCL and consultant immunologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital said: &quot;This is a landmark in the use of new gene engineering technology and the effects for this child have been staggering.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;If replicated it could represent a huge step forward I treating leukaemia and other cancers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;It means there a whole bunch of other conditions that we can now try and create gene editing approaches for, where we are fixing genes in situ.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Matt Kaiser, Head of Research at cancer research charity Bloodwise said this was a desperate need for new therapies for patients who could not be cured of blood cancers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/layla-1-becomes-first-person-to-be-cured-of-cancer-using-designer-dna-34175396.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/layla-1-becomes-first-person-to-be-cured-of-cancer-using-designer-dna-34175396.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-06 11:07:08',NULL,'layla-1-becomes-first-person-to-be-cured-of-cancer-using-designer-dna'),(1372,'\'If I had the option I would impose a life sentence... to protect society\' - judge','<p>\r\n	Child kidnapper with 92 previous convictions gets 17 years</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A judge praised the &quot;natural instinct&quot; of a young boy who &quot;swung into action&quot; to save his sister from abduction.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Michael Martin (36) was given a 17-year sentence, with the final four years suspended, for false imprisonment in Co Laois last March. He had 92 previous convictions and was on bail for robbery charges at the time.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Judge Keenan Johnson said &quot;the detection and apprehension of the accused was a great piece of detective work&quot; which was aided by the keen observations of three children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Twin boys aged 10 and their 11-year-old sister had been playing at Cullohill in Co Laois when the accused approached in an SUV on March 4.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He grabbed the girl and pushed her into the passenger seat of the SUV. As he did so, the girl&#39;s brother attacked Martin.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He then clung onto the side of the SUV as Martin attempted to drive away. During the boy&#39;s attack on Martin, the young girl was able to escape.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;They were able to describe the accused, the vehicle he was driving, and also to give details of part of the registration plate. I also note with satisfaction that the Garda investigation into this matter was considerably helped by the co-operation and assistance offered to them by the local community,&quot; Judge Johnson said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He described the incident as &quot;extremely frightening&quot; for the children and said the girl was fortunate that her brother was present. Judge Johnson said the boy&#39;s &quot;natural instinct to protect his sister swung into action once he saw the danger she was in.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;He was extremely brave and showed great presence of mind, maturity beyond his years and leadership.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;All three children are a credit to their family. Their father also deserves great credit for the speed with which he reported the matter to the garda&iacute;,&quot; Judge Johnson added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Having read a detailed forensic psychological report on the accused, Judge Johnson concluded that Martin was at high risk of reoffending. The report, he said, &quot;makes for disturbing reading&quot;. He added that &quot;the accused&#39;s background is both chaotic and unhappy&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The judge said that after his arrest, Martin, with an address at Shandon Court, Yellow Road, Waterford city, hadn&#39;t made admissions - even after being identified by two of the children in identity parades.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It was only after the Garda forensic investigation found fibres from the girl&#39;s clothes in the SUV, that the accused admitted involvement in the attempted abduction.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The judge told Portlaoise Circuit Court yesterday: &quot;I think it is well worth reflecting on the enormous amount of resources that went into the investigation at very short notice.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;In investigations of this type of crime, time is of the essence. I&#39;m advised that the garda&iacute; deployed huge resources and this, combined with the detailed information which the children were able to provide, led to the apprehension of the accused within a little over 24 hours.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;This was a remarkable achievement and deserves to be acknowledged.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Judge Johnson noted the family&#39;s victim impact statement, which outlined how the family &quot;were permanently changed as a consequence of the offence&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The statement, written by the children&#39;s father, states that a significant portion of the child&#39;s innocence had been stolen.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The family now live in the USA and Judge Johnson noted &quot;the shocking irony of this case is the fact that Ireland would be expected to provide a safe environment for children&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One can only imagine the family&#39;s sense of shock and betrayal, he said, before wishing the family well for the future.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/if-i-had-the-option-i-would-impose-a-life-sentence-to-protect-society-judge-34175184.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/if-i-had-the-option-i-would-impose-a-life-sentence-to-protect-society-judge-34175184.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-06 11:08:21',NULL,'if-i-had-the-option-i-would-impose-a-life-sentence-to-protect-society-judge'),(1373,'Syrian regime has \'disappeared\' more than 65,000 people during war - Amnesty','<p>\r\n	The Syrian regime has forcibly disappeared more than 65,000 people under cover of war, according to a new report by Amnesty International.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The group said the abductions were carried out as &quot;part of an organised attack against the civilian population&quot; amounting to a crime against humanity.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Pulled from offices in the daytime or homes in the night, the disappeared are cut off from the outside world, and packed into prisons where torture is routine and death is commonplace. Families can spend years without news of a relative&#39;s whereabouts.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	For Naila Alabbasi, the wait has lasted for two and a half years. Her sister, Rania, was taken from her house on March 9, 2013, soon after her husband had been arrested.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;It was days before we found out,&quot; said Mrs Alabbasi. &quot;Now I barely sleep at night. We don&#39;t know where they are or how they are, we don&#39;t even know if they are alive.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A dentist by trade, Rania had also been Syria&#39;s national chess champion several times over. When military intelligence officers arrested her, they stole her awards, along with money, jewellery and the family cars, according to her sister. They also took her six children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;What chance is there for a child when adults barely survive those prisons? Her youngest is just two years old,&quot; said Ms Alabbasi. &quot;We think of them every day.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), a monitoring group, has collected the names of 65,116 individuals - including 58,148 civilians - who are believed to have been forcibly disappeared since March 2011, the first month of Syria&#39;s revolution, and who remain missing.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Although most of the country has slipped from the control of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, many people who remain in regime-held territory live under threat of joining that list. The missing range from political activists and human rights lawyers to anyone who may fall foul of an official. According to SNHR, 3,879 of them are children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Disappearances are carried out by all four branches of the security forces, as well as the military and militias associated with the Syrian government.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The captives are held in detention centres and unofficial holding facilities across the country.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	For the families left behind, there are few options to find their missing and those who go directly to the local police station risk arrest. Many people turn to a network of middle-men who claim to be able to bring news for a fee, an option that can cost tens of thousands but brings no guarantees of reliable information.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In other cases, news trickles out through prisoners who have been released. Unofficial information sought by the Alabbasi family has suggested that Rania may have been held at Military Intelligence Branches 215 and 284 in Damascus, and that she is in poor health.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Photographs taken by a Syrian military defector known as Caesar, a code-name, have documented torture and murder on an industrial scale inside the jails of Damascus. Those who are released often leave with terrible injuries.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Raneem Ma&#39;touq, a 24-year-old fine arts student from Homs, was forcibly disappeared for two months in 2014. Taken from her house at gunpoint in the night, she spent months inside a 3m cell shared with 10 other women.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	During one brutal interrogation, she said she became hysterical, singing at the top of her lungs. &quot;I was punished for that,&quot; she said. &quot;The director ... hung me almost by the throat and kept hitting me. But others had it worse.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Now free and in Germany, Ms Ma&#39;touq&#39;s ordeal is not over. Her father Khalil, a renowned human rights lawyer who defended hundreds of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, is also missing, arrested from his car in Damascus during October 2013.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;He was, quite simply, the greatest man I&#39;ve ever known. When he smiled, it filled his whole face,&quot; she said. &quot;Sometimes when I think of him, I can&#39;t stop my imagination because I know what happens to people in there. Sometimes I try to speak to him in my dreams, and sometimes I really believe he heard me.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Amnesty International said that it believed the regime&#39;s disappearances had been carried out as part of &quot;an organised attack against the civilian population that has been widespread, as well as systematic, and therefore amount to crimes against humanity&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Waiting for news of Rania, Ms Alabbasi said she had given up asking why the family&#39;s ordeal had begun.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;In Syria you cannot ask the regime why it does this,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;They do not need an excuse to do what they want.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/syrian-regime-has-disappeared-more-than-65000-people-during-war-amnesty-34175256.html\">http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/syrian-regime-has-disappeared-more-than-65000-people-during-war-amnesty-34175256.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-06 11:09:24',NULL,'syrian-regime-has-disappeared-more-than-65000-people-during-war-amnesty'),(1374,'Islamic State crudely interpret the Quran to allow rape','<p>\r\n	Islamic State&rsquo;s crude interpretation of the Quran has seen it try to justify the actions of followers who have raped young girls and sold them into sex. Ken Phelan looks at the mindset that allows it</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Q: Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female slave who has not reached puberty?</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A; It is permissible to have intercourse with the female slave who hasn&rsquo;t reached puberty if she is fit for intercourse; however if she is not fit for intercourse, then it is enough to enjoy her without intercourse.&rsquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Excerpt from a pamphlet of &lsquo;rules&rsquo; governing the treatment of slaves, published by Isis in December 2014.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	THE Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) first originated as Jama&rsquo;at al-Tawhid wa&rsquo;l-Jihad in 1999, pledging allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2004, from which time it became known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). Isis (also Isil, Islamic State, Daesh) is a self-proclaimed Islamic state and caliphate, consisting mainly of Sunni Arabs from Iraq and Syria.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The group participated in the Iraqi insurgency which followed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In January 2006, it joined other Sunni insurgent groups to form the Mujahideen Shura Council, which proclaimed the formation of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) in October 2006. In April 2013, ISI leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the merger of ISI with al-Nusra Front, with the group to be renamed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), also Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The leaders of al-Nusra and al-Qaeda, however, rejected the merger, and after eight months, al- Qaeda cut all ties with Isil, criticizing some of their actions as being &ldquo;too extreme&rdquo;. In June 2014, Isil proclaimed itself to be a worldwide caliphate, and renamed itself Islamic State. In March 2015, Boko Haram swore allegiance, giving Isis a presence in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. As of June 2015, Isis had official branches in Egypt (Sinai Peninsula), Libya, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan, Nigeria, and the North Caucasus.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The United Nations has held Isis responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes, while the group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations and the European Union, as well as the United States, India, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other governments.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Amnesty International has reported ethnic cleansing by the group on a &ldquo;historic scale&rdquo;, while there has been widespread destruction of religious monuments and artefacts. Isis is believed to make more than $10m (&euro;9.3m) a month through extortion, &ldquo;taxes&rdquo;, oil, and looting.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Muslims worldwide have rejected the authority of Isis, and of its claim to have established a worldwide caliphate. They claim that Isis favours selective reading of the Quran in order to pursue its own agenda. Further, they claim that Islam is a peaceful religion, and reject the wanton violence favoured by Isis.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Then there is the attack on Mount Sinjar in August 2014, when Isis fighters invaded villages on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq, home to the Yazidis, a tiny religious minority. At first the advance appeared to be an attempt to extend the territory controlled by Isis, but the truth was far more sinister.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	According to witness accounts, men and women were separated almost immediately. The women, girls and children were taken away in trucks, while the men and older boys were brought to nearby fields and executed. In addition to the city of Mosul, women were transported to the Iraqi towns of Tal Afar, Solah, Ba&rsquo;aj and Sinjar City, where they were held in a prison compound, schools, and municipal buildings. There, they were held for days or months until being transported to Syria or other locations in Iraq, where they were bought and sold for sex. Others were given as &ldquo;spoils of war&rdquo; to Isis members.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	What Isis was effectively carrying out was the systematic rape of the Yazidi female population.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They even composed a price list for the sale of women and girls at market. Prices ranged from $75 for 30 to 40-year-olds to $172 for one to nine-year olds. In August 2015, 19 women were executed for refusing to engage in &ldquo;sexual jihad&rdquo; with Isis fighters.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	According to Zainab Bangura, the UN&rsquo;s special envoy for sexual violence in conflict, &ldquo;the girls get peddled like barrels of petrol... One girl can be sold and bought by five or six different men... Isis have a machinery... They have a manual on how you treat these women. They have a marriage bureau which organises all of these &lsquo;marriages&rsquo; (to Isis soldiers), and the sale of women... they have a price list&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Isis claims that the rape of slaves is justified and indeed is to be encouraged. Survivors have told how soldiers pray before and after rape, seeing it as bringing them closer to Allah. The following is an extract from an article published in the New York Times in August 2015: &ldquo;In the moments before he raped the 12-year-old girl, the Islamic State fighter took the time to explain that what he was about to do was not a sin. Because the pre-teen girl practiced a religion other than Islam, the Quran not only gave him the right to rape her &mdash; it condoned and encouraged it, he insisted. He bound her hands and gagged her. Then he knelt beside the bed and prostrated himself in prayer before getting on top of her. When it was over, he knelt to pray again, bookending the rape with acts of religious devotion.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Research and Fatwa Department of the Islamic State published a pamphlet online in December 2014 detailing best practices on the treatment of slaves.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The following are exerpts from that pamphlet, which takes a question and answer format:</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Question 1: What is al-sabi?</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A: Al-sabi is a woman from among ahl al-harb [the people of war] who has been captured by Muslims.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Question 4: Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female captive?</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A: It is permissible to have sexual intercourse with the female captive. Allah the almighty said: &ldquo;[Successful are the believers] who guard their chastity, except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, for then they are free from blame&rdquo; [Quran 23:5-6]</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Question 5: Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female captive immediately after taking possession [of her]?</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A: If she is a virgin, he [her master] can have intercourse with her immediately after taking possession of her. However, if she isn&rsquo;t, her uterus must be purified [first].</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Question 6: Is it permissible to sell a female captive?</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A: It is permissible to buy, sell, or give as a gift female captives and slaves, for they are merely property, which can be disposed of as long as that doesn&rsquo;t cause [the Muslim ummah] any harm or damage.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Question 13: Is it permissible to have intercourse with a female slave who has not reached puberty?</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A: It is permissible to have intercourse with the slave who hasn&rsquo;t reached puberty if she is fit for intercourse; however if she is not fit for intercourse, then it is enough to enjoy her without intercourse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Accounts from victims have been harrowing. Rape has been used not simply as sexual gratification, but as a weapon of war.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In raping the Yazidi women, Isis has sought to divide the once close-knit community. Rape has also been used as an effective recruiting tool for Muslim men, who in their own deeply conservative societies, cannot date or partake in casual sex.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	What follows are victims&rsquo; quotes from the aforementioned New York Times, from an article published in the Daily Mail and from a report from Human Rights Watch: &ldquo;They laughed and jeered at us, saying &lsquo;You are our sabaya&rsquo;. I didn&rsquo;t know what that word meant&rdquo;, she said. Later on, the local Islamic State leader explained it meant slave. &ldquo;He told us that Taus Malik&rdquo; &mdash; one of seven angels to whom the Yazidis pray &mdash; &ldquo;is not God. He said that Taus Malik is the devil and that because you worship the devil, you belong to us. We can sell you and use you as we see fit&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Bushra, who tried to kill herself when she was sold to an Isis extremist, said: &ldquo;The man who had bought me took me to hospital. He told me he was going to rape me that same day, however ill I made myself. He took me home, tied up my hands and feet, and raped me. He raped me about five times a day. My sister was barely 14 when they raped her... I could hear her screaming but couldn&rsquo;t do anything&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Jalila, age 12, spoke of the Isis fighter who &ldquo;selected&rdquo; her, then slapped her and dragged her out of the house in which she had been held when she resisted: &ldquo;I told him not to touch me and begged him to let me go. I told him to take me to my mother. I was a young girl and I asked him, &lsquo;What do you want from me?&rsquo;. He spent three days having sex with me.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The wholly inadequate response from the international community has not just failed the Iraqi and Syrian people, but has arguably exacerbated the situation and bolstered Isis&rsquo; domination of those peoples. From mass rape, public beheadings, decapitations of women and children, burning alive of victims, summary executions, and gay men thrown from buildings, Isis seems intent on its march towards ever increasing decadence and barbarism.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	From a western standpoint, it is difficult to understand the mindset of Isis, much less their tactics. One thing seems sure &mdash; Isis will not desist until it has created a Sunni-dominated Islamic state and has conquered not just Iraq and Syria, but also surrounding countries in the Middle East. The only solution would appear to be military intervention on a massive scale, and to eliminate Isis entirely.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In the meantime, hundreds, perhaps thousands of Iraqi and Syrian women and girls continue to be degraded and raped, with many seeing suicide as the only escape. As thousands of refugees swarm Europe&rsquo;s shores, it is sooner, rather than later we may realise the true significance of what is happening.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Sources: The New York Times, &lsquo;Isis Enshrines a Theology of Rape&rsquo;, Aug 13 2015; Daily Mail, &lsquo;Isis executes 19 girls for refusing to have sex with fighters&rsquo;, Aug 6 2015; Vox, &lsquo;Isis&rsquo;s Ideology of Rape&rsquo;, Aug 13, 2015, Human Rights Watch, &lsquo;IRAQ: Isis Escapees Describe Systematic Rape, Apr 14 2015, Human Rights Watch, &lsquo;Slavery: The Isis rules&rsquo;, Sept 5 2015, Amnesty International, The Guardian, &lsquo;How Isis has established a Bureaucracy of Rape&rsquo;, Aug 15&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/islamic-state-crudely-interpret-the-quran-to-allow-rape-364161.html?google_editors_picks=true\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/islamic-state-crudely-interpret-the-quran-to-allow-rape-364161.html?google_editors_picks=true</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-11 11:14:44',NULL,'islamic-state-crudely-interpret-the-quran-to-allow-rape'),(1375,'Former minister investigated by gardaí over child sex abuse claims','<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A former government minister is being investigated by garda&iacute; amid allegations that he sexually abused children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A number of alleged victims have given separate statements claiming that they were subjected to abuse by the respected politician in the 1990s.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A high-level probe has now been launched and is likely to send shockwaves through political circles.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Irish Independent has learned the alleged victims have individually outlined their stories to specialist detectives.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, the investigation is in the early stages and the ex-minister has not yet had an opportunity to refute the allegations.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Sources revealed the alleged victims making the claims have emerged separately during the course of the past six months.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is thought to be the first time a senior political figure in Ireland has found themselves at the centre of child abuse allegations.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The investigation is being led by the Garda National Protection Services Bureau (GNPSB), which is understood to be taking the complaints seriously.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The GNPSB is understood to have recently carried out a reconstruction of one of the scenes where it is alleged that the abuse took place.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The man at the centre of the inquiry had a distinguished career in politics.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The alleged victims, who are both male and female, claim they were assaulted at a location in Dublin and on separate occasions at an area in the midlands.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	All of the adults who have made complaints to garda&iacute; are from the Dublin region.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is understood that the nature of allegations of sexual abuse is &quot;not at the higher level of scale&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, one of the complainants has also said he went to a Dublin garda station about the same man over a decade ago.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The alleged victim has told officers he made a previous effort to have the public figure investigated but that his statement was never properly followed up.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Irish Independent has learned that despite claims the initial allegation was never progressed, no complaint about the lack of an investigation was ever received by the Garda S&iacute;och&aacute;na Ombudsman Commission.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The GNPSB is a newly formed arm of An Garda S&iacute;och&aacute;na and consists of highly trained detectives who provide advice, guidance and assistance to garda&iacute; investigating child sexual abuse, other sexual crimes and domestic violence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They are considered elite officers and are based at Harcourt Square in Dublin city centre.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Meanwhile, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office, there was an increase in the number of sexual offences during the 12 months up to the end of June this year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The overall category saw an increase of 3.3pc, which included an increase of 6.7pc in rapes and 6.5pc in sexual assaults.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/former-minister-investigated-by-garda-over-child-sex-abuse-claims-34189281.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/former-minister-investigated-by-garda-over-child-sex-abuse-claims-34189281.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-11 11:16:08',NULL,'former-minister-investigated-by-gardaã­-over-child-sex-abuse-claims'),(1376,'Drugs \'used by 82pc of Irish college students\'','<p>\r\n	Just 2pc of Irish third-level students have never consumed alcohol.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The revelation came in a hard-hitting new survey on the alcohol and drug use habits of Irish students.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The survey found that 82pc of Irish students have tried illegal drugs, 98pc have consumed alcohol, 82pc have tried cigarettes or tobacco products and 50pc have tried e-cigarettes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Its findings were released as Junior Justice Minister Aodh&aacute;n &Oacute; R&iacute;ord&aacute;in attended a special &#39;Help Not Harm&#39; (HNH) event in Cork on the issues surrounding drug use in Ireland and drug decriminalisation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Labour TD is one of those responsible for the revised Misuse of Drugs Act which is currently going through the Oireachtas.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The new regulations will, if enacted, allow for the creation of special medically-supervised injection centres for addicts.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ireland is also examining the Portuguese model of tackling drugs which involved decriminalising possession of small quantities of drugs for personal use in 2001.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	But this was done in tandem with massively improving health education and awareness campaigns about the dangers posed by the use of addictive substances.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	HNH official Graham de Barra said it was vital that a multi-stakeholder approach be taken to the issue of drugs in Ireland.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;What is really important is starting a national debate on these issues and including everyone in that debate,&quot; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;This is all part of how we are going to achieve the right model that will fit the current problem. The reality in Ireland is that the current approach has failed.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;(More than) 80pc of students have tried drugs at least once in their lifetime and, clearly, criminality is not deterring drug use in Ireland. What it might be doing is stigmatising people and preventing people from getting help.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The group behind the student survey said there are positive aspects to the findings including that students are increasingly taking precautions around any drug use.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	For the first time, the survey indicated that some Irish drug users are now purchasing special kits to test the drugs that they intend to use.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The study, conducted by Tim Bingham of the National Student Drug Survey, Dr Colin O&#39;Driscoll and Graham de Barra, involved more than 3,000 students.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Of the 3,000 responses from all Irish colleges and universities, 2,700 were found to be valid and were compiled into the overall survey findings.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;These are very significant findings,&quot; said Mr de Barra. &quot;We were very surprised by the illegal drugs finding - we did not believe it would be so high.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/drugs-used-by-82pc-of-irish-college-students-34189253.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/drugs-used-by-82pc-of-irish-college-students-34189253.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-11 11:17:43',NULL,'drugs-used-by-82pc-of-irish-college-students'),(1377,'Convicted sex offender to have his name taken off register','<p>\r\n	A man convicted 15 years ago of abusing his daughter in the 1970s can now have his name removed from the sex offenders register, a court has heard.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The 61-year-old Dubliner, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was found guilty after a trial in March 2000 of indecently assaulting his daughter over the course of five years from when she was aged seven.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He was also convicted of sexually assaulting her when she was 23 and had fallen asleep in his house after they had been drinking together.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He was jailed for two years in 2000 for all offences. He had denied all charges.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Yesterday, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan said he could not find any reason to keep the man on the register after the Probation Services placed him at a low risk of reoffending.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Judge Nolan said no assessment could ever say that a person was at no risk of reoffending, so the low risk was probably the best that could be said. He said the purpose of the sex offenders&#39; register was to monitor people who may be a danger to society, and so the practical consideration for the court must be the risk of a person reoffending.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Is it in the interest of the common good to have a person who is low-risk on the register? The common good is not served by having him on the register,&quot; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Judge Nolan said that because this was a novel application, he would put a stay on his order for a month to allow time for the State to appeal his decision. This was the first time the court had ruled on an application like this, he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The offender told the court he was not a danger to the public and that he wanted to be removed of the obligations and monitoring that came from being on the register. The obligations include having to notify garda&iacute; of any change of address.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The law allows for a court to remove an offender from the register 10 years after a conviction if the court is satisfied that the interest of the common good is no longer served by having the person on it.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Risk</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Judge Nolan said it was not in the interest of the common good to impose restrictions on the public if a person did not pose a current risk to society.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He previously ordered that the probation services carry out a risk assessment of the man.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	James Dwyer, prosecuting, said the man was identified as being in a category of men who were at low risk of reconviction. The assessment was based on his age and profile. Last week, Judge Nolan said he wanted time to read the risk assessment report and would base his decision on the man&#39;s future risk to children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A garda testified that he was involved in the monitoring of this man, and called unannounced to his home regularly to ensure compliance with the restrictions under the Sex Offenders Act and he was not under any undue attention.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The offences were serious offences which took place over a period of time. I ensure there are no child protection issues. We clear this with the HSE,&quot; he added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/convicted-sex-offender-to-have-his-name-taken-off-register-34193191.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/convicted-sex-offender-to-have-his-name-taken-off-register-34193191.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-12 12:05:16',NULL,'convicted-sex-offender-to-have-his-name-taken-off-register'),(1378,'Use of electro-convulsive therapy in psychiatric care rises','<p>\r\n	Mental Health Commission indicates &lsquo;very worrying&rsquo; increase of 12% in seclusion</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The use of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT), seclusion and physical restraint in the treatment of psychiatric patients have all increased for the first time in years, according to the Mental Health Commission.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Data published for treatment facilities in 2013 show seclusion techniques rose for the first time in six years, by 12 per cent. The commission described the increase as &ldquo;very worrying&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Physical restraint was up by 8 per cent on 2012 and ECT by 2 per cent. The latter is a treatment formally known as electroshock therapy which involves the administration of small currents to the brain in order to relieve symptoms of psychiatric illness.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	ECT is a divisive approach to patient care with medical professionals both in support and opposition of its use. Currently, it can be applied without the consent of a patient.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Over the past number of years we have seen a steady reduction in the use of practices such as seclusion and restraint,&rdquo; said commission chairman John Saunders.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;However, the increase in their use of during 2013 is very worrying. I would urge those providing mental health services to study the rules and codes of practices in these areas to ensure they are delivering the most appropriate level of care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Emergency measures</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Seclusion and restraint are emergency measures and should only be used in exceptional circumstances and only when in the best interests of the patient.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Of particular concern, Mr Saunders said, was a 70 per cent rise in the number of ECT programmes given to patients who were either unwilling to receive it or unable to consent.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The commission is seeking a change in the law regarding the administration of ECT in these circumstances, a view the Department of Health is currently considering through legislative amendment.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The statistics show that 257 individual patients received this treatment in 2013. Those who receive ECT range in age, the average being 60 but the eldest recorded at 93.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The majority of recipients suffer from depressive disorders and are often resistant to medication, and in most cases, according to psychiatrists, improvements were noted.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Mental Health Commission is an independent body whose primary function is to foster high standards of care in the treatment of patients.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/use-of-electro-convulsive-therapy-in-psychiatric-care-rises-1.2426149\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/use-of-electro-convulsive-therapy-in-psychiatric-care-rises-1.2426149</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-12 12:06:53',NULL,'use-of-electro-convulsive-therapy-in-psychiatric-care-rises'),(1379,'Measures to improve patient safety approved','<p>\r\n	Minister for Health Leo Varadkar has announced Government approval for a range of measures to improve patient safety.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They will include the establishment of a National Patient Safety Office, enhanced powers for the Ombudsman and the Health Information and Quality Authority and a simplified complaints procedure.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Many of the measures announced today have been in the pipeline for some time, but now they have been brought together as a package and approved by the Cabinet.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The measures include the establishment of an independent patient safety office, and a new service which will advocate on behalf of patients.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The process for making a complaint about the health service will be simplified, and extra powers will be granted to the health watchdog HIQA and to the Ombudsman to deal with medical as well as management complaints.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Varadkar said the Government plans to introduce legal reforms to reduce the length of court cases involving patients who have suffered because of medical mistakes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In the case of patients who receive compensation for long-term damage or injury, they will be awarded an annual, index-linked payment instead of a lump sum.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The minister said new legislation will be introduced to support the principle of open disclosure where doctors who have made medical mistakes would be required to be open and transparent with patients.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	There will also be a national patient experience survey to report on people&#39;s attitudes towards the health service.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Speaking on RT&Eacute;&rsquo;s Morning Ireland, Mr Varadkar said it will take up to two years to &ldquo;fully bed down&rdquo; the measures.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said work is already under way and has been for some time.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While it will be mandatory for staff to report a serious incident, open disclosure would not become mandatory.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;This was studied and looked at by the Patient Safety Commission quite some time ago, and the general conclusion is that the best way to bring about a culture of openness in the health service is not actually legal requirements, it&#39;s rather to support open disclosure,&rdquo; said Mr Varadkar.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;So what we&#39;ll do in legislation... the idea behind it is to protect open disclosure, to allow doctors midwives, nurses, other people who are frontline staff, to offer an apology for example but not have it necessarily used against them in a court of law.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;That&#39;s one of the reasons why they don&#39;t do it, they fear it will be used against them as an emission of liability.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1112/741285-health-service/\">http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1112/741285-health-service/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-12 12:08:01',NULL,'measures-to-improve-patient-safety-approved'),(1380,'High Court refuses to send child to secure care facility in west','<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Concerns raised about psychiatric services</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A High Court judge has said she will not send any more children to a secure care facility in the west of Ireland until her concerns about psychiatric services there have been allayed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Justice Bronagh O&rsquo;Hanlon said she had a &ldquo;severe doubt and concern&rdquo; about psychiatric services at the unit after it emerged the consultant psychiatrist who covers the service had himself raised concerns about its adequacy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The court was told the psychiatrist, who is based in another area 100km away, travels to the unit once a month. A vacancy for a consultant psychiatrist in the local area had not been filled.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	As part of a welfare review of the care of two teenagers detained at the facility, the manager of the unit said she believed the service was adequate for the young people, though the location of the psychiatrist could be &ldquo;more ideal&rdquo;. The manager said the unit, which takes young people aged 11 to 17, had space and could meet the needs of a third child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She outlined how when children arrive at the unit they may have absconded from elsewhere. They are usually in a dishevelled state and their basic hygiene, food and nutrition has &ldquo;gone out the window&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Staff initially focus on their basic needs before trust is developed and they slowly develop a programme for them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She agreed with counsel for the Child and Family Agency (CFA) that the facility deals with children at the &ldquo;extreme end of distress and suffering&rdquo; for whom drug abuse, &ldquo;gross exposure to sexual abuse and violence&rdquo; may be a problem.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Counsel for the court- appointed guardian of one of the children said the detention order to keep a child in a secure unit was very serious and made on the basis of meeting therapeutic needs, including appropriate psychiatric facilities. Concerns had already been raised by the guardian and now &ldquo;the very person providing psychiatric services&rdquo; had raised concerns. He asked that the correspondence from the consultant psychiatrist be provided to all parties.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The judge queried whether, if she sent another child to the unit, there would be a full psychiatric assessment within 24 hours of admittance.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Counsel for the CFA said he&rsquo;d prefer to answer that having spoken to the psychiatric consultant, currently on holiday, in December.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;That&rsquo;s too long for me,&rdquo; Judge O&rsquo;Hanlon responded. &ldquo;I have a severe doubt and concern and until that is allayed, I am not going to send anyone there . . . I&rsquo;m far from happy about what I&rsquo;ve heard.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She adjourned the case for a week.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Separately, the court was told there was still no place in Ireland for a teenager in a secure psychiatric unit in the UK who has been ready for discharge since last February.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A private service has been identified for the girl, the court heard, but the HSE, which has responsibility for psychiatric services, and the CFA, which has responsibility for children in care, were not in agreement about using it.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Three expert witnesses gave evidence for the HSE that an alternative service, in a rural area, would be more suitable for the girl, though it would not be ready until next March. They argued the private service, suggested since August, would need approval by Hiqa and that would take at least six months.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The court was told the teenager did not want to stay in a rural area and wanted to sit her Leaving Certificate in her local school.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The judge adjourned the case for a week and asked that the three medical experts involved meet again to see if any better plan could be achieved.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/high-court-refuses-to-send-child-to-secure-care-facility-in-west-1.2427877\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/high-court/high-court-refuses-to-send-child-to-secure-care-facility-in-west-1.2427877</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-13 10:34:34',NULL,'high-court-refuses-to-send-child-to-secure-care-facility-in-west'),(1381,'Ireland \'ready\' for arrival of first allocated refugees','<p>\r\n	Frances Fitzgerald underlines difficulties at refugee &lsquo;hot spots&rsquo; in EU during Malta visit</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ireland is ready to begin accepting its allocation of refugees under the EU&rsquo;s relocation plan by the end of this year, but challenges still remain in building up capacity at the EU &ldquo;hot spot&rdquo; areas where migrants are arriving, the Minister for Justice has said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Speaking at the headquarters of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) office in Malta on Thursday, Frances Fitzgerald said that Ireland intended to accept 20 refugees by December, part of a broader commitment to accept 4,000 refugees in total.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We&rsquo;re certainly ready to begin to take people in Ireland, we have the organisation in place, we have the accommodation . . . hopefully we will see the first people arriving in Ireland by the end of the year&rdquo;. But she added that the broader issue of capacity-building at the EU locations where migrants are received and registered remains an issue.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about . . . establishing the hot spots in the right places, making sure that the European Asylum Support Office has the capacity to build up the hot spots where they are needed so the registration can take place, and then we can begin to see more orderly migration, that&rsquo;s the goal.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The European Commission established &ldquo;hot spots&rdquo; in frontline countries such as Italy and Greece to help deal with the asylum needs and relocation requirements of people disembarking from boats, but the system has been struggling to cope with the numbers arriving.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Agency support</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The EASO is centrally involved in the hot spot system, including deciding where migrants are assigned under the EU relocation plan. While the EASO requested member states to provide 374 experts and personnel to support the agency in the wake of the refugee crisis, only 177 have been pledged, including two from Ireland. The capacity issues mean that just under 150 people have been relocated under the scheme since October.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Fitzgerald met senior officials from the EASO on Thursday, including Ireland&rsquo;s refugee applications commissioner, David Costello, who is Ireland&rsquo;s representative and deputy chairman of the EASO management board. Speaking after the meeting, Mr Costello said that challenges still remained in establishing the hot spot system.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The big challenge is going to be building up the hot spot infrastructure. For example, we need office space in Greece in particular. We need other infrastructural supports such as IT and computers. The EASO is working very closely with the Greek authorities to put that infrastructure in place and the staff can move over from Ireland and other member states to do the registration process.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said that while Ireland would be prioritising family groups, each member state had limited say over which people would participate in the relocation scheme. &ldquo;Effectively it is for the EASO, Italy and Greece, and the member states they are travelling to, to work together to bring the people over . . . It&rsquo;s not really a question of selection.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Fitzgerald also said that the problem of &ldquo;secondary movement&rdquo; whereby relocated migrants simply move on to other member states once they are relocated, would not be tolerated. &ldquo;There is a very clear agreement that that&rsquo;s not going to be acceptable in the second country, so that simply can&rsquo;t be part of the approach.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/ireland-ready-for-arrival-of-first-allocated-refugees-1.2427591\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/ireland-ready-for-arrival-of-first-allocated-refugees-1.2427591</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-13 10:48:28',NULL,'ireland-ready-for-arrival-of-first-allocated-refugees'),(1382,'New laws on rights of crime victims are criticised','<p>\r\n	Legislation is designed to recognise and safeguard victims, witnesses and families</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Concerns have been raised around aspects of a comprehensive set of laws on the rights of victims of crime which come into force today.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The new measures include the right to access information on the progress of criminal cases; support during trials; a formal explanation from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) where it is decided not to prosecute offences; and a statutory provision of counselling and support services.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They are designed to recognise and safeguard victims, witnesses and families in a legal process long criticised for ignoring or underplaying their needs.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While now officially in force through the compulsory EU Victims Directive &ndash; approved in the European Parliament with an overwhelming majority in October 2012 &ndash; supportive Irish legislation is still at a draft stage with no deadline for enactment.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Welcomed</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The directive has been broadly welcomed, but advocates of victims&rsquo; rights have said the relative Irish law needs to be strengthened.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Concerns have also been expressed as to how various measures will work in practice.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Some of these surround the DPP&rsquo;s obligation to provide reasons for non-prosecution.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Since 2008 the DPP has adopted a policy of providing guidance to families and victims in cases regarding fatalities.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However from today it must do the same for all crimes when requested, right down to District Court level prosecutions, a move that will bring considerable transparency to prosecutorial approaches.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The DPP has already acted. Addressing the Public Accounts Committee last week, deputy director Barry Donoghue said a new communications and victim liaison unitwould process requests.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It is difficult at this point in time to gauge the volume of requests for reasons for decisions not to prosecute, and requests for reviews of decisions, that might be received,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Some lawyers are concerned it will precipitate an increase in prosecutions even in cases where prosecutors are aware the chance of success is slim.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t always know what has prompted a decision not to prosecute. By and large the decisions are not particularly surprising,&rdquo; said one legal source requesting anonymity.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Reasons</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Psychologically the fact of having to give reasons will be in the mind of the [decision-maker] and it will be very hard to keep that in the abstract.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It might result in the DPP prosecuting cases they may not have otherwise out of concern not to offend victims.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However a spokeswoman for the DPP said the office &ldquo;will continue to apply our general guidelines for prosecutors in deciding whether or not to prosecute in all cases&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Public interest</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The criteria for decision-making has not been changed by the directive. When making a decision the office must be satisfied that the evidence is strong enough to prosecute the case and, if so, that it is in the public interest to bring the case to court.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Maria McDonald, a barrister and founding member of the Victims Rights Alliance, said: &ldquo;[The DPP] are only required to provide a line of reasons, they don&rsquo;t have to go into detail. If there is insufficient evidence for the DPP to proceed, there is insufficient evidence.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/new-laws-on-rights-of-crime-victims-are-criticised-1.2431095\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/new-laws-on-rights-of-crime-victims-are-criticised-1.2431095</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-16 11:00:40',NULL,'new-laws-on-rights-of-crime-victims-are-criticised'),(1383,'Santa Bear appeal is \'under review\' as HSE slammed on staff delay','<p>\r\n	The Central Remedial Clinic (CRC) could not say if it will be bringing back its famous Santa Bear appeal this year but said the matter was &quot;under review&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The flagship fundraising campaign was dropped last year as the charity sought to move on from the salary top-up scandal.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While the proceeds of the Santa Bear campaigns were not used to top-up the pay of former CRC boss Paul Kiely, it was decided not to go ahead with the sale of the distinctive lapel pins in 2014.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Light</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The same year a report by an interim administrator to the CRC highlighted a drop in public donations to the organisation since the controversy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Then newly-appointed CRC chief Stephanie Manahan said in 2014 that &quot;in light of the current work being undertaken, we will not be running a Santa Bear appeal this year&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She later indicated in a news report that the campaign would return this year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, a spokesman could not confirm that would be happening to the Herald.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;There is a lot of interest in resuming the Santa Bear appeal, and it remains under review,&quot; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Meanwhile, it can be revealed that Ms Manahan accused the HSE of compromising her ability to introduce &quot;robust corporate governance&quot; after it refused to approve the hiring of staff.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Manahan sent a stinging email to HSE officials complaining about the agency&#39;s refusal to sanction posts - from senior therapy staff to healthcare assistants.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Salary</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The correspondence on August 28 came around 18 months after the controversy over salary top-ups paid to former CRC chief executive Paul Kiely.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Manahan emailed a number of officials, including HSE national director of social care Pat Healy and disability services head Marion Meany after approval to recruit for the posts was initially refused.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I was most disappointed to receive refusals today for a number of posts for the CRC despite my clear indication in the business cases that they are within my current pay envelope and additional funding is not required,&quot; she said,</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The prevention of the filling of posts by the HSE compromises my ability to deliver not only on the Service Arrangement but also on the establishment of good robust governance of this organisation,&quot; she wrote.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Manahan&#39;s email led to a meeting with HSE officials and a U-turn that saw the agency approved the filling of 13 posts, including two temporary positions.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It&#39;s almost two years since the entire board of the CRC resigned in the wake of the salary top-up scandal.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.herald.ie/news/santa-bear-appeal-is-under-review-as-hse-slammed-on-staff-delay-34203011.html\">http://www.herald.ie/news/santa-bear-appeal-is-under-review-as-hse-slammed-on-staff-delay-34203011.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-16 11:07:17',NULL,'santa-bear-appeal-is-under-review-as-hse-slammed-on-staff-delay'),(1384,'EU should not change asylum policy, Juncker says','<p>\r\n	European Commission president warns against &lsquo;base reaction&rsquo; to Paris attacks</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker warned against a &ldquo;base reaction&rdquo; to Friday night&rsquo;s terrorist attacks in Paris, insisting that European Union asylum policy should not be changed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We should not mix the different categories of people coming to Europe. The one responsible for the attacks in Paris . . . he is a criminal and not a refugee and not an asylum seeker,&rdquo; Mr Juncker said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Turkey.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;I would invite those in Europe who try to change the migration agenda we have adopted - I would like to remind them to be serious about this and not to give in to these base reactions that I do not like . . . I see the difficulty but I don&rsquo;t see the need to change our general approach.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Reports that one of the assassins involved in the Paris attacks had a Syrian passport and entered the European Union through Greece in early October have fanned criticism of the EU&rsquo;s border-free Schengen zone and migration policy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	On Saturday, the new Polish government indicated that it would not participate in the EU&rsquo;s refugee relocation programme.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;In the face of the tragic acts in Paris, we do not see the political possibilities to implement [the programme],&rdquo; the incoming European affairs minister Konrad Szymanski said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The attacks mean the necessity of an even deeper revision of the European policy towards the migrant crisis. We&rsquo;ll accept [refugees only] if we have security guarantees.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Szymanski said that these guarantees were a &ldquo;key condition&rdquo;, adding that a question mark has now been put next to the EU&rsquo;s refugee policy throughout Europe.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	His comments have fuelled concerns that a number of east European countries, including Slovakia and the Czech Republic, may oppose an EU relocation plan that was agreed in September following deep divisions between member states on the issue.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Serbian media reported that a suspect in the attacks entered the EU through the Greek island of Leros on October 3rd and continued to Macedonia and Serbia, applying for asylum in Serbia on October 7th.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The suspect then crossed the border into Croatia, the reports said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	European foreign ministers gather in Brussels for a summit scheduled for Monday, with an emergency meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers convened for Friday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	G20 summit</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The attacks in Paris dominated the two-day G20 summit of world leaders, which opened in the Turkish port city of Antalya on Sunday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	French president Francois Hollande cancelled his attendance following the attacks.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Speaking at the opening of the summit, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said that the Paris attacks had given the world a &ldquo;rare moment&rdquo; of diplomatic opportunity to end the violence in Syria.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said that, while the response to terrorism needed to be robust, it also needed to be within the rule of law and with respect for human rights.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	With the war in Syria already top of the summit&rsquo;s agenda before the attacks, world leaders were forced to try and forge a collective response to the threat of Islamic State, despite divisions between Moscow and the West about the role of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in any future government.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	US president Barack Obama and Russian president Vladimir Putin met at the sidelines of the summit, the first time the two leaders have met since Russia commenced aerial bombardment in Syria on September 30th.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While Russia has insisted its interventionin Syria is focused on eliminating Islamic State in the region, Western officials have accused Moscow of targeting opposition forces.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Speaking in Antalya, European Council president Donald Tusk said Russia should focus its attacks on Islamic State and not opposition forces.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It was not the moderate Syrian opposition that carried out the attacks in Paris. It was the so-called Islamic State or Daesh.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;I will appeal to every one of the G20 leaders to concentrate their actions on Daesh.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They are the real enemy of the free world, not the moderate Syrian opposition,&rdquo; he said, adding that cooperation between Washington and Moscow was &ldquo;crucial&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Middle East efforts</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Both France and the US indicated on Sunday that they intend to intensify their efforts against Islamic State in the Middle East.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We&rsquo;re confident that in the coming days and weeks, working with the French, we will be able intensify our strikes against ISIL in both Syria and Iraq to make clear there is no safe haven for these terrorists,&rdquo; US deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said in an interview with NBC.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Nato&rsquo;s secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg also responded to the attacks.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We stand strong and united in the fight against terrorism,&rdquo; he said, adding that &ldquo;terrorism will never defeat democracy&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The European Commission said on Saturday that the attack in Paris was &ldquo;an attack against us all.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We will face this threat together with all necessary means and ruthless determination,&rdquo; the EU&rsquo;s executive arm said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A minute&rsquo;s silence is to be observed at noon on Monday at Nato headquarters in Brussels and at EU institutions in Brussels.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/eu-should-not-change-asylum-policy-juncker-says-1.2431141\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/eu-should-not-change-asylum-policy-juncker-says-1.2431141</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-16 11:14:15',NULL,'eu-should-not-change-asylum-policy-juncker-says'),(1385,'Rise in child parental abductions due to ease of mobility','<p>\r\n	Dr Shannon told a conference on parental child abduction, held in Dublin yesterday, that as well as being a more mobile society, some 15% of marriages are bi-national.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;So inevitably when marriages break down, the area of abduction comes into sharp focus,&rdquo; said Dr Shannon, adding that a key issue now emerging is the &ldquo;grave risk defence&rdquo; being used to prevent children being returned.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A frequently invoked defence used is that returning the child would expose him or her to physical or psychological harm, or would put the child in an intolerable position.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The threshold should be high for &lsquo;grave risk&rsquo; because what you don&rsquo;t want is this defence being pleaded as a matter of course,&rdquo; said Dr Shannon.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Creating a low threshold for grave risk subverts the law in the member state where the child is taken.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Shannon said: &ldquo;I am in no doubt that when a child is taken from a EU member state without lawful authority, a child should be immediately returned to the state from which the child has been abducted.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said the Brussels 11a Regulation, which specifies procedures regarding international child abduction, is unrealistic in requiring the disposing of such cases within six weeks.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;If you are going to hear the voice of the child and the parent seeking the return of the child, the six-week period is unrealistic,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;With the passage of the children&rsquo;s rights referendum, the court has an obligation to hear the views of the child and give them due weight.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Shannon added that the fact it might be difficult to hear a child does not absolve a court from the responsibility of doing so: &ldquo;That is something we should not lose sight of.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The conference, held at the European Parliament offices, was organised by Mairead McGuinness, MEP and vice-president of the parliament and its mediator for international parental child abduction.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms McGuinness said that the conference was held ahead of a European Commission review of the Brussels 11a Regulation in the spring.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said the regulation dealing conflict of law issues between member states, including international child abduction, is not working in the best interest of the child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Making sure an abducted child is returned safely within the correct timeframe is a huge issue,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/rise-in-child-parental-abductions-due-to-ease-of-mobility-365371.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/rise-in-child-parental-abductions-due-to-ease-of-mobility-365371.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-18 11:17:05',NULL,'rise-in-child-parental-abductions-due-to-ease-of-mobility'),(1386,'#MindYourself: How to help a loved one battling depression or anxiety','<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	What can we do for friends and family who are struggling to cope? Our reporter asked the experts</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It&#39;s a difficult situation to be in, when you suspect a loved one might be finding life tough, or even battling depression or anxiety.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	And it can sometimes feel impossible to know what the best approach is - should you talk about it? And how do you even start that conversation? But if someone you love - a friend, a colleague, a child, a parent - is diagnosed with depression or anxiety, there are a number of simple, practical things you can do to support them. We asked the experts for their advice.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	What to look out for</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Of course when dealing with individuals there is no hard and fast manual of what to look for to tell you they might be struggling. &quot;If it&#39;s someone you know well, then you are the expert, you know if they are behaving out of character,&quot; says Dr Gillian O&#39;Brien, director of clinical governance with Headstrong, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health. But she believes there are some generic alarm bells to look out for: changes in sleep, changes in appetite, a loss of interest or pleasure in something they previously enjoyed doing, any kind of withdrawal from others isolating themselves and changes in mood. &quot;Particularly irritability,&quot; she says. &quot;People assume that people might be sad or tearful, but in men especially, a mental health issue can manifest itself in irritability.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Talk</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Look for a window of opportunity and chose your time well. If someone is displaying irritability then there might be a temptation to confront them in the moment but you&#39;re far better waiting until later before saying &#39;you&#39;ve not been yourself lately, is everything OK?&#39; when it won&#39;t sound confrontational and make the other person defensive.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Choose your words carefully</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Asking &#39;how are you feeling?&#39; is a really difficult question for someone who is struggling with their feelings and unsure how to articulate what they&#39;re going through, says Gillian, who suggests using more leading questions like &#39;I&#39;ve noticed you&#39;re not yourself lately, is everything OK?&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Actively listen</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The reason so many of us reply with &#39;I&#39;m grand&#39;, even if we&#39;re not, is because we don&#39;t think the person asking really wants to know,&quot; says Gillian. &quot;I think we all could be better at listening,&quot; agrees Edel Fortune, Day Services Programme Manager from the Wellness and Recovery Centre at St Patrick&#39;s Mental Health Services. She says we need to get better at making eye contact and stopping to talk rather than just going through the motions.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;We do it all the time, asking &#39;how are you?&#39; more as a greeting than a real question,&quot; she says. &quot;We need to genuinely listen to what the other person has to say. They might give hints rather than say anything explicit so listen out for cues like &#39;I&#39;m not really feeling myself&#39; or &#39;I haven&#39;t been sleeping the best,&quot; and, instead of just brushing it off, ask if they&#39;re OK. Often just giving someone the opportunity to talk, and feel they&#39;re being listened to, is key.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Don&#39;t jump in and hijack the conversation with your own experience, even if you think you&#39;re being empathetic, it can sound like you&#39;re being dismissive.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Don&#39;t be judgmental</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;If your reaction is very negative to whatever the person is saying then they will probably clam up,&quot; says Edel. There&#39;s also a very natural instinct, particularly if you&#39;re a parent, to want to push away your child&#39;s distress and try to dismiss it - &quot;sure you&#39;re only 17, what have you got to worry about!&quot; Step into the other person&#39;s shoes and show you understand that what they feel is real and valid.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Don&#39;t rush in with solutions</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The initial phase is to listen and give space to what they&#39;ve said,&quot; says Gillian. &quot;Often people rush into phase two, the &#39;what can we do together about this&#39; phase too fast.&quot; You need to acknowledge the person&#39;s feelings, not try to &#39;fix&#39; them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Consider consulting another person</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Sometimes older people won&#39;t want to &#39;burden&#39; their children with their problems even if the child is concerned and wanting to help. &quot;It&#39;s not as easy for people to open up to their own children but someone outside the family, often an in-law, may have better success because there is that little bit of distance,&quot; suggests Edel.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Remember you are not an expert</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Perhaps you&#39;ve watched a documentary or read about depression online, but the chances are you are not a mental health expert. &quot;Do not diagnose,&quot; urges Edel. But do suggest they visit their GP who can rule out an underlying physical cause or advise them on accessing support if needed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Don&#39;t avoid the subject - but don&#39;t make it everything either</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	People often have a fear that in mentioning something difficult, they&#39;ll &#39;remind&#39; the person of it and upset them. But often avoidance just creates a stigma around the issue. &quot;You don&#39;t need to jump in saying &#39;I hear you have X&#39;,&quot; says Edel. &quot;But do ask them how they are and it there is anything you can do.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Don&#39;t try to quantify or compare what they&#39;re going through</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;There can be a tendency, and it&#39;s not malicious, for people to want to try and compare what someone&#39;s going through with someone worse off,&quot; says Edel. &quot;But a person&#39;s mental health issue is their own reality and that&#39;s what&#39;s important to them.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I think we can all have trouble relating to someone who has suffered trauma and the stock phrases that can be used are understandable but are rarely helpful and annoying,&quot; agrees Dr John Hillery, Consultant Psychiatrist and Director of Communication and Education at the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland (irishpsychiatry.ie). Nor should we set a stopwatch for when things &#39;should&#39; get better. &quot;We say things like &#39;they should have got over it by now&#39; because we have our own traumas and concerns and, without meaning to be cruel, we can be impatient with others, especially if we&#39;ve not experienced similar ourselves. It&#39;s human nature,&quot; he explains. But if you&#39;re genuinely concerned someone&#39;s mental state isn&#39;t improving, it could be a sign that they need professional assessment.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Offer practical help</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	You might be concerned that you have no experience of helping someone with a mental health problem but helping doesn&#39;t have to be all or nothing. &quot;Support can be offering to help with their workload, offering to pick up the kids or walk the dog. You don&#39;t need to know all the ins and outs of their situation to help,&quot; says Edel. &quot;You can do the shopping because sometimes. when someone has a mental health issue, even the simple things can become major obstacles. If you can help take the pressure away then that can give them time to heal and feel better.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Encourage normality</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Even though it may be the last thing they feel like doing, exercise and good sleep are important at this time for them and encourage them to get both,&quot; says Naoise Kavanagh, online communications manager at ReachOut (ReachOut.com) an online youth mental health service. &quot;The best thing we can do is be there and help with the activities of daily living and be available. Simple things like an invite for coffee or a walk,&quot; agrees John. &quot;Encourage engaged normality while acknowledging the pain.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Don&#39;t push happiness</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I think the expectation that we should be happy all the time is unrealistic and puts huge pressure on people,&quot; adds John. Instead we should accept that sadness is a legitimate feeling that will pass - don&#39;t try to gloss over it.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Inform yourself</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	There are lots of brilliant support organisations (many cited here) with great resources on mental health. Also remember that the person experiencing a mental health issue is still the same person. &quot;They&#39;re not defined by depression or anxiety,&quot; says Gillian. &quot;And if all your conversation is focused on that or treating them differently then that can become a problem.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Don&#39;t panic</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	When people talk about mental health they often mean mental illness, but, just like we all have physical health and will experience physical health issues, so too will we face mental health challenges. Even if it is something clinical: &quot;Remember that many people who do receive a mental health diagnosis manage their condition well and go on to live healthy and fulfilled lives,&quot; says Naoise.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Don&#39;t forget your own mental well-being</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;We recommend that everyone has five supporters in their lives,&quot; says Edel. &quot;Not one person who feels they are taking on all the responsibility of everything. You need to take time to yourself or you&#39;re going to run yourself ragged to the detriment of your own mental health.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&#39;It was hard for James to talk about his distress&#39;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Midwife Jeannine Webster (49) from Donabate, Co Dublin is a mum-of-three. Her son James (23) was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder when he was 15, meaning he suffers bouts of psychosis, depression and anxiety. Jeannine says:</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;When he was little, James always hated loud noises and he would have had night terrors where he&#39;d wake talking about a &#39;man saying bad words in his head&#39;, but it was only when he was 15 that he was diagnosed. We were watching Stephen Fry&#39;s documentary about depression and the fact that he sometimes would hear voices in his head and James went very quiet. A few days later he said he felt the same.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Communication is huge. You can&#39;t make someone tell you how they feel and when they do, you have to be prepared to hear what they&#39;re saying. It was hard for James to vocalise his distress and tell me that he felt like &#39;banging his head off a wall&#39; or felt like killing himself&hellip; and it was hard to hear. But I needed to say it&#39;s OK and just give him space to speak.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	James&#39; condition is now managed with medication and helped with a balanced diet, frequent exercise, routine and social contact. He also attends a course in St Patrick&#39;s once a week, challenging his way of thinking.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In supporting her son, Jeannine has come up against limitations in the system but is grateful for the help organisations can bring. She&#39;s a member of REFOCUS, a working group of carers and service users at the College of Psychiatrists Ireland. &quot;Caring for someone with a mental health issue can feel a very lonely experience and support groups, with other people in the same situation, are a lifesaver,&quot; she adds. It&#39;s hard to completely switch off and Jeannine says it&#39;s important to find time for yourself. &quot;I went to stay with my cousin the other week and we&#39;d gone out for the night when I realised I&#39;d two missed calls from James,&quot; she says.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Straight away I&#39;m stressing when I can&#39;t get him on the phone.&quot; She laughs. &quot;When I finally got hold of him he was fine, he&#39;d just been calling to see if I was enjoying myself!&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/life/health-wellbeing/mind-yourself/mindyourself-how-to-help-a-loved-one-battling-depression-or-anxiety-34210745.html?google_editors_picks=true\">http://www.independent.ie/life/health-wellbeing/mind-yourself/mindyourself-how-to-help-a-loved-one-battling-depression-or-anxiety-34210745.html?google_editors_picks=true</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-18 11:18:32',NULL,'#mindyourself-how-to-help-a-loved-one-battling-depression-or-anxiety'),(1387,'Give drunk drivers longer jail terms - grieving parents','<p>\r\n	The parents of a four-year-old boy killed by a drunk driver have called for tougher sentences in drink-driving cases.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Gillian and Ronan Treacy lost their son Ciaran when a vehicle crossed the white line and ploughed into their car.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The head-on collision occurred in April 2014 as Gillian was returning home to Portarlington with the couple&#39;s sons, Ciaran and Sean, after spending a day with their grandparents in Stradbally, Co Laois.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ronan said there needs to be a &quot;fairer way&quot; of dealing with drunk drivers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Whether it be tougher sentences...I would like to even see it aligned with the UK.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I think they are around 14 years whereas here I think the maximum is 10 years.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Treacy was seriously injured in the collision.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said that after the collision she feared the car would go up in flames.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I was asking Sean to get Ciaran&#39;s belt off so the two of them could get out of car, I knew at that stage I couldn&#39;t get out.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I did fear the worst - I thought Ciaran was badly injured or that he was dead.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Gillian&#39;s husband Ronan was at home with their youngest child Caoimhe when he received a call about the collision.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I just didn&#39;t know what I was getting into,&quot; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I got Caoimhe out of the cot. I arrived at the scene in total disbelief. There were ambulances, fire brigades, guards, just mayhem. In my wildest dreams, you couldn&#39;t imagine what I walked into.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I was ushered straight to Sean, who needed to be calmed down.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He had a couple of bruises and was sore but he was hysterical out of fear.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I kept asking about Ciaran and they said, &#39;He&#39;s okay, we&#39;re working on him&#39;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I couldn&#39;t get near the car to see Gillian.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I would have known all the local guys [in the emergency crews], known them all personally.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;It was etched across their faces.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Speaking on RT&Eacute; One&#39;s &#39;Claire Byrne Live&#39; last night, the young couple said life &quot;has been tough&quot; since the collision.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Gillian is set for another operation on her lower leg in the next few weeks.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ronan said their children, Sean and Caoimhe, are &quot;doing good&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Kids are a lot stronger than grown-ups, they deal with grief a little bit differently. They&#39;re stronger than we give them credit for.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Travelling salesman Finbarr O&#39;Rourke (40), of Laurel Drive, Portlaoise, Co Laois, was jailed for seven years and six months for causing the death of Ciaran.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He was also disqualified from driving for 20 years.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/give-drunk-drivers-longer-jail-terms-grieving-parents-34206916.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/give-drunk-drivers-longer-jail-terms-grieving-parents-34206916.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-18 11:26:58',NULL,'give-drunk-drivers-longer-jail-terms-grieving-parents'),(1388,'Mental health talk on International Men\'s day','<p>\r\n	Sport stars, poets and broadcasters are among those who will be talking about the importance of men looking after their emotional and mental health, as part of International Men&#39;s Day today.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Pieta House, a suicide and crisis self-harm centre, is hosting an event in Dublin later, where men will talk about how they have come through difficult times in their lives.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Rugby player Jack McGrath and Dublin footballer Paul Flynn will be speaking at tonight&#39;s free-of-charge event.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In Ireland, 80% of people who die by suicide are men.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	CEO of Pieta House Brian Higgins, has said as a society, we need to be more open to men talking about their mental health: &ldquo;I suppose we have a question around do we actually look after our own emotional wellbeing, do we look after our mental wellbeing, do we look after the stability factors that we need around us.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;And for us, that is why we are looking at International Men&rsquo;s Day from that perspective of saying let&rsquo;s look at what it means or what people think it means to be a man and explore it and see is that really what being a fully stable man is all about.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mental-health-talk-on-international-mens-day-706361.html\">http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mental-health-talk-on-international-mens-day-706361.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-19 10:48:34',NULL,'mental-health-talk-on-international-mens-day'),(1389,'Dublin man denies raping mentally impaired woman','<p>\r\n	A man has gone on trial at the Central Criminal Court for raping a mentally impaired woman in his Dublin city centre flat.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The woman, who is in her 20s and has Down syndrome, was out jogging with her mother near their home when they became separated. The accused is alleged to have stopped the woman before bringing her back to his flat and raping her.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The jury was told it will hear evidence that the woman left the flat in a distressed state and returned home. Garda&iacute; were alerted and the woman was able to pick out the accused&rsquo;s apartment as she was driven around the area.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The man has pleaded not guilty to rape, sexual assault and having sex with a mentally impaired person at his Dublin flat on June 12, 2013.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Regarding the count of rape, Caroline Biggs, prosecuting, told the jury of six men and women that a person cannot consent to sex if they do not have the capacity to consent.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Regarding the charge of sex with a mentally impaired person, Ms Biggs said the prosecution would have to prove that sex or attempted sex took place and that the person was mentally impaired at the time.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Briggs said that the law states that a person is mentally impaired if they cannot live independently or protect themselves from serious exploitation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is a valid defence for an accused to claim he &ldquo;did not know and had no reason to suspect&rdquo; the person was mentally impaired, counsel said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The court heard that the accused would say that he had consensual sexual contact with the woman but maintains he did not know she was mentally impaired.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Biggs told jurors that they would hear expert psychological evidence about the woman&rsquo;s capacity to consent.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They would also hear expert evidence dealing with the physical characteristics of someone with Down syndrome &ldquo;which are recognised around the world.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The trial will be in legal argument until Monday when it will resume in evidence before Mr Justice Tony Hunt.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/dublin-man-denies-raping-mentally-impaired-woman-365774.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/dublin-man-denies-raping-mentally-impaired-woman-365774.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-19 10:52:20',NULL,'dublin-man-denies-raping-mentally-impaired-woman'),(1390,'African people here suffer frequent racist abuse by public institutions - report','<p>\r\n	People of African descent in Ireland suffer &#39;frequent racist abuse including violence, harassment and discrimination by public institutions, a new report has revealed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report which was carried by the European Network against Racism Ireland, conducted an investigation of 189 cases reported incidents over a two year period.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Lucy Michaels, sociologist at the Ulster University and lead researcher on the report, said on Morning Ireland: &quot;One of the things that makes this report so devastating is that while we consider ourselves to be a welcoming country, it simply isn&#39;t true when it comes to black people.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;What we have seen in the report is everyday racism - from online racism to attacks on people&#39;s Facebook pages. It can come in many forms.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Michaels also revealed that the report found that black people are often shouted at in public, asked to leave public spaces or are accused of benefit fraud.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report also revealed that young women are the victims of stalking and harassment in public places, while harassment of black families in their neighbourhoods is also extensive.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, the report also revealed that many black families are reluctant to highlight the abuse for fear that it makes the situation worse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/african-people-here-suffer-frequent-racist-abuse-by-public-institutions-report-34215433.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/african-people-here-suffer-frequent-racist-abuse-by-public-institutions-report-34215433.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-19 10:55:44',NULL,'african-people-here-suffer-frequent-racist-abuse-by-public-institutions-report'),(1391,'HIQA publishes guide on plain English communication','<p>\r\n	HIQA has published a plain English guide to communicating with patients prompted by the fact that communications issues are at the heart of many of its investigations.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Developed in conjunction with the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA), the guide &lsquo;Communicating in Plain English&rsquo; is aimed at all healthcare professionals and social care workers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Director of Safety and Quality Improvement at HIQA Marie Kehoe-O&rsquo;Sullivan said the feedback the Authority had received was that patients often did not fully understand instructions. &ldquo;It really is the root cause of so many issues. It is a lack of communication, a lack of understanding. When people do not understand what they are supposed to do it is impossible for them to do it. Then we end up calling them non-compliant,&rdquo; Kehoe-O&rsquo;Sullivan said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Commonly, communications deficits were identified when patients presented to hospital not understanding they needed to fast or when they scheduled a follow-up appointment but failed to attend, she added, or sometimes people forgot to discontinue medications prior to surgery. &ldquo;They might be on heparin and told to discontinue it and forget about it or not fully understand the need for it.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Furthermore, many did not fully understand their medication regime on discharge. &ldquo;If there is not something in writing as well, especially if you have someone who is taking 15 or 16 medications, it can be quite difficult to remember,&rdquo; Kehoe-O&rsquo;Sullivan said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Sometimes a life-changing diagnosis rendered very well-informed patients vulnerable as well, she added. &ldquo;You can be the most savvy, well educated person, but if somebody sits down in front of you and tells you that you have a brain tumour all of that goes out the window.&rdquo; In that scenario, providing a clear, jargon-free information leaflet the patient could refer back to was important.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	NALA approached HIQA about the issue because people were coming to its service with leaflets they did not understand, the HIQA Director explained. She gave the example of patients being asked their ethnicity on hospital forms.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;A lot of people will look at that and say, &lsquo;I don&rsquo;t understand what I am being asked for here&rsquo;. Words like that become general in the language used by social care professionals, but are not general to the public. We have got to make sure our language is easier to understand.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It is also about speaking slowly but not patronisingly, speaking slowly, clearly and that is before you talk about people who have any kind of hearing, visual or learning disability,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Some people were also embarrassed to tell their doctor they did not understand or to ask them to explain again, she added. &ldquo;We try to get rid of that power imbalance but the minute you sit in front of a doctor as a patient that power imbalance is automatically there. I think the onus then is on the health professional to make sure that fear is not there,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The guide can be downloaded at www.hiqa.ie or hard copies can be requested from Marie Kehoe-O&rsquo;Sullivan at mkehoe@hiqa.ie.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.imt.ie/news/latest-news/2015/11/hiqa-publishes-guide-on-plain-english-communication.html\">http://www.imt.ie/news/latest-news/2015/11/hiqa-publishes-guide-on-plain-english-communication.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-20 11:55:08',NULL,'hiqa-publishes-guide-on-plain-english-communication'),(1392,'200 children needlessly on waiting list for psychiatric hospital care','<p>\r\n	More than 200 children were needlessly put on a waiting list for acute psychiatric hospital care, it emerged yesterday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Minister of State for Mental Health, Kathleen Lynch, said her department had examined the waiting list for child and adolescent mental health services earlier this year</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;When we looked at it we discovered there were over 200 children that should not have been on the list at all &mdash; they should have been dealt with in primary care,&rdquo; she told a meeting of the Committee on Health and Children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Waiting times for child and adolescent mental health services have improved following an initiative by the minister.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The number of young people waiting more than 12 months for a first appointment dropped from 479 in March to 241 in August this year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Lynch said the HSE Service Plan, expected to be published later this month, would include a programme of child and adolescent psychiatric services to be delivered in primary care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The aim was to have as many young people as possible treated by the primary care psychology service instead of referring them to acute psychiatry units where, in some instances, they need not be.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mental Health Reform, an umbrella group of non-governmental organisations, said children needed prompt access to mental health support because they were at a key stage of their lives.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Children should not be put onto waiting lists for mental health services if they could be supported in primary care services, but the primary care system needs dedicated staff who have the skills to support children&rsquo;s mental health,&rdquo; said its director, Shari McDaid.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/200-children-needlessly-on-waiting-list-for-psychiatric-hospital-care-365980.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/200-children-needlessly-on-waiting-list-for-psychiatric-hospital-care-365980.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-20 12:20:00',NULL,'200-children-needlessly-on-waiting-list-for-psychiatric-hospital-care'),(1393,'Demand for Amen support to male domestic abuse victims up','<p>\r\n	2014 report shows demand up for counselling, helpline and one-to-one support sessions</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Demand for the services of the main support organisation for male victims of domestic violence increased by over a third last year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The 2014 annual report from Amen, published yesterday, reports increased demand for counselling, its helpline, court accompaniment service and one-to-one support sessions last year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;In 2014 slightly over six and a half thousand (6,660) contacts were received by Amen...These contacts represent a 36.8 per cent increase in overall activity within the service from the previous year,&rdquo; says the report.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One-to-one support sessions</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The NGO provided 477 one-to-one support sessions to 359 men in 2014 - an increase of 47 per cent on 2013 and 82 per cent compared with 2012. Most (70 per cent) were to Irish men and 30 per cent to non-nationals.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Demand for its counselling service increased by over 100 per cent, with five volunteer counsellors providing 214 counselling hours through 2014, at the Amen offices in Navan, Co Meath, and in Dublin.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Its helpline had its busiest month in February, with the first quarter the busiest of 2014.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We received 5,670 calls to the helpline in 2014. This is an overall increase of 39 per cent from 2013. Out of these 5,670 calls almost 47 per cent (2,642) were classified as &lsquo;crisis calls&rsquo;. Crisis calls are from men and occasionally relatives who are extremely distressed by their circumstances.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Psychological abuse</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Men disclosed being verbally and psychologically abused (61 per cent of disclosures) as well as seriously physically assaulted (39 per cent). Almost 95 per cent of contacts were from men who had children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report included quotes from letters to the NGO from male victims of domestic abuse, as well as from family or friends of such victims.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Among the comments of men who used the service were:</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	- &ldquo;She has punched, kicked, torn my hair, tried to break my fingers, spat at me and bit me on the face, hands, arms and legs. I am not a big man but I am a black belt in karate. I have never hit her.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	- &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have any friends as she doesn&rsquo;t like me to, nor do I have any hobbies as she doesn&rsquo;t like me going anywhere without her.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&lsquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Very violent&rsquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	- &ldquo;She became very violent and aggressive. I couldn&rsquo;t disagree with her. I was not allowed to have an opinion of my own. She was always right.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	- &ldquo;I still love her. I can forgive her. All I want is to get my old wife back. But if I can&rsquo;t have that, what about our children? If I leave I know things will only get worse.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Nicola Dowling, Amen director, said many male victims of domestic abuse were forced to leave the family home. The reduced access to their children &ldquo;compounds the emotional abuse to which they may already be exposed&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She hoped the Domestic Violence Bill, which is being drawn up, would improve protections for male victims, &ldquo;making it much easier for victims to obtain interim barring orders&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/demand-for-amen-support-to-male-domestic-abuse-victims-up-1.2437036\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/demand-for-amen-support-to-male-domestic-abuse-victims-up-1.2437036</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-20 13:46:24',NULL,'demand-for-amen-support-to-male-domestic-abuse-victims-up'),(1394,'Dublin soup run tackles food poverty in the suburbs','<p>\r\n	Volunteers in Ballyfermot say demand for service &lsquo;shows how desperate people are&rsquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The arrival of volunteers at the door with food parcels makes &ldquo;getting through the week a bit easier&rdquo;, says Selina Hall, a mother-of-four living in the Crawford area of Ballyfermot, west Dublin.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great, yes. It just helps, you know, especially after the weekends when the presses are nearly bare,&rdquo; she says smiling, taking the box of groceries from volunteer Yvonne Byrne.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It&rsquo;s Monday night, and Byrne has packed up boxes of such items as tinned soup, pasta, tea bags, bread, tinned fish, cakes, biscuits, onions and broccoli for five families in the area.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We do about five or six families a night, five nights a week &ndash; a different set of families each night. On this road alone we bring food to six families,&rdquo; she says.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Visible</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Byrne is one of several women in Ballyfermot who have been operating a soup run for the homeless for more than a year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It was started by local woman Ann-Marie Gleeson in October 2014, in response to the visible increase in homelessness in the area.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;A lot of people, when they lose their homes out here, they don&rsquo;t want to go into town, away from where they&rsquo;re from.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The soup runs that operate in town don&rsquo;t come out here.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Gleeson explains however that in recent months families with children began approaching them each evening looking for food.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We decided to bring food to them in their houses, for their privacy really. Ballyfermot has always had problems with food poverty, but to see families that desperate that they&rsquo;d come looking for food from a soup run for the homeless, well it shows how desperate people are.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;And people say there&rsquo;s a recovery in the country. What recovery?&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The volunteers get food donations from local shops, including Tesco and Supervalu via the Foodcloud app, which allows food retailers to make surplus food - or food near its sell-by date - available to charities for distribution to the needy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The women make vats of soup and trays of sandwiches too, while on Monday the local Dominos take-away donates pizzas.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The kids in the houses love when we arrive with pizza on Mondays. Sometimes they come to the door almost grabbing it.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The children can be very hungry on Mondays, after the weekends when the food is running low.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They first feed homeless people, from 8-9pm five nights a week, and then make house calls.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They also give out Red Cross food vouchers, each of which entitles the bearer to a hot meal at the Ballyfermot Civic Centre.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They give out &ldquo;about 100 a week&rdquo;, says Gleeson.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&lsquo;Very disadvantaged&rsquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The areas visited on Monday night are classified by Pobal, which co-ordinates social inclusion services for the Government, as &ldquo;very disadvantaged&rdquo;, with a male unemployment rate of 44.1 per cent.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Food poverty, according to the Institute for Public Health, is &ldquo;the inability to afford or have reasonable access to food which provides a healthy diet&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is a form of chronic social exclusion, and according to a study published by trade unions Mandate and Unite in December 2013, it is experienced by more than 470,000 people &ndash; or one in 10 of the population.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/dublin-soup-run-tackles-food-poverty-in-the-suburbs-1.2440059\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/dublin-soup-run-tackles-food-poverty-in-the-suburbs-1.2440059</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-23 12:30:10',NULL,'dublin-soup-run-tackles-food-poverty-in-the-suburbs'),(1395,'50 people a day entered psychiatric units and hospitals last year','<p>\r\n	Almost 50 patients were admitted each day on average to psychiatric units and hospitals last year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Figures published by the Health Research Board show a total of 17,797 admissions recorded last year, with an equal proportion of males and females. Two thirds of last year&rsquo;s admissions were for people who were being readmitted to care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	At any one time, there were around 2,200 patients receiving residential psychiatric care in Irish hospitals last year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The number of people requiring admission to hospital for psychiatric treatment has been falling steadily since 1986, when admissions peaked at 29,392.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Over the past decade the number of admissions has now fallen by 16%, while the policy to close older psychiatric hospitals has seen admissions to such facilities drop by 53% from 6,814 in 2005 to 3,219 last year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Since 2012 the Government has ring-fenced &euro;125m for mental health care, with the focus on developing community-based mental health services. However, Opposition parties have criticised the level of staff shortages in such community services. The latest figures show a reduction of 660 on 2013 admission figures &mdash; an annual decrease of almost 4%.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, there was a 5% increase in the number of children being admitted to psychiatric units. A total of 436 children aged under 18 years were admitted for psychiatric treatment last year, including two aged 13 years or under.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Junior Health Minister Kathleen Lynch said she was concerned that of these cases, 93 children were admitted to adult psychiatric units, which she described as &ldquo;inappropriate&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While the admission of children to adult psychiatric units has decreased continuously since 2008, Ms Lynch said there was still room for improvement.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, she added: &ldquo;In some cases, it may be the only available option if an adolescent is to obtain early treatment.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The HRB report Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2014 shows two thirds of children requiring psychiatric care are female.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It also reveals that more than one in 10 of all adult admissions are still made on an involuntary basis. The highest rate of admissions was among the 45-54 years age group, although the 18-19 years group had the highest rate of first-time admissions.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	More than half of all admissions (57%) were of single people, while 41% were unemployed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Although divorced people accounted for only 4% of all admissions, they had the highest per capita rate of admissions, at 744 per 100,000.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The HRB recorded 253 admissions for psychiatric services from patients who were classified as having &ldquo;no fixed abode&rdquo;. The majority of these were single men.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A total of 142 deaths in psychiatric units and hospitals were recorded last year, most involving males over 65 years.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In terms of length of care, almost a third of all psychiatric patients were discharged within one week of being admitted, while 94% were discharged within three months.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The median stay in hospital was 10 days.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The highest number of admissions on a per capita basis was from Roscommon at 507.7 per 100,000 population, followed by Carlow, Donegal, and Westmeath.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Monaghan recorded the lowest rate of admissions at 191.8 per 100,000.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/50-people-a-day-entered-psychiatric-units-and-hospitals-last-year-366443.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/50-people-a-day-entered-psychiatric-units-and-hospitals-last-year-366443.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-23 12:39:48',NULL,'50-people-a-day-entered-psychiatric-units-and-hospitals-last-year'),(1396,'SPECIAL REPORT: Nuns were told don’t co-operate as Bishop tried to thwart probes into Bessborough scandal','<p>\r\n	As Bessborough was investigated, the nuns were told don&rsquo;t co-operate, writes Conall &Oacute; Fatharta</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Month after month, year after year we peel away another layer of the sordid history of Ireland&rsquo;s mother and baby homes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In a country where falling pregnant outside marriage was viewed as something worse than a crime, thousands of women and girls were instead hidden away and their children taken from them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	With no real solution to the &lsquo;problem&rsquo; of &lsquo;illegitimacy&rsquo;, the State was happy to leave it to religious orders and a system of mother and baby homes where, even by the standards of the day, the physical and psychological treatment of women and the removal of their children bordered on criminal.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	We have all heard the terms. Sadly, their shock value has waned over time. Only in Ireland can a public be fatigued by terms like forced adoption, illegal adoption, trafficking, slavery, child death and mass graves.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Other countries are shocked. The international reaction to the Tuam babies scandal proved as much. However, at home we have to listen to the usual mantra of &lsquo;Sure those were the times&rsquo;, &lsquo;Nobody forced these girls to get pregnant&rsquo; and the old classic: &ldquo;Sure the religious did their best&rsquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The fact that none of these arguments hold water doesn&rsquo;t weaken their hold over people who want to believe them. The culture of death in mother and baby homes was deemed a scandal at the highest government levels more than 70 years ago. The only thing lacking was the courage in official Ireland to do anything about it.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	An archive of material obtained by the Irish Examiner from 1941-1945 in relation to Bessborough mother and baby home &mdash; including Department of Local Government and Public Health (DLGPH) inspection reports, letters from the government of the day to the order and correspondence between the order and the bishop of Cork &mdash; reveals a disturbing litany of abuse towards women and children that went largely unchecked.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Concerns around infant mortality are continually raised but there are numerous accounts of &ldquo;emaciated&rdquo; children, evidence of &ldquo;insufficient feeding&rdquo;. One inspector outlines a standard of medical supervision in Bessborough that is deemed &ldquo;criminally casual&rdquo; and requires &ldquo;drastic action&rdquo;. Such concerns span not months but years.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Not only that, it&rsquo;s clear that Bishop of Cork Daniel Cohalan takes great offence to the State having the temerity to ask questions about how Bessborough was being run.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Despite being a State-licenced mother and baby home with a maternity hospital paid for exclusively with state funds and taking public cases referred by the Munster area Public Assistance Board, the bishop&rsquo;s advice to the order was that their duty, above all else, was to Canon law and their loyalty was to their order.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The archive reveals that the nuns running Bessborough were nervous about state inspection from as far back as 1941. The Superioress had written to Cohalan asking advice on how to respond to questions from inspectors about its Query Sheet &mdash; its reporting structure for children born and discharged from the home.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Bishop Cohalan&rsquo;s response in July 1941 is unequivocal &mdash; release as little information as possible.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It must be remembered that you and the Sisters are a religious community. You are not a department of the Cork County Home and Hospital. You are not a government institution. But like the religious who conduct schools or who have the charge of orphans or of industrial institutions, you can do Catholic social work and receive remuneration and allow government inspection. But this inspection must not encroach on your independence as a religious community. The inspection of national schools and of industrial schools does not extend to the domestic affairs and the domestic expenditure of convents. And why should an inspection of Bessboro extend to the receipts from your land or from charitable sources; or to the expenditure on yourselves, on your inmates, on the chapel?,&rdquo; writes the bishop.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Clearly, the view of the bishop is that Bessborough&rsquo;s finances are no business of the State. Interestingly, that attitude persists right to this day.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In response to queries from Tusla last year as to why no financial records were handed over as part of the transfer of Bessborough&rsquo;s records to the State in 2011, the order&rsquo;s solicitors responded in January of this year stating that the congregation &ldquo;did not have financial records in the modern sense of audited accounts&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, with reference to the reporting of children in the institution, Bishop Cohalan is clear that the nuns should obey Canon law on the matter before all else.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;You are asked the names of the mothers, their home address, their present address. I am sure that no government would knowingly make a demand that would be opposed to Canon law.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;In the case of illegitimate births, the name of the mother cannot be inserted even in the baptismal register without her consent, unless the event be public. In all private cases, whether the mother is rich or poor, the illegitimate mother has a right to her name and fame; and the fact of the birth cannot be published without her consent. So you must not give particulars of name and address in cases where the illegitimate birth is not public.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In short, the order must put Canon law before the law of the land. This is despite the fact that all mother and baby homes were expected to comply with the Registration of Maternity Homes Act (1934) which stipulated the mandatory reporting of births and deaths.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Canon law 877 states that &ldquo;in the case of a child of an unmarried mother, the mother&rsquo;s name is to be entered if her maternity is publicly known or if, either in writing or before two witnesses, she freely asks that this be done&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, in the case of a child born in a Bessborough &mdash; a state-licenced institution, in receipt of state and local government funding and inspected by the DLGPH &mdash; it could be argued that all births were &ldquo;publicly known&rdquo; and needed to be registered. Bishop Cohalan concludes by stating that he may have &ldquo;to take this whole matter up with the government&rdquo; but warns the nuns that, in the meantime, they must not do &ldquo;anything that would be a violation of Canon law&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;And it would be a distinct violation of Canon law and of natural justice to publish the fact of a secret illegitimate birth, with the mother and father&rsquo;s name, without the permission of the mother and father,&rdquo; he concludes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Given the advice that Canon law should supersede State law, it is imperative that the Commission to Inquire into Mother and Baby Homes seeks access to all registers to investigate how the orders operating such institutions recorded births and deaths.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Bishop Cohalan&rsquo;s intervention, however, wasn&rsquo;t enough to stop state inspectors repeatedly raising concerns about conditions in Bessborough for the next three years.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In January of 1942, a letter was sent to the Superioress of Bessborough Sr Martina Gleeson, under direction from the Minister for Local Government and Public Health, following an inspection from his medical inspector, Dr Dillon in June 1941.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The letter reports overcrowding, an unsafe building and that the nuns only produced requested documentation &ldquo;under pressure&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The register has not been written up since 1939. No register of confinements was kept. The inspector was unable to satisfy herself as to the provision made for fire-fighting, as the nun in charge did not afford her proper facilities for inspection. The Inspector further reports that she was treated with discourtesy and that generally there was unwillingness to facilitate her in carrying out the statutory inspection under the Registration of Maternity Homes Act, 1934.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She was, for instance, refused admission to a room in the institution which, when eventually unlocked, proved to be a bathroom converted into a bedroom. The register of cases was produced only &ldquo;under pressure.&rdquo; It was noted that there was a &ldquo;tendency to discourage breastfeeding&rdquo; and that this may be partly responsible for the high infant mortality rate at the institution. It is also noted that the nun in charge had no qualifications in supervising maternity care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In response, Sr Martina says the issue of the register not being maintained was &ldquo;a misunderstanding&rdquo; and argues that women are forced to breastfeed when they feel disinclined to do so.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, none of these interventions solve the problems at the institution. Although, by 1943, a decision was made for a period to stop sending women referred by the Public Assistance Authority to Bessborough, concerns about its safety continued to mount.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	An August 1943 DLGPH inspection report from Alice Litster reveals the treatment of children in Bessborough was causing &ldquo;uneasiness&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Litster reveals that, of the 27 babies in the day nursery aged between three weeks to nine months, only eight were breastfed and only three fully.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The greater number were miserable scraps of humanity, wisened, some emaciated and almost all had rash and sores all over their bodies, faces, hands and heads,&rdquo; she reports.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report notes children as old as six were present in the institution &ldquo;for whose education no provision is made&rdquo; in contravention of the Compulsory School Attendance Act.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The condition of the infants and younger children in the institution gives cause for uneasiness. During the year ended 31.3.43, 70 children died. There were 114 admissions (ie, births plus infants admitted after birth during the year and all but one of the 70 deaths were of children under one year),&rdquo; notes Ms Litster.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Interestingly, the Death Register retained by the order records only 55 infant deaths in this period &mdash; a discrepancy revealed by the Irish Examiner last week.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A defence to DLGPH report was mounted by the nuns. With reference to the &ldquo;miserable scraps of humanity&rdquo;, the nuns said these children &ldquo;got this contagion from an outside patient&rdquo; and that their doctors were &ldquo;very puzzled and cannot understand what is the cause&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Regarding the lack of breastfeeding at Bessborough, the nuns said the mothers &ldquo;have plenty of rest, copious fluids and good nourishing diet&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;In the majority of cases the mothers are inclined to be fretful and have no love for their infants.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This bizarre attempt to lay the blame for the emaciated appearance of children on their mothers&rsquo; lack of love, is taken to even more extreme lengths by Bessborough&rsquo;s medical officer Dr James T O&rsquo;Connor, who prepared a report on the cause of infant deaths at the institution in the mid-1940s.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr O&rsquo;Connor notes that although children were dying, in some cases of severe malnutrition, this was not due to the diet or to the lack of breastfeeding. Instead, he argued that &ldquo;illegitimate&rdquo; children can sometimes fail to digest breast milk, while pointing out that their gestation period is different to that of a child of marriage.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;In spite of this selection [of food] some of the children lost weight and died. An explanation for this is that some infants saw a remarkable difficulty in digesting food and this is due to a primary failure of the process of assimilation, whether for particular food, or for foods in general, even in some cases where the child is breast fed, they do not assimilate the nourishment in the milk. This is more remarkable in illegitimate children.&rdquo; &ldquo;It must be remembered that the period of Gestation of these children is far different to that of the married woman. The girl worries a great deal and is mentally upset over her condition. She is constantly trying to conceal the fact that she is pregnant, and in some cases every effort is made to get rid of the foetus. All this has undoubtly (sic) a most injurious effect on the developing foetus resulting in weak and defective children who have a poor resistance to disease and defective powers for assimilating food,&rdquo; he noted.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, a report by the County Medical Officer for Health highlighted that Dr O&rsquo;Connor visited on average twice weekly and there &ldquo;appears to be no written agreement&rdquo; in relation to his conditions of service. Although paid &pound;120 per year by the nuns, the County Medical Officer noted that not every infant was seen during his visits and &ldquo;no proper records, such as weight cards, etc are kept for each child&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	By Christmas of 1944, little had changed. A report prepared by DLGPH inspector Florence Dillon had left parliamentary secretary at the DLGPH Dr Con Ward &mdash; effectively the health minister of the day &mdash; in no doubt that &ldquo;drastic action&rdquo; needed to be taken to deal with Bessborough.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Although the order tried to delay the removal of Sr Martina, the threat of it being barred from operating a mother and baby home and losing the state funding that resulted meant that by September 1945, it agreed to remove her from Bessborough to be replaced by Mother Rosemonde.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A handwritten note from September 1945 acknowledges the change and notes: &ldquo;We might give the new Rev Mother, who appears to be very capable, a chance to pull Bessboro together before we press for a withdrawal of the maternity licence&rdquo;. In 1946, the level of infant death had fallen from 30 to 10. In 1947, it had risen to 19 before falling dramatically to single figures until 1953. By this time, adoption had been made legal in Ireland. The order has claimed it maintained no death register after this point.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is noteworthy that despite an infant mortality rate which peaked at 82%, the government, at no point during this period, withdrew Bessborough&rsquo;s licence to operate as a mother and baby home. You&rsquo;d wonder how bad things would have had to be before someone had the courage to make that decision.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/special-report-nuns-told-dont-co-operate-as-bishop-tried-to-thwart-probes-into-bessborough-scandal-366416.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/analysis/special-report-nuns-told-dont-co-operate-as-bishop-tried-to-thwart-probes-into-bessborough-scandal-366416.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-23 05:00:00',NULL,'special-report-nuns-were-told-don’t-co-operate-as-bishop-tried-to-thwart-probes-into-bessborough-scandal'),(1397,'Hospital staff under pressure to release details of child sex abuse victims','<p>\r\n	Staff at a unit treating child sex abuse victims are coming under increasing pressure from the courts and the DPP to release intimate details over and above that related to abuse concerns.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The level of detail demanded by lawyers is such that staff at St Clare&rsquo;s Child Sexual Abuse Unit in Temple Street Hospital believe it could deter families with abuse concerns from coming forward.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The unit&rsquo;s acting principal social worker, Maura O&rsquo;Sullivan, said that children confide in them on the basis of confidentiality but that increasing requests from both the civil and criminal courts were impacting on their ability to guarantee containment of intimate information.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We would traditionally have always released a report to the social worker which would give all the details of the assessment, all the information and our conclusions,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;But then courts started coming back and saying: &lsquo;Actually, we want your verbatim notes. We want your whole file. We want the DVD recordings [of interviews with children].&rsquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;And we don&rsquo;t make DVD recordings for evidentiary purposes. The reasons we make DVD recordings is to ensure quality in our own practice and to have a an accurate record of what was being said.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Eimear Lacey, senior social worker at St Clare&rsquo;s, an assessment and therapy service, said the information they gathered was far broader than abuse allegations, and having to share this information could potentially make it available to the child&rsquo;s abuser.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not just assessing credibility, we&rsquo;re assessing the needs of the child therapeutically and the needs of the family therapeutically, so our information is much broader than the specific allegations,&rdquo; said Ms Lacey.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms O&rsquo;Sullivan said there was increasing pressure from the DPP&rsquo;s office for access to therapy notes, which flew in the face of efforts to create a protected and confidential therapeutic relationship with child sex abuse victims.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said that, to facilitate children confiding in them, they needed reassurance that the content of their conversations were private and not used for other purposes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Lacey said that they were &ldquo;finding that the boundaries around us, around what&rsquo;s private to the child, are being pushed and pushed and pushed in terms of information being given either to the courts or to the alleged perpetrator, directly through Tusla&rsquo;s procedures&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Lacey and Ms O&rsquo;Sullivan are trying to raise awareness of the dilemma staff in the unit face, and have begun meeting with politicians to highlight the issue.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We need to create change because it&rsquo;s having an ongoing impact on children and families&rsquo; decisions around whether they are going to report things, because if all of your personal information is going to be made available to a whole raft of people, then they would have to think very carefully about that &mdash; whether it is going to actually help their child or create more trauma,&rdquo; said Ms O&rsquo;Sullivan.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/hospital-staff-under-pressure-to-realease-details-of-child-sex-abuse-victims-368695.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/hospital-staff-under-pressure-to-realease-details-of-child-sex-abuse-victims-368695.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-30 12:35:36',NULL,'hospital-staff-under-pressure-to-release-details-of-child-sex-abuse-victims'),(1398,'About 30% of children in care cases come from minorities','<p>\r\n	Parental substance abuse and disability most common reasons for State intervention</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Parental substance abuse and parental disability are the most common reasons the State takes children into care, a landmark report on childcare legal proceedings finds.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The final report from the Child Care Law Reporting (CCLR) Project also finds a quarter of the children taken into care have &ldquo;special needs&rdquo; of their own &ndash; physical, educational or psychological &ndash; with 19 per cent of the children having special psychological needs.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Children from ethnic minorities, including Travellers, are about seven times more likely to be subject to care proceedings than other white Irish children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Carol Coulter&rsquo;s report, published this morning, covers the duration of the CCLR project, from December 2012 to July 2015, and captures 1,272 childcare cases.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Of these, 1,194 were before the 26 district courts and 78 before the High Court. They represent about 30 per cent of the childcare cases before the courts in the 30-month period.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A care order was rarely sought for just one reason, according to the report, and although the stated reason in court may be neglect or abuse of the child, when a parent&rsquo;s problem, such a disability or addiction, was presented as &ldquo;serious factors in the case&rdquo;, the report notes these.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Parental disability emerges as a major factor in one in six cases. The vast majority of these involved cognitive disability or mental health, and sometimes both. Drug and alcohol abuse feature in one in five cases. In recent months, the issue of homelessness has cropped up with increasing frequency, but this is never the sole reason for the application being made.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ethnic minority</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A disproportionate number of the families had at least one parent from an ethnic minority, including Irish Travellers, who accounted for 4 per cent. This is, according to the authors, &ldquo;almost certainly an underestimation&rdquo;, as the ethnicity of settled Travellers was not recorded if not given in the case. Given that Travellers account for 0.6 per cent of the population they are &ldquo;significantly overrepresented in the childcare courts&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Excluding Travellers, some 27 per cent of respondents included at least one parent from an ethnic minority. Africans accounted for 8 per cent and Europeans (mainly eastern European) accounted for 5 per cent, not including Roma, who made up 1.4 per cent of cases.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Three types of problems arose frequently for African children: abandoned or unaccompanied minors, mother&rsquo;s mental health difficulties (especially if she has spent extended periods in direct provision as an asylum seeker), and physical chastisement.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Eastern European parents frequently had problems with alcohol abuse and mental health. Among Irish Travellers alcohol abuse, domestic violence and allegations of sexual abuse featured regularly.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report notes international studies show certain ethnic minorities are overrepresented in childcare proceedings in many countries.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Cultural differences</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;These groups are also overrepresented among lone-parent families, and families suffering economic and social deprivation, issues closely linked to child-protection concerns. It is unlikely that Ireland is different in this respect,&rdquo; the report notes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Cultural differences also play a role. &ldquo;In both African and some Asian families there is more emphasis on parental authority, sometimes maintained through physical chastisement, than is now acceptable in Irish society.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In few of the cases where mothers had mental health problems was evidence given of supports offered to the mother, or the extent to which the children&rsquo;s needs were considered by mental health services.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In the significant proportion of cases where parents had a cognitive disability, diagnosis of the disability appeared &ldquo;haphazard&rdquo;, with decisions apparently taken to seek a care order simply because the parent has a cognitive disability, rather than assessing whether the parent, with support, could parent the child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;What many of these cases highlight is the lack of . . . suitable and appropriate services for vulnerable parents,&rdquo; the report says.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Parents with mental health problems, cognitive disabilities, from minority ethnic groups, parents who are or who have recently been in care themselves, parents who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, parents struggling with a child with mental health problems, all require appropriate and targeted support services.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Again and again questions were raised about the availability of such services.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/about-30-of-children-in-care-cases-come-from-minorities-1.2448115\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/about-30-of-children-in-care-cases-come-from-minorities-1.2448115</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-30 12:43:57',NULL,'about-30%-of-children-in-care-cases-come-from-minorities'),(1399,'Children with specialised needs sent abroad due to care shortage','<p>\r\n	Vulnerable children with specialised needs are being sent to special residential centres abroad because of a chronic shortage of secure, high-support places and services here.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Child Care Law Reporting Project (CCLRP) has also found that these &ldquo;secure care&rdquo; cases are being dealt with in the High Court in an ad hoc way because of a four-year delay commencing legislation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The CCLRP, which spent 18 weeks covering the High Court Minors&rsquo; Review List, highlights the issues in its final report which will be published today.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Government says that while there are just 17 secure care places nationally, the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, has access to 177 open, non-secure residential centres, some of which are run by private organisations.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In May, these residential centres held 343 children, most of them older teenagers requiring some level of high support, who are there either on a care order from the district court, or in voluntary care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, a small number of children with highly specialised needs are being sent to special centres abroad.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We have been present at numerous cases both in the High Court and District Court where a child has been judged to need either secure care or high support, but the court is told no suitable bed is available,&rdquo; the report said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Detaining children who have not committed any offence, against their will under secure care orders, even when it is deemed necessary for their welfare, is a very serious matter, and the basis for it has been considered very deeply by the High Court in a number of judgments.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The jurisdiction for making secure care orders lies in the High Court, though the legislation providing for this has never been commenced, so the High Court continues to exercise its inherent jurisdiction.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It is questionable that this is the most efficient way of dealing with the needs of such vulnerable children, many of whom are also the subject of care orders made by the district court.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2011 provided for special care orders to be made by the High Court, and spells out the basis for making any such orders. However, more than four years after being enacted, the 2011 act remains to be commenced and secure care orders continue to be made in the High Court.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This means that there is no statutory regime; no rules that must be adhered to; and no protocols for assessing the suitability of the secure care regime for the particular child, the report points out.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;This inevitably gives an ad hoc character to these proceedings,&rdquo; it says.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Such cases are also extremely costly, with legal costs in the order of &euro;1m linked to one case still before the courts.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It also costs &euro;560,000 a year to keep the child at the centre of this case in St Andrew&rsquo;s unit in Northampton, where other Irish children and adults are regularly detained.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/children-with-specialised-needs-sent-abroad-due-to-care-shortage-368694.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/children-with-specialised-needs-sent-abroad-due-to-care-shortage-368694.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-11-30 12:45:07',NULL,'children-with-specialised-needs-sent-abroad-due-to-care-shortage'),(1400,'Parents warned that giving children too much Calpol can lead to health issues later in life','<p>\r\n	A leading pediatrician in the UK has warned that giving children paracetamol-based medicines such as Calpol and Disprol too often could lead to health issues later in life.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Numerous studies have been conducted around the consumption and overuse of paracetamol-based medicines and the adverse effects associated with it.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Alistair Sutcliffe, paediatrician and professor of general paediatrics at University College London, said parents were overusing paracetamol to treat mild fevers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Parents are using paracetamol too permissively. They seem to fear fever as an illness, per se, which it is not. There is evidence that the excess usage of paracetamol is associated with increased rates of asthma, increased rates of liver damage, but less widely known, kidney and heart damage,&rdquo; said Mr. Sutcliffe.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) said parents needed to be better educated about when to give children paracetamol-based medicines.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A worrying number of parents turn to easily available medicines and administer them to children in the wrong way or when they are not necessary.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Steve Tomlin, pharmacist and spokesperson for the RPS, said a common mistake is continuously using the painkiller at high doses.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Children often go from one care setting to another &ndash; with the grandparents, or school &ndash; and the chances of them getting extra doses might be quite high,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;You only need two or three days giving an extra dose or two above what is recommended and it is not such a safe drug and can start hitting the liver.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Pediatrician Helen Sammons reportedly said that while paracetamol can be given to treat pain and discomfort in children, it should not be given as an antidote for mild temperature.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She advised that parents shouldn&#39;t rely too much on thermometers and should look for symptoms of fever such as lack of thirst and lethargy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Parents have been reportedly strictly urged to consult a health professional before administering any paracetamol-based medicine to their children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In a study conducted in 2014, it was found that a worrying 83 per cent of Irish parents were mis-using over the counter medicines.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The most common medicines being used were Paracetamol and ibuprofen with Calpol (67 per cent) and Nurofen (29 per cent) the main types named.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/life/health-wellbeing/health-features/parents-warned-that-giving-children-too-much-calpol-can-lead-to-health-issues-later-in-life-34246107.html\">http://www.independent.ie/life/health-wellbeing/health-features/parents-warned-that-giving-children-too-much-calpol-can-lead-to-health-issues-later-in-life-34246107.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-01 10:41:55',NULL,'parents-warned-that-giving-children-too-much-calpol-can-lead-to-health-issues-later-in-life'),(1401,'Chief Justice Susan Denham has highlighted a call for a dedicated family court','<p>\r\n	Chief Justice Susan Denham has highlighted a call for a dedicated family court, with appropriate facilities in dedicated court houses, as a matter of priority.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Justice Denham was speaking at the launch of the Final Report of the Child Care Law Reporting Project, which criticises crowded court houses where lack of privacy undermines the dignity of parties and causes them additional stress.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Chief Justice told the launch of the report that child-protection issues, including the reporting of cases where applications are made to take children into care, should be at the forefront of our national agenda at all levels.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She noted that the team, led by Dr Carol Coulter, had over the past three years found that more than half of the almost 1,300 cases examined featured mental or cognitive disability on the part of the parent or of the child, alcohol or drug abuse by one or both parents, cultural differences or allegations of sexual abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Justice Denham noted its highlighting of a lack of suitable and appropriate services for vulnerable parents who need targeted support.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Noting that the vast majority of the cases are heard in District Courts, the Chief Justice has noted the report&#39;s call for a dedicated Family Court.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Coulter this morning said that the current situation, with cases heard in the District Court, means there is not enough time to ensure they get the kind of attention they deserve.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Family law is kind of shoehorned in there often with as many as up to a hundred cases in one day, including both child care and domestic violence and maintenance and all the rest.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Those cases cannot possibly get the kind of hearing and the kind attention they deserve in these very, very crowded lists.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said the child and family industry is stretched and does not have enough social workers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She added that services for people with cognitive or mental health issues don&#39;t lie with the child and family agency but with the HSE and these services are inadequate.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Coulter said mental health and disability services are completely inadequate.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;We know of many instances where people actually sought help for mental health problems and were not able to get it in a timely fashion, perhaps over the weekend.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;And there have been one or two tragedies here where children have been hurt or even killed as a result of this.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;This is not to be laid at the door of the child and family agency or even the courts. It shows that our mental health services and also our disability services for people with cognitive disabilities really are inadequate.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She added that more training in cultural diversity was needed and that there was a need to find out why Traveller children are more likely to end up in care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1130/750204-family-court/\">http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1130/750204-family-court/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-01 10:43:03',NULL,'chief-justice-susan-denham-has-highlighted-a-call-for-a-dedicated-family-court'),(1402,'Call for 24-hour treatment, support for sexually abused children','<p>\r\n	Manuela Riedo Foundation funding shortfall in State support for rape crisis networks</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Galway is still the only city in the State to offer both 24-hour treatment and crisis support for children who have been sexually abused.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Such supports should be extended nationally, according to consultant paediatrician Dr Joanne Nelson, who is clinical director of the child and adolescent sexual assault treatment service in Galway.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Nelson is a board member of the Manuela Riedo Foundation Ireland, named in memory of the Swiss teenager murdered in Galway in 2007, which on Monday announced its best fundraising year to date.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Vital support</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	That private funding - amounting to &euro;53,500 in 2015 - has been vital in supporting rape crisis support services which were affected by HSE cutbacks, Dr Nelson said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The foundation has now raised just short of &euro;250,000, which is allocated to professional support organisations who must engage in a competitive tendering procedure.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Arlette Riedo, Manuela&rsquo;s mother and foundation patron, along with her husband Hans-Peter, said the couple were &ldquo;delighted&rdquo; to learn of the level of funding and paid tribute to all those who supported it.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;What started out as a tragedy for our family and the loss of our only child has turned into something beautiful and positive,&rdquo; Ms Riedo said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We hope many young people continue to get the help they need and to have the future that Manuela will never have,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Galway has pioneered the co-location of sexual assault treatment services for children, adolescents and adults, and established a paediatric training position in forensic child sex abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Manuela Riedo Foundation and Children at Risk in Ireland (Cari) initiated a crisis worker programme last year to support this, providing advocacy for children and families in the aftermath of abuse, right up to and including court hearings.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The foundation said it allocated funds to relieve rape crisis waiting lists for counselling in Galway, Kerry and Tullamore, Co Offaly, and funded crisis training in Dundalk, Co Louth.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Two-day conference</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The foundation also hosted a two-day conference for rape crisis centres as part of its plan to build a &ldquo;nationwide, comprehensive, evidence-based education programme targeting 15- to 16-year-olds in the area of sexual violence prevention&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The foundation&rsquo;s fundraising has relied on volunteers, including some 400 who took part in this year&rsquo;s Dingle marathon and half marathon in Co Kerry, its spokesman Shane Lennon noted, paying tribute to the efforts.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Gerald Barry (29), of Rosan Glas, Rahoon, Galway, received a mandatory life sentence in March 2009 for Ms Riedo&rsquo;s murder in October 2007.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In July 2009 he received two life sentences for attacking and raping a French woman, a crime which occurred seven weeks before he killed Ms Riedo.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He had previously been given five years for violent disorder arising from the death of Tipperary-man Colm Phelan, who was killed by Barry and others following an unprovoked attack in Eyre Square in July 1996.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/call-for-24-hour-treatment-support-for-sexually-abused-children-1.2449090\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/call-for-24-hour-treatment-support-for-sexually-abused-children-1.2449090</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-01 10:48:19',NULL,'call-for-24-hour-treatment-support-for-sexually-abused-children'),(1403,'Audit of emergency garda powers to take children from parents','<p>\r\n	Garda&iacute; are about to organise an independent audit of its use of emergency powers regarding the removal of children from their parents.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This will examine the circumstances of the cases and whether or not the ethnic background of the children and their families played any role in the decisions.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The audit was a central recommendation of the so-called Roma report, which inquired into the removal of two children by garda&iacute; from their Roma parents in October 2013 on suspicion they might have been abducted.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	That report, published in July 2014 by then children&rsquo;s ombudsman Emily Logan, found that the children were wrongly removed and that garda&iacute; did not carry out sufficient inquiries beforehand.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Logan concluded that the garda&iacute; in both cases &mdash;Child A in Tallaght, Dublin, and Child T in Athlone, Co Westmeath &mdash; had engaged in &ldquo;ethnic profiling&rdquo; in their decisions.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Logan recommended an independent audit of the Garda&rsquo;s use of Section 12 of the Child Care Act 1991.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She also said garda&iacute; should have enhanced access to information on children held by Tusla, the child and family agency, and the HSE, and called for a national out-of-hours social work service. The report of an implementation group, which was written last June but only published by the Department of Justice in recent weeks, outlines the measures taken up to June.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Tusla has undertaken an audit of interventions notified by An Garda S&iacute;och&aacute;na under section 12 for 2012 and 2013,&rdquo; read the report.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;In addition, An Garda S&iacute;och&aacute;na is finalising arrangements for the conducting of an independent audit.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It said the Department of Health and the HSE were exploring options to contact public nurses out of hours.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report said a national out-of-hours social work service was also &ldquo;under development&rdquo; by Tusla. It further said &ldquo;plans are in place&rdquo; to allow garda&iacute; access Tusla&rsquo;s national child care information system.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A spokeswoman for Tusla yesterday said the emergency out of hours service (EOHS) went live in November 2015. She noted that a national EOHS call centre provided social work consultation and advice to the garda&iacute;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said garda&iacute; have access to a local on-call social worker and that placements for children are provided by external contractors.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/audit-of-emergency-garda-powers-to-take-children-from-parents-369150.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/audit-of-emergency-garda-powers-to-take-children-from-parents-369150.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-02 12:31:25',NULL,'audit-of-emergency-garda-powers-to-take-children-from-parents'),(1404,'Guide published for parents whose children self harm','<p>\r\n	Oxford University research shows at least one in 10 adolescents harm themselves</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	At least one in 10 young people self-harm and very little help is available to their families, according to new research by Oxford University.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A team from the university&rsquo;s Centre for Suicide Research has launched a guide for parents and carers trying to cope with adolescent self harm.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Researchers say 10 to 15 per cent of adolsecents in the UK harm themselves either through self injury or self-poisoning and that their parents and families often feel alone and isolated.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They often do it to deal with bad feelings, feelings of depression, anger, dislike of themselves,&rdquo; said professor of psychiatry Keith Hawton. &ldquo;It may be done to show other people how bad the person is feeling or to get a sense of control over the person&rsquo;s life. It may be done for reducing tension. Sadly, it can be a suicidal act and the person actually wants to die.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The team said parents of children who self harmed often did not know where to turn for help and support. So they developed a guide with information on topics such as understanding self-harm, managing injuries, sources of help and looking after parents&rsquo; own needs.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We developed the guide based on current research on self-harm and on the interviews with parents. It contains quotes from them with advice for other parents as well as evidence-based information and links to sources of help,&rdquo; said research coordinator Dr Anne Ferrey.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Prof Hawton added: &ldquo;We know that most young people will stop self-harming, perhaps in a few weeks, a few months and sometimes a few years. In a minority it will become part of a longer-term pattern of behaviour, and for some it may indicate longer-term emotional problems, but for the vast majority, self-harm will stop.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/guide-published-for-parents-whose-children-self-harm-1.2450281\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/guide-published-for-parents-whose-children-self-harm-1.2450281</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-02 12:32:32',NULL,'guide-published-for-parents-whose-children-self-harm'),(1405,'‘Mexican stand-off’ over accommodation for youth in care','<p>\r\n	Vulnerable teenager lost his home through fire allegedly set by resident in care facility</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Issues surrounding accommodation for a teenager in care, who lost his placement due to a fire, amounted to a &ldquo;Mexican stand-off&rdquo;, a judge at the Dublin District Family Court has said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Judge Brendan Toale said it struck him as odd that one of the Child and Family Agency&rsquo;s residential units, less suitable for the boy&rsquo;s needs, could accept him without the need for a forensic risk assessment, while another, more suitable for the boy, could not accommodate him without one.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The boy, in care for more than five years, lost his care home after a fire last month, allegedly set by another of the residents, the court was told.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He was placed in bed and breakfast accommodation with his care workers for one night before being moved to an agency residential unit. However, he did not wish to be in that location and has been going missing.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The court was told a residential unit sourced for him, where he could transition from State care to after care once he turned 18, was initially dependent on his obtaining an educational placement. He went for an interview for an educational placement, and was offered one. But after the fire, the residential unit said a forensic risk assessment was needed before he could be considered.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Fire setting</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	His social worker said this assessment, to be carried out by a psychologist, would identify if the teenager posed any risk of fire setting. Though he did not set the fire, there were suggestions he may have encouraged the perpetrator.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The social worker also said the timing of the assessment was complicated by a Garda investigation into the fire and she did not know when a psychologist would be available.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The boy had suffered a &ldquo;huge loss&rdquo; and was &ldquo;really struggling&rdquo;, she said, and was coping by &ldquo;walking the streets at night&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The boy&rsquo;s court-appointed guardian said the boy had been deeply traumatised before he came into care. He suffered physical and emotional abuse and neglect and had complex needs. Once taken into care, he was moved from one foster home to another, before being placed in the residential home; the only place he felt &ldquo;safe, secure stability, in so far as he&rsquo;s able to do so&rdquo;, the guardian said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said losing that home had traumatised the teenager again. And it seemed like &ldquo;the goal posts were moving&rdquo; in respect of the new placement.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The days are ticking by and one day can seem like an eternity to a young person,&rdquo; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Judge Toale said the teenager was missing more nights than he was in his placement. &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t want to be there . . . that&rsquo;s a crisis situation and it needs an emergency response,&rdquo; he said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The agency had an obligation to find a way to deal with the situation without necessarily carrying out the forensic risk assessment, he said. He suggested the more suitable accommodation could be made available to the boy, with a &ldquo;heightened safety plan&rdquo; in place.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He said a response was needed &ldquo;immediately&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The solicitor for the agency said its resource panel would be meeting next week to discuss the case. Judge Toale adjourned until after that meeting.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/district-court/mexican-stand-off-over-accommodation-for-youth-in-care-1.2450681\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/district-court/mexican-stand-off-over-accommodation-for-youth-in-care-1.2450681</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-02 12:36:11',NULL,'‘mexican-stand-off’-over-accommodation-for-youth-in-care'),(1406,'Allegations of sexual abuse being reported promptly, says audit','<p>\r\n	Audit of 20 congregations finds safeguarding of children has become &lsquo;first consideration&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	An audit of 20 religious congregations by the Catholic Church child protection watchdog has found allegations of sexual abuse are now being reported promptly in almost all cases to the relevant authorities.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The latest traunch of reviews, published on Wednesday, looked at congregations including The Legionaries of Christ, The Oblates of Mary Immaculate and The Mercy Sisters, which continue to have substantial public ministry with children. The remaining 17 congregations are elderly and have had little or no contact with children. No allegations of sexual abuse had been levelled against them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Teresa Devlin, chief executive of the Catholic Church&rsquo;s Maynooth based National Board for Safeguarding Children, said the latest reports showed the safeguarding of children had now become &ldquo;a reflex&rdquo; and a &ldquo;first consideration&rdquo; with religious congregations.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Reporting to the civil authorities is prompt, case files are recorded correctly and risk is properly assessed,&rdquo; she said. What was &ldquo;most heartening&rdquo; she said, was that &ldquo;child safeguarding is an ingrained component of the religious life and child related activities&rdquo; of religious congregations reviewed, she said. &ldquo;It has become a reflex and their first consideration, &rdquo; she added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The latest reviews show four allegations were made against four Legionaries of Christ priests since January 1st 1975, one who could not be identified, and one who is now deceased. All allegations were reported to the police. None was convicted in the courts and two have since left the congregation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Currently the Legionaries have eight priests and four religious at Leopardstown in Co Dublin. It runs a Faith and Family Centre in Blackrock Co Dublin and two language academies in Kilcroney, Co Wicklow. The language academies are on a residential basis and are for non-Irish students aged between 12 and 16 who come to Ireland for a year to learn English. In Kilcroney they have two second level language academies for overseas students.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The average age of the congregation&rsquo;s priests based in Ireland is approximately 40. At the time of the review last July there were also eight brothers in Ireland, all seminarians on pastoral placement, with an average age of 25 years.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In 2006 an investigation by the Vatican&rsquo;s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith removed from public ministry Fr Marcial Maciel, founder of the congregation, following sexual abuse allegations made against him. He died in January 2008.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A review of the Sisters of Mercy found that a total of 31 allegations had been made against 17 Sisters since January 1st 1975, 29 of which had been reported to police. None was convicted in the courts. Just eight were living at the time of the review this year with three of those still in ministry. The congregation currently has approximately 2,000 members.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A total of 18 allegations had been made against 13 Oblate priests since January 1st 1975, 11 of which allegations had been reported to the police. None of the priests was convicted in the courts. Just one is still in ministry</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Oblates were involved in the running of two reformatories in Ireland, at Glencree, Co Wicklow until 1940 and St Conleth&rsquo;s at Daingean, Co Offaly until 1973. When Daingean closed the congregation worked in Scoil Ard Mhuire, Oberstown until 1984.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	At present the Oblates have six communities in Dublin. They also have two priests working as chaplains in different parts of the country. In total the congregation has 49 members living in Ireland, with 18 in active ministry. Currently eleven are engaged in parish ministry in the Dublin archdiocese.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Two are engaged as residential chaplains and team members of Cuan Mhuire centres, which deal with people suffering from addiction and related issues.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The National Board for Safeguarding Children board has been reviewing all Catholic institutions on the island of Ireland including all diocese and religious congregations and will complete these reviews with its next report.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/allegations-of-sexual-abuse-being-reported-promptly-says-audit-1.2451997\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/allegations-of-sexual-abuse-being-reported-promptly-says-audit-1.2451997</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-03 09:48:16',NULL,'allegations-of-sexual-abuse-being-reported-promptly-says-audit'),(1407,'Abuse trial case: \'Mam slapped me in the face and said \"that\'s your birthday present\"\'','<p>\r\n	A mother charged with cruelty and neglect of her eight children stands accused of pouring washing-up liquid down their throats and driving at them in her car as punishment for swearing and spilling ice-cream.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The 39-year-old woman, who cannot be named, faces 44 charges of child cruelty or neglect against the eight children, who ranged in age from teenagers to young toddlers at the time. She denies all charges.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The charges relate to alleged abuses at five different addresses in the west over a five-year period from 2006 to 2011.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	At Galway Circuit Court yesterday, Shane Costello for the DPP said it was the State&#39;s case the incidents went well beyond parental discipline or reprimanding a child for bad behaviour and constituted nothing short of assault and neglect.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Whipped</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He told the jury they would hear evidence of the children being beaten with wooden spoons, whipped with belts, struck with a piece of bamboo or struck against parts of the house.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It is also alleged some of the children had washing-up liquid poured down their throats when they were accused of uttering dirty words. The case will also hear allegations that their mother put some of her children out of the car after they spilled ice-cream, before driving the vehicle at them, forcing them to jump onto the hedge to avoid the car.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Evidence was heard from the defendant&#39;s oldest child, who told how on one occasion she and her sister were found by garda&iacute; in a church late at night while their mother was out drinking.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Drinking always resulted in violence or she would go off for days and leave us on our own,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The young witness, who gave evidence via videolink, told how on one occasion her mother had punched her in the face for dyeing her hair. She told how her mother had been off drinking for three days, missing her 14th birthday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	When the teenager questioned her mother about it upon her return, the defendant slapped her across the face saying: &quot;There&#39;s your birthday present.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She claimed that in front of her younger siblings she was also dragged by the hair from the couch into the kitchen after she was overheard saying a vulgar word.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;She put me face first into the sink and proceeded to choke me while doing it. She proceeded to fill the sink with water to try and drown me, all over one word,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She told the court the defendant &quot;wasn&#39;t a proper mother&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Costello told the jury the children&#39;s mother had acknowledged she had used physical force on her children but claimed it was no more than what had been done to her personally and was standard in the context of disciplining a child. However, he added that it was the State&#39;s case that &quot;it was so grossly above and beyond the ordinary level of reprimanding children as to be nowhere in the vicinity of discipline but to amount to assault&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Costello said the State would present evidence of abuse of the children, saying some of the children had gone without food and other basic necessities of life. He added that on occasion, they had been left completely on their own or with adults who were not related to them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The alleged neglect and abuse came to light after all the children were taken into care following an unannounced visit by social workers in May 2011. They found the children alone with adults who appeared to be intoxicated. Their mother was not present.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Costello said it was while in various foster places that the children began to recount their life and set out their experiences. He said evidence would be heard from the children involved, neighbours, the HSE, garda&iacute; and other professionals.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The case continues.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/abuse-trial-case-mam-slapped-me-in-the-face-and-said-thats-your-birthday-present-34254921.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/abuse-trial-case-mam-slapped-me-in-the-face-and-said-thats-your-birthday-present-34254921.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-03 09:49:49',NULL,'abuse-trial-case-mam-slapped-me-in-the-face-and-said-thats-your-birthday-present'),(1408,'Study examines effects of child care; home care','<p>\r\n	A study indicates that starting in childcare at an early age has no effect on children&#39;s cognitive development, compared to at home care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The latest Growing Up in Ireland report also indicates high engagement with the Free Pre-school Year programme.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Government-funded study of children being carried out jointly by the ESRI and Trinity College Dublin shows that by the age of five, children who attended childcare and children who were cared for full-time at home by their parents showed no difference in their language and reasoning skills.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It also suggests starting in childcare, including creches, from as young as nine months old had no effect on children&#39;s cognition by the time they turned five.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The research, which is based on a representative sample of 9,000 children, also highlights that by the age of five almost all of the children in the study had participated in pre-school education through the Free Pre-school Year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	22% of parents said they would not have been able to afford to send their child to pre-school without this programme.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This figure was almost 40% for lower-income parents and parents with low education.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The researchers said this suggested the Free Pre-school Year had broadened access to quality childcare for disadvantaged social groups.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Speaking on RT&Eacute;&#39;s Morning Ireland, Dr Helen Russell of the ESRI, said according to the study, family background has more of an effect on a child&#39;s cognitive outcomes than childcare.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Russell said the research did find that children in childcare with a leader who has a graduate qualification have more positive outcomes.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1203/750867-new-childcare-report/\">http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1203/750867-new-childcare-report/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-03 09:50:48',NULL,'study-examines-effects-of-child-care;-home-care'),(1409,'Dáil set to remove compulsory Electro-convulsive Therapy from law','<p>\r\n	The D&aacute;il is set to begin efforts to remove compulsory Electro-convulsive Therapy from our laws.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	As the mental health act stands ECT can be administered regardless of whether or not a patient agrees.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Minister Kathleen Lynch says her department has now secured D&aacute;il time to have remove the word unwilling from the law.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She says she wants patient&#39;s wishes respected.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Up to this point, even if I have the capacity to say no, no I don&#39;t want that, as you would with any other treatment, it is still possible to administer that treatment to the person who doesn&#39;t want it whether they like it or not. We&#39;re going to remove that.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/dail-set-to-remove-compulsory-electro-convulsive-therapy-from-law-709736.html\">http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/dail-set-to-remove-compulsory-electro-convulsive-therapy-from-law-709736.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-04 10:27:47',NULL,'dã¡il-set-to-remove-compulsory-electro-convulsive-therapy-from-law'),(1410,'Technical issue forces collapse of cruelty trial','<p>\r\n	The trial of a mother accused of cruelty and neglect of eight of her children has collapsed as a result of a technical issue.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	At Galway Circuit Criminal Court the jury in the trial was discharged after it emerged that videolink evidence in the case had not been recorded as a result of technical difficulties.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The videolink had been used by the defendant&#39;s eldest child to give evidence from another room in the court on Wednesday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	After the issue came to light yesterday, Judge Karen O&#39;Connor said she had no alternative but to discharge the jury in the circumstances as by law such evidence must be recorded.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Judge O&#39;Connor said she was discharging the jury with &quot;genuine regret&quot; and thanked jurors for their time and attention.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said the trial would reconvene with a new jury in due course.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The 39-year-old woman, who cannot be named, faces 44 charges of child cruelty or neglect against eight of her children, who ranged in age from teenagers to young toddlers at the time.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The charges relate to alleged abuses at five different addresses in the West over a five-year period from 2006 to 2011. The defendant denies all charges.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The alleged neglect came to light after all the children were taken into care following an unannounced visit by social workers in May 2011.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The case is expected to last for two to three weeks and will hear evidence from the children involved, neighbours, the HSE, garda&iacute; and other professionals who had dealings with the family. Judge O&#39;Connor listed the trial for a date in early January.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/technical-issue-forces-collapse-of-cruelty-trial-34258024.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/technical-issue-forces-collapse-of-cruelty-trial-34258024.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-04 10:35:57',NULL,'technical-issue-forces-collapse-of-cruelty-trial'),(1411,'HSE criticised for failure to release report into alleged child abuse at foster home','<p>\r\n	There has been stinging criticism of the HSE at this morning&#39;s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for failing to release a report into alleged child abuse at a foster home.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The committee discussed the failure to release a report into the alleged rape of dozens of children in a foster home and the handling of the affair by health service officials.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Committee vice-chairman John Deasy raised the issue and said he had been notified that the HSE had missed a deadline to release the report into allegations of horrific abuse set by the Information Commissioner.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Deasy said the delay &quot;flies in the face&quot; of recent claims by HSE director general Tony O&#39;Brien that he wished to see the report released.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Waterford TD sought the committee to immediately raise the issue with the Department of Health and the HSE to have the report release.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Committee agreed to this request.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Deasy has previously alleged at PAC that &quot;a clique of HSE managers&quot; helped to cover up the allegations, which span two decades.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Many of the children at the centre of the claims had intellectual disabilities.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The HSE has denied any cover-up and said health officials stopped placing children with the foster home, which is in the south-east, after allegations were made in 1993.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, some children at the home were not removed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/hse-criticised-for-failure-to-release-report-into-alleged-child-abuse-at-foster-home-709612.html\">http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/hse-criticised-for-failure-to-release-report-into-alleged-child-abuse-at-foster-home-709612.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-04 10:40:18',NULL,'hse-criticised-for-failure-to-release-report-into-alleged-child-abuse-at-foster-home'),(1412,'Sex offenders set to be freed next year have had no treatment to lower risk of re-offending','<p>\r\n	More than half of sex offenders due for release next year will not have undergone any treatment aimed at lowering the risk of them re-offending.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Figures provided by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald show just 50 of the 104 offenders due for release next year have undergone a treatment programme.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In a written D&aacute;il reply to Deputy Denis Naughten, Ms Fitzgerald said: &ldquo;These figures do not include those offenders who are involved with the probation service and other services in terms of treatment and risk management and resettlement processes.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Naughten said:</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;This lack of engagement or availability of treatment shows that when these people are released from prison they need to be properly and closely monitored.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Currently, the Irish Prison Service operates one dedicated treatment programme for sex offenders. Bulding Better Lives at Arbour Hill works with 24 sex offenders on an annual basis. The minister said it has plans to extend the programme to the Midlands Prison.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Fitzgerald has previously confirmed to Mr Naughten that of the 136 sex offenders to be released this year, only 22 will have completed the Bulding Better Lives programme which costs &euro;96,000 to operate on an annual basis.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Fitzgerald said the extension of the programme to the Midlands &ldquo;will allow for enhanced screening processes with this population, and the establishment of components of the Building Better Lives Programme in Midlands Prison&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, Mr Naughten claimed the lack of access to treatment while in prison is compounded by the fact garda&iacute; are trying to monitor these offenders post-release with their hands tied behind their backs. &ldquo;The current law governing the conditions for registration, the Sex Offenders Act 2001, is not fit for purpose and needs to be urgently reformed to ensure more effective management of sex offenders.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The failure to close off dangerous loopholes in the monitoring of high-risk sex offenders leaves our system open for abuse and means that anyone who wants to avoid Garda attention can easily do so and still comply with the conditions of the so-called sex offenders register.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/sex-offenders-set-to-be-freed-next-year-have-had-no-treatment-to-lower-risk-of-re-offending-370065.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/sex-offenders-set-to-be-freed-next-year-have-had-no-treatment-to-lower-risk-of-re-offending-370065.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-07 12:08:49',NULL,'sex-offenders-set-to-be-freed-next-year-have-had-no-treatment-to-lower-risk-of-re-offending'),(1413,'Lack of services for child abuse victims','<p>\r\n	Child victims of suspected sex abuse still cannot access timely specialist forensic medical examinations, except in small pockets around the country &mdash; and at times, cannot get examinations at all, a leading specialist has warned.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Four years after a HSE-commissioned report urged that concerns must be &ldquo;addressed urgently&rdquo;, services remain limited for under 14-year-olds presenting following suspected sexual abuse, said Dr Joanne Nelson, clinical director of the Galway Child and Adolescent Sexual Assault Treatment Service (CASATS).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Paediatric forensic medical services in Ireland are seldom available outside of working hours even though all available research shows that DNA evidence in pre-pubertal children is very rarely found more than three days after a sexual assault,&rdquo; Dr Nelson said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The specialist added that despite &ldquo;great promises&rdquo; that services throughout Ireland would be rolled out for under 14-year-olds, nothing has changed.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Nelson said her team in Galway &mdash; the CASATS was set up in 2011 to offer a 24-hour service to children in West and Mid West Ireland &mdash; has been called to examine children out of hours from Kildare, Westmeath, Louth, Ofally, Cavan and other areas far remote.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Nelson said young people present seeking forensic medical services, but often, no one will examine them in their own area because of a lack of appropriate facilities or expertise.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;An emergency department is not private, forensically clean or suitable to support victims of child sexual abuse. Outside Galway there is usually no dedicated forensic examiner on call.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They&rsquo;ll phone around, looking for a suitably trained and available examiner. They might get lucky. If not, a child may wait hours or days for forensic examination in their own locality. Some eventually come to Galway.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Is it fair or safe to ask children and families to travel long distances, when often deeply emotionally traumatised? The absence of a co-ordinated National Service is sorely felt,&rdquo; Dr Nelson added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In Dublin, St Clare&rsquo;s and St Louise&rsquo;s units in the children&rsquo;s hospitals provide services for child victims of sexual abuse but do not routinely provide forensic medical examination services.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Dr Nelson said this is &ldquo;puzzling&rdquo; given the risk of sexually transmitted infection in such children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A spokesperson for the hospitals said the HSE and the seven Hospital Groups are working with TUSLA to develop a national model for the delivery of sexual assault services across the region.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/lack-of-services-for-child-abuse-victims-370038.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/lack-of-services-for-child-abuse-victims-370038.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-07 12:10:38',NULL,'lack-of-services-for-child-abuse-victims'),(1414,'Increase in number of sex workers seeking help - Ruhama','<p>\r\n	A voluntary organisation helping women affected by prostitution says there has been an increase in the number of cases of sex trafficking it dealt with last year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ruhama also says there has been an 8.5% increase in street prostitution.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Face-to-face support for victims of both indoor and street-based prostitution increased by over 33% last year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ruhama provided support to over 300 women from 37 different countries, including 88 victims of sex trafficking.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The organisation said there is an urgent need to properly resource the garda unit set up to tackle the problem.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It said the penalties for the crime are extremely small compared to the enormous profits that can be gained.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It has called for tougher sanctions to be imposed on those convicted.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It also said the Garda National Protective Services Bureau, which is responsible for investigating the crime, needs to be adequately resourced as a matter of urgency.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1207/751734-prostitution/\">http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1207/751734-prostitution/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-07 12:11:50',NULL,'increase-in-number-of-sex-workers-seeking-help-ruhama'),(1415,'Staff member at children\'s detention centre badly beaten by teen','<p>\r\n	A staff member at Oberstown Boys Centre for young offenders has been viciously attacked in one of the &ldquo;worst assaults ever encountered&rdquo; at the facility.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The attacker, a resident at the unit, was allegedly under the influence of an unknown substance at the time.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Well-placed sources have said the youth was &ldquo;clearly under the influence of a substance&rdquo; when returning from a court appearance.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He was placed under close observation over night and staff suspected that he had drugs concealed on his person.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The following day at 8:30am, while under observation, he collapsed after a suspected overdose.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	An ambulance was called as staff administered first aid.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	While in the recovery position the teen regained consciousness and attacked the staff members at the scene.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Sources said the adolescent unleashed a &ldquo;barrage of punches,&rdquo; injuring one member before he was restrained.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;When the ambulance arrived, he was so out of control that it was decided it was not safe enough to place him in it,&rdquo; said a source.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The ambulance was then used to take the injured staff member to Beaumont. The staff member was later discharged from hospital with extensive bruising,&rdquo; they added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The shocking incident unfolded shortly after 6pm on December 1.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Experienced staff who were at the scene said it was one of the most violent assaults they have ever encountered.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	An official from Oberstown Children Detention Campus said they could not comment on the incident.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Oberstown Children Detention is not in a position to comment on individual cases. The young people in its care are under 18 years of age and individual information cannot be disclosed,&rdquo; a spokeswoman said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Another worker has said incidents of violence against staff and are contributing to &ldquo;large staff turnover rates.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Earlier this year staff were hospitalised after a young resident went on a rampage with a broken cup.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/staff-member-at-childrens-detention-centre-badly-beaten-by-teen-34259606.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/staff-member-at-childrens-detention-centre-badly-beaten-by-teen-34259606.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-08 10:33:41',NULL,'staff-member-at-childrens-detention-centre-badly-beaten-by-teen'),(1416,'Cork University Hospital cystic fibrosis unit is ‘cleanest in the world’','<p>\r\n	Cork University Hospital (CUH) now has the &ldquo;cleanest hospital rooms that exist in healthcare worldwide&rdquo; within its new cystic fibrosis (CF) ward, effectively removing the threat of cross infection to patients.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	That&rsquo;s according to consultant respiratory physician Prof Barry Plant, who was speaking at the official opening of ward 5B, CUH&rsquo;s new 20-bed adult CF and respiratory ward, paid for by CF charity Build4Life at a cost of &euro;2.3m, the largest single philanthropic donation ever made to the hospital.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Prof Plant said it was a &ldquo;great day for CUH&rdquo; and the &ldquo;realisation of a dream&rdquo; for patients and families affected by CF in the Munster area.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a long road to get here today and you all know why these facilities needed to be developed &mdash; to allow our friends and family with CF enter the hospital environment without fear of cross infection,&rdquo; said Prof Plant.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The man who spearheaded the fundraising for ward 5B, Build4Life founder Joe Browne, said the need to reduce the risk of cross infection was paramount, contributing to better healthcare and greater life expectancy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mr Browne &mdash; whose dedication to the cause was inspired by the death of a friend from CF and the fact that his own son, P&aacute;draig, has the disease &mdash; was thanked by CUH chief executive Tony McNamara who said it was &ldquo;a great day for the CF community&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Carol-Anne O&rsquo;Reilly, from Belgooly, Co Cork, and Biddy O&rsquo;Dwyer, from South Tipperary, both of whose sons have CF, said they were &ldquo;greatly relieved&rdquo; with the opening of the new unit.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;My 12-year-old attends CUH children&rsquo;s unit and thankfully, he&rsquo;s done very well up to now. But our big thing with Build4Life was to try and get this new adult unit in place so that when he needs to come here, I won&rsquo;t be afraid to bring him in,&rdquo; said Carol-Anne.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;The big fear is if you take them into the hospital with one thing, they leave with five other things. But at least with this new unit, it looks like a hospital, it&rsquo;s clean it&rsquo;s bright, it&rsquo;s spotless.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Biddy, whose 15-year-old son will transition to the adult CF service at CUH next year, said: &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to bring them in, you&rsquo;re afraid to go, you keep them at home, trying this and that to get them better. It&rsquo;s just a great relief to know that when he moves up to the adult service next year, we have this.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Junior health minister Kathleen Lynch said the ward is &ldquo;a great boost for CF patients and their families in Munster&rdquo; with great credit due to Joe Browne.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ireland has the highest rate of CF in the world and Cork has the most CF per capita, Prof Plant said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/cork-university-hospital-cystic-fibrosis-unit-is-cleanest-in-the-world-370256.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/cork-university-hospital-cystic-fibrosis-unit-is-cleanest-in-the-world-370256.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-08 10:36:05',NULL,'cork-university-hospital-cystic-fibrosis-unit-is-‘cleanest-in-the-world’'),(1417,'Run for my life - how exercise eased Niall Munnelly\'s depression','<p>\r\n	Run for my life - how exercise eased Niall Munnelly&#39;s depression</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ten years ago Niall Munnelly&#39;s life was very different to what it is now. These days Niall (34) runs one of the largest and most successful strength and conditioning gyms in the country, the Performance and Fitness Academy in Co Kildare. However, just a decade ago, Niall was suffering from depression, regular panic attacks and he was planning to take his own life.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	During his early twenties, after he qualified as an electrician, Niall travelled to Australia. It was a dream existence; Niall remembers feeling at his most happy and tranquil. However, a couple of years into Niall&#39;s new life, things took a turn for the worse; his work visa ran out despite the fact that he had a successful job with a crew under him. Niall found himself in a predicament; he could pick fruit for a couple of months in order to extend his stay or stick with his job and hope to stay off the authorities&#39; radar. The then 24-year-old chose to take a chance on the latter, he applied for a holiday visa and continued working. A short time later Niall found himself unceremoniously deported back to Ireland. On his return, Niall began to drink a lot.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I wasn&#39;t happy. I was taken away from my tranquil life to be back home where I did not want to be,&quot; Niall says. &quot;I was going out partying every weekend. I was in self-destruct mode.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In Australia, Niall had been keeping in good shape. However, after a couple of months drinking and not working out, he started to gain weight. &quot;I started to feel bad about myself. I started going down a road I really didn&#39;t want to go down,&quot; Niall tells me.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I was at a party one night and my mind was f****d; someone offered me drugs and I took them. Before I knew it I was in a cardiac unit in Naas Hospital. I spent four days there surrounded by guys in their eighties and nineties; I was 24. That was a massive reality check for me, but it also brought on something which I never had before, panic attacks.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The incident left Niall with a lasting psychological trauma. From this point on, every time he exerted himself he would suffer a severe panic attack, convinced he was about to die.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;If I tried to run, if I tried to walk, anything,&quot; Niall says. &quot;It would bring on a panic attack and panic attacks are the most disgusting things in the world, you honestly have yourself convinced that you are about to die. I would run into the GP shouting &#39;I&#39;m dying! Help me doctor! Help me!&#39; So throughout all of this I lost my job, I lost my friends and most importantly I lost my mind.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;From there I was diagnosed with panic attacks and depression and I was prescribed drugs, which can help people,&quot; Niall adds. &quot;I wouldn&#39;t tell people that Prozac and Xanax don&#39;t work, but in time I learned that they did not work for me. I knew that wasn&#39;t the route for me, but at the time I was desperate so I started to take them.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Niall describes the next year of his life as a &#39;living hell&#39;. &quot;I was at home and I was doped up to my eyeballs,&quot; he explains. &quot;I found myself just sitting in my room for nearly a year watching the seasons go by. Friends didn&#39;t know how to deal with it. They didn&#39;t understand.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The battle raged inside Niall&#39;s mind even as he tried to sleep.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Having a good night&#39;s sleep rarely happened, but I used to love sleeping because the pain went away. I used to be afraid of waking up,&quot; Niall tells me. &quot;Sometimes I used to pray going to bed that I wouldn&#39;t wake up.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Growing up, I was always fit. I used to do athletics and be one of the fastest kids in the country; I played for Leinster in basketball and played football underage for county,&quot; Niall explains. &quot;So this ruined my confidence and as anyone who suffers from a mental health issue will tell you, the first thing that goes is your confidence. You look in the mirror and see a failure.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He contemplated suicide. &quot;I thought about killing myself a few times,&quot; he tells me. &quot;I just didn&#39;t think that anybody would miss me because nobody knew how to deal with it. I was going to psychiatrists and they weren&#39;t working for me - even though they do work for some people. I didn&#39;t trust anybody who didn&#39;t suffer from the same thing themselves and I didn&#39;t know anyone who had, so I felt really alone in it.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;It all came to a head one day. I&#39;d put on a few stone, I was sitting at home depressed and a friend called over, he was going on holidays and he wanted to borrow some board shorts,&quot; Niall explains. &quot;I sat on my bed, I gave him the shorts and I looked at him with tears in my eyes. I hadn&#39;t said it to anyone else before, I looked at him and I said &#39;I feel like I am going to kill myself, I need help&#39;.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;What happened next was extraordinary,&quot; Niall smiles. &quot;He stood there and eventually said &#39;that&#39;s pretty heavy, sure listen rest up there and you&#39;ll be grand in the morning,&#39; and he walked out.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I don&#39;t blame him because it was that act that saved my life in a way. I planned to go out and drive my car into a tree. I was going to try and make it look like an accident. I&#39;d go to do it and then I would stop. Something inside just stopped me, so I just got out and went for a run,&quot; Niall says. &quot;I knew I couldn&#39;t run maybe 300-400 metres without having a panic attack, so I decided I was going to run until I died. I know that sounds stupid now, but at the time I honestly thought I could run so hard and so fast that I was going to have this unbelievable panic attack and my heart would just explode.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I ran and I will never forget it, this build up of panic was just coming and coming and there was tears in my eyes, I was screaming, I wanted God or whoever is up there to take me. My chest was so tight, my heart was bouncing, I got to the point where I felt I was going to die and I pushed harder and all of a sudden this euphoric feeling of calm just came over me. I can&#39;t explain it, I was confused. I had just beaten a panic attack and I had won and that gave me confidence. I jumped into the car and felt like I floated home. I walked in at home and I said to my father, &#39;I think I can beat this. I&#39;m ready&#39;.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Niall&#39;s father enlisted the help of his friend, fitness guru Gerry Loftus, known for his success in the Superstars TV series in the early 1980s. &quot;I grabbed all of my tablets and I threw them in the bin and my dad set me up with Gerry and he saved my life,&quot; Niall says. &quot;He brought me to a gym, started to work out with me and he helped me to get my confidence back. From then, exercise became an addiction. I started to love myself and motivate myself.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Sometimes you need to lose your mind to find out who you are,&quot; Niall adds. &quot;I look back on my depression now, not as a gift but as something that has steered me in the right way in life. It makes you a very strong person. Eventually the panic attacks stopped and never came back fully, there were little glimpses of them, but I was able to control them because I had that confidence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I went travelling again to New Zealand for a few years and I found myself in gyms talking to people and helping them, so I decided to come home to Ireland and become a trainer. I knew I wanted to do this, I wanted to help people. It helped me with my mental health; it gave me confidence in my body which translated straight into my head.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In January 2012, Niall set up The Performance and Fitness Academy, starting in a 1,200 sq ft building and progressing to a 8,200 sq ft premises now.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;It&#39;s the most rewarding job in the world. You could be having a bad day and someone will say, &#39;Thank god for this place,&#39; and that is such an amazing feeling,&quot; Niall tells me. &quot;We held a charity 5km fun run at the Curragh this summer and we raised &euro;7,590 for a local charity that helps people with depression called Hope D.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;I stood up in front of that crowd of over 400 people and told them that I had come to the Curragh 10 years ago to kill myself and now I was standing in front of them hoping to save lives. It was breathtaking and something I&#39;ll never forget.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	www.theperformanceand fitnessacademy.com</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Niall&#39;s &shy;Advice...</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Be supportive and encouraging, give them compliments, make them feel good about themselves.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ask them are they okay, particularly men. Don&#39;t be afraid to ask your friends or family members if they are they okay or simply ask how they are feeling from time to time.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	One day they will hit rock bottom and look for help and until then, all you can do is be there for them. Let them know you are there in any way you can.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Depression is tough - you need to be mentally strong enough yourself to help someone else. If you do not feel strong enough, ask for help on your friend&#39;s behalf.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Seek help. You will find somebody who will suit you. I went through five or six doctors and psychiatrists. You will find somebody, keep searching and if someone doesn&#39;t suit you, move on. Do not give up.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Think of the pain you are going through right now; killing yourself will not get rid of that, it will just leave it behind for your family and your friends. You have to think about that.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This world is so much better with you in it. Yes depression, anxiety and panic attacks are tough, but they are curable. You will get through it; you will find a way out.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Hang around with positive people. If you &shy;surround yourself with negative people you will live a negative life.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Successful isn&#39;t a fancy car or house, it is being happy in who you are and what you are giving to the world.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	You need to conquer your brain and your &shy;emotions, you need to breathe and move more. When you hit rock bottom, you stay static, you need to get up and move, meditate. You need to work to get your confidence back.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Do not be afraid to ask for help.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/life/health-wellbeing/mental-health/run-for-my-life-how-exercise-eased-niall-munnellys-depression-34259803.html\">http://www.independent.ie/life/health-wellbeing/mental-health/run-for-my-life-how-exercise-eased-niall-munnellys-depression-34259803.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-08 10:47:08',NULL,'run-for-my-life-how-exercise-eased-niall-munnellys-depression'),(1418,'It\'s hard working with missing teenagers when they don\'t want to be found','<p>\r\n	Social workers can&rsquo;t know for certain if a missing young person is safe or a victim of child sexual exploitation</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Working with teenagers in the care system, you become increasingly good at recognising the signs of child sexual exploitation &ndash; one of which is going missing regularly.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Young people go missing for many reasons, but there are also those who are staying with friends and don&rsquo;t want social services to know where they are. Why? Because they are teenagers; they&rsquo;re confident about their safety and the last thing they want is the police turning up on their doorsteps to find them. Nor do they want the authorities to have a string of addresses to search every time they disappear &ndash; as this leads to their friends and family receiving regular visits from the police.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	My colleague was tied up with a knife to his throat. Social work can be dangerous</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;Read more</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	For the social worker, this causes difficulties: how do you know which young people are genuinely at risk? It&rsquo;s hard to know what interventions can be put in place when young people tell you: &ldquo;I am not missing, I am with my friend. I am picking up the phone, and I am safe. I&rsquo;m just not going to tell you where I am.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	I&rsquo;ve worked with young people who have said they are safe, but who were not. One young woman was living in semi-independent accommodation and would often go missing. When I called she said she was fine and had just been staying with friends. Regardless of how many times I asked or clues I sought, she wouldn&rsquo;t give any information as to her whereabouts, but would always pick up the phone.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Months later, she asked if she could be moved from her accommodation. Over time, through building up our relationship, she revealed she had been running drugs for a gang and was frequently abandoned to sleep in gardens or hotel bedrooms. She was far from safe and groomed to give the appropriate answer on the phone.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	I&rsquo;ve worked with other young people who, I believe, were probably just having fun with friends and wanted to be left to their own devices. One young person often stayed with her boyfriend and had extended family members with a history of social services involvement who did not want their addresses given out.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Different local authorities have different policies. Many state that if a young person is missing for more than 24 hours the police should be called. Some young people might fit this criteria every other day, and visiting their accommodation, checking rooms, going to every known address, and carrying out interviews with them uses a huge amount of time for the police and social services. Some argue this situation should not be classified as &ldquo;missing&rdquo; but as &ldquo;absence unauthorised&rdquo;, leading to a reduced police response until that particular young person does something out of character &ndash; staying away longer than normal or not answering the phone.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This would reduce the number of people classified as missing &ndash; but this should never be a motivation when considering individual cases.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Recently, I was at a strategy meeting for one of the young people I work with. Police suggested that the young person be moved to a place in the middle of nowhere so they couldn&rsquo;t go missing. I argued against it. In some cases, the young person does need to be moved to be kept safe. But in others, such as this case, we have to consider if it would benefit them. Is seeing the young person every other day, as we do now, not better than them going on the run permanently because we have moved them far from their family and friends?</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	As with all elements of social work, building relationships with young people is vital. I&rsquo;ve worked with young people where, in their own time, they have opened up to discuss their fears and even requested to be moved away and to start somewhere afresh, somewhere safe.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Social work deals with humans, and humans are unpredictable. Equally, dealing with risk carries an inherent degree of uncertainty. We&rsquo;re never going to be able to know for sure whether this missing person is safe or not, whether we are using vast quantities of professional time unnecessarily, or whether this time and the ensuing interventions will change a young person&rsquo;s life. In the meantime, we&rsquo;ll continue to be creative and find new ways of working with young people to reduce the amount of time they are missing from placement, and to do everything we can to keep them safe.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	* Danielle Adler is a pseudonym</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/social-life-blog/2015/dec/02/missing-teenagers-social-workers-child-sexual-exploitation?CMP\">http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/social-life-blog/2015/dec/02/missing-teenagers-social-workers-child-sexual-exploitation?CMP</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-09 10:36:01',NULL,'its-hard-working-with-missing-teenagers-when-they-dont-want-to-be-found'),(1419,'Some women in domestic abuse project had also been ‘abused by their mothers’','<p>\r\n	Some women accessing a pilot project for domestic abuse victims were abused by their own mothers.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Stephanie Holt, assistant professor at the School of social work and social policy at Trinity College Dublin, said she had recently completed an evaluation of the Sonas Safe Home pilot project and there was an &ldquo;unknown population&rdquo; of women who were living with their mother, who was abusing them psychologically or in other ways.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Holt is one of the speakers at a major conference on domestic abuse being held in Limerick today.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Sonas is the largest provider of frontline services to women and children experiencing domestic abuse in the greater Dublin region.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Safe Home project is a support service for women and children in the D&uacute;n Laoghaire-Rathdown local authority area who have had to leave home due to domestic violence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Some of the referrals come from the local authority and those on the scheme stay in an apartment &mdash; essentially a stepdown facility &mdash; for two to 12 weeks, allowing them to adopt normal family routines before moving on to other accommodation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They had a number of women who came through Safe Home for whom their own mother was the abuser&rdquo;, said Ms Holt, adding that in some cases the victim did not see themselves as a victim of domestic abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The organiser of the conference, Adapt Domestic Abuse Services, is one of the largest refuges in the country and offers a 24-hour helpline, outreach support in Limerick city and county, and support groups for women and children who experience abuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The conference will include presentations by ombudsman for children Niall Muldoon; chairwoman of the Child and Family Agency, Norah Gibbons; and Marguerite Clancy of the HSE&rsquo;s national safeguarding office.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The opening speech, which will be delivered by journalist and broadcaster Betty Purcell, will highlight the funding difficulties faced by organisations providing support services to people who have suffered domestic violence.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Referring to Adapt, Ms Purcell said: &ldquo;The funding for Adapt has decreased year on year since 2008. It did not decrease in 2015, but because it had decreased overall by 20% from 2008 this left a significant shortfall for the organisation.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;This puts huge pressure on organisations to fundraise to meet the shortfall, energy that would be better applied to helping women in need of support.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;While it has been stated that there should be no decrease in the overall budget in 2016 this does not address the existing shortfall, nor does it guarantee that each organisation will get the same amount in 2016 as in 2015.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a constant worry for organisations who already exist on a shoestring, and provide many necessary services on a voluntary or semi-voluntary basis.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Another speaker, Gary Broderick, director of the SAOL Project, will highlight the difficulties faced by women suffering domestic abuse who also have addiction issues.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/some-women-in-domestic-abuse-project-had-also-been-abused-by-their-mothers-370437.html\">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/some-women-in-domestic-abuse-project-had-also-been-abused-by-their-mothers-370437.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-09 10:37:19',NULL,'some-women-in-domestic-abuse-project-had-also-been-‘abused-by-their-mothers’'),(1420,'Breaches of alcohol sponsorship and ads to become a criminal offence under new law','<p>\r\n	Criminal sanctions will be imposed for the first time for breaches of alcohol advertising, marketing and sponsorship under proposed legislation to be published today.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The penalties will be outlined in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill to be published by Health Minister Leo Varadkar after it was given the go-ahead by the Cabinet yesterday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The wide-ranging Bill, which is aimed at curbing the coun&shy;try&rsquo;s ongoing excessive abuse of alcohol, will make it an offence to advertise or market alcohol in a way which glamorises drink.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ads which suggest that alco&shy;hol can make someone better at sport or more sexually attractive will be banned.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It means a television ad in the style of the famous Harp commercial &ldquo;Sally O&rsquo;Brien and the way she might look at you&rdquo; would probably not pass the test.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It will also ban on-pitch com&shy;puter-generated advertising of alcohol as previously reported in the Irish Independent.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The bill will ban all alcohol advertising near schools, play&shy;grounds and public transport. It will also be outlawed in trains, bus stations or bus shelters.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It will restrict ads to only giv&shy;ing specific information about the product and they cannot make it appealing to children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Warnings in relation to harmful effects of alcohol con&shy;sumption in general and during pregnancy will be included in all ads.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A 9pm watershed for alcohol ads on television will be binding and this will be included in the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland code.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Broadcasting Act 2009 will be amended to ensure that the Minister for Health is consulted on all health-related aspects of the code.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The traditional images of pub &lsquo;craic&rsquo; used to promote alcohol are under threat from proposed new advertising curbs.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Pub scenes may be included in ads but the messages they convey of the &lsquo;craic&rsquo; will be heavily scrutinised, particularly if young people who tradition&shy;ally feature are seen to give the impression alcohol is enhancing their social skills.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Other measures include:</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&bull;The introduction of mini&shy;mum pricing, which will mean a bottle of wine cannot be sold for less than around &euro;8 and a can of beer for under &euro;2.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&bull;Warning labels on alcohol bottles and cans.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&bull;Health warnings on the dangers of drinking while preg&shy;nant.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&bull;The amount of pure alcohol in grams and the calorie count.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Bottles and cans will include a link to a new website by the HSE to provide public health information and advice on alcohol misuse.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The legislation will not in&shy;terfere with drinks companies&rsquo; sponsorship of games or pitch-side ads, but it is likely to have implications for international soccer or rugby tournaments held in Ireland.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It will be up to the next gov&shy;ernment to steer the legislation through the Oireachtas and face the drinks&rsquo; lobby.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/breaches-of-alcohol-sponsorship-and-ads-to-become-a-criminal-offence-under-new-law-34272397.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/breaches-of-alcohol-sponsorship-and-ads-to-become-a-criminal-offence-under-new-law-34272397.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-09 10:38:37',NULL,'breaches-of-alcohol-sponsorship-and-ads-to-become-a-criminal-offence-under-new-law'),(1421,'Law Society points out family barriers in asylum Bill','<p>\r\n	Letter to TDs says group is concerned about protections for vulnerable children</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Serious concerns have been expressed by the Law Society of Ireland about new legislation that will limit the rights of asylum-seekers and refugees to be united later with their families.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In a letter to TDs, Law Society president Simon Murphy said the International Protection Bill, which finishes its passage through D&aacute;il &Eacute;ireann on Thursday, &ldquo;marks a significant and crucial step in bringing Ireland&rsquo;s protection system into line with the rest of Europe&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Highlighting its improvements, Mr Murphy said it would streamline rules by creating a single application procedure for asylum or protection.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, he said the Law Society was disappointed that a number of its key recommendations were not accepted.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The society&rsquo;s concerns are set out in a letter, marked &ldquo;private and confidential&rdquo;, from Mr Murphy to the members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, dated December 2nd. It has been seen by The Irish Times.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Limited letter</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Due to the &ldquo;pressing time constraints and the urgency of the matter&rdquo;, Mr Murphy limits the letter to &ldquo;specific issues including separated children, translation services, permission to remain and family reunification&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The society notes the Bill says separated children will be referred to the Child and Family Agency &ldquo;as soon as practicable&rdquo;. Given the vulnerability of these children to trafficking, the society has &ldquo;serious concerns&rdquo; any delay could &ldquo;heighten&rdquo; their vulnerability.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It also notes that there is no appeal mechanism for such children who want to challenge an assessment of their age.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;This raises serious concerns around proper access to justice and the right to an effective legal remedy,&rdquo; the latter states.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Proper access</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The society highlights worries about asylum applicants&rsquo; &ldquo;proper access to justice&rdquo; and &ldquo;right to effective legal remedy&rdquo;, as well as inadequate protections for separated children, contained in the legislation currently makings its way through the Oireachtas.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A lack of &ldquo;statutory regulation and quality control&rdquo; in the critical area of communication is concerning. The society regrets that interpretation is to be provided to applicants, according to the Bill, in a language they &ldquo;may be reasonably supposed to understand&rdquo;, according to the latter.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Communication must be effective to ensure that a person can in fact reasonably understand the language used,&rdquo; says the society.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The process for applying for permission to remain, which places a &ldquo;general ongoing obligation on the applicant . . . to submit relevant information to the Minister&rdquo;, places an &ldquo;unbalanced and impractical onus on applicants and their solicitors, which in turn has serious implications for effective legal representation and applicants&rsquo; proper access to justice,&rdquo; says the letter.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Appeals absence</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The absence of an appeal mechanism raises concerns around access to justice and legal remedies. An &ldquo;over restrictive&rdquo; definition of family member, along with a &ldquo;restrictive deadline&rdquo; on applying for family reunification, is &ldquo;a significant inroad into the rights&rdquo; of qualifying people&rsquo;s right to family.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A number of NGOs working with asylum-seekers and migrants, including the Irish Refugee Council and the Migrant Rights Centre of Ireland, have already said the Bill is rushed and called for it to be withdrawn to give more time for debate.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Changes proposed by the Government&rsquo;s own working group on reform of the asylum process, including reform of the direct provision system and the right to work for applicants who have been in the process for nine months or more, were rejected.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/law-society-points-out-family-barriers-in-asylum-bill-1.2460737\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/law-society-points-out-family-barriers-in-asylum-bill-1.2460737</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-10 10:26:38',NULL,'law-society-points-out-family-barriers-in-asylum-bill'),(1422,'Fewer children drinking and smoking','<p>\r\n	The number of children who have never had an alcoholic drink has increased, while fewer children have ever smoked a cigarette, according to the Irish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2014 report.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	58% of children surveyed have never had a drink, compared with 52% in 2010, while the proportion of those who have ever smoked a cigarette fell from 28% in 2010 to 16% last year.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Since 2010, more children are also eating fruit, 23% compared with 20%; eating vegetables more than once a day, 22% compared with 20%.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Fewer are eating sweets or drinking soft drinks.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, there has been a disimprovement in the number of children who report having gone to bed hungry (22% in 2014 compared with 21% in 2010) and in the number of children exercising four or more times a week (52% in 2014 compared with 50% in 2010).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In terms of physical activity, significant differences are seen when the figures are broken down by gender.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	For example, 30% of boys reported being physically active every day compared to 16% of girls.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	More young children also reported being physically active compared with older children.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	This is the fifth study of its kind.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ireland is one of 44 countries that carries out this research.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It involved 230 schools and 13,611 children aged between ten and 17.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In relation to smoking, the number who said they were &#39;currently smoking&#39; is down from 12% in 2010 to 8% in 2014.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	However, 30% of those aged 12-17 reported it was easy to buy cigarettes where they live and go to school and 59% reported that it was easy to get someone else to buy cigarettes for them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The number of children who reported having been &#39;really drunk&#39; fell from 31% in 2010 to 21% in 2014, and the number of children who had reported being drunk in the past 30 days was down from 20% to 10%.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It was the first time that questions designed by children were included in the study.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They included a question on whether children felt self confident. It showed significant differences between boys and girls, with 66% of boys reporting always or often being self-confident compared to just 35% of girls.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Other questions designed by children included if they always love their family (84% of boys compared to 89% of girls), whether they always felt comfortable with friends (72% of boys compared to 68% of girls).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Overall, more children are trying to lose weight (16% compared to 13% in 2010).</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The number of children who reported being in a fight in the past year was down from 34% in 2010 to 29%.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The number of children who said they had bullied others was down from 16% to 13%, however the numbers who reported being bullied increased slightly from 24% to 25%.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It was also the first time cyberbulling was included.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	13% reported being bullied by being sent mean messages, or having them posted about them.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	15% said someone had taken an unflattering or inappropriate picture of them and posted it online, with 19% of girls saying they had suffered that kind of abuse compared to 11% of boys.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	27% of those aged 15-17 reported that they had had sex.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Of those 33% reported using birth control the last time they had sex, and 73% reported using condoms.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1209/752380-children/\">http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1209/752380-children/</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-10 10:32:54',NULL,'fewer-children-drinking-and-smoking'),(1423,'Report by Hiqa finds ‘tension’ at St Michael’s House','<p>\r\n	Needs of people with disabilities at centre not being fully met, say inspectors</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A Hiqa report into a centre for people with disabilities operated by St Michael&rsquo;s House in Ballymun, Dublin, found residents &ldquo;living in an atmosphere of heightened tension on an ongoing basis&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Six residents were present on the day of the announced inspection on May 11th-13th this year. Overall, inspectors said evidence was found that all residents&rsquo; social, personal and healthcare needs were not being fully met.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Residents had access to general practitioner (GP) services and a full-time medical officer, and although there was some access to health professionals, these services were limited.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	It was found that repeated referrals for clinical inputs, such as psychology, dietary advice, occupational therapy and psychiatry, some requested up to 12 months previously, had not yet resulted in an appointment or, in some cases, even a response.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Inspectors noted interpersonal conflicts that were causing some residents to live in an atmosphere of heightened tension. During the inspection, an incident relating to a resident&rsquo;s challenging behaviour was observed, and residents were noted to be upset following this.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Also noted was an inability of the service to manage escalations of challenging behaviour by residents consistent with a deterioration in mental health.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Inspectors said that at the time of inspection the residents had a variety of health, personal and socially complex needs, but there was limited evidence that these needs were being managed holistically in a timely and responsive manner.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The report said interpersonal relationships within the centre had broken down between some residents, which resulted in a tense atmosphere. &ldquo;Emotional and behavioural needs associated with inability to share, attention-seeking and high anxiety levels within the client group had been identified.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Inspectors said residents&rsquo; needs required a high level of skilled and one-on-one supports regularly, but these were not always in place.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In a response, St Michael&rsquo;s said a new strategy had been implemented by the senior psychologist to support the resident displaying challenging behaviour. It said incidences of challenging behaviour had diminished considerably since one resident moved from the centre.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/report-by-hiqa-finds-tension-at-st-michael-s-house-1.2460817\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/report-by-hiqa-finds-tension-at-st-michael-s-house-1.2460817</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-10 10:39:15',NULL,'report-by-hiqa-finds-‘tension’-at-st-michael’s-house'),(1424,'\'I don\'t want to be treated by someone in a hijab\' - Patient refuses care from two Muslim doctors','<p>\r\n	Tallaght Hospital has confirmed that a patient this week refused care from two consultants on the grounds of religion.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The woman turned down treatment from a female consultant who was wearing a hijab and was asked by the patient if she was a member of the Muslim faith.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The patient then asked for another medical professional to look after her care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The issue came to light when the daughter of the patient allegedly wrote about her mother&rsquo;s experiences on social media.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Consultant</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She reportedly claimed that a second consultant, who was also a Muslim, then entered the room, and her mother then asked for a &ldquo;non-Muslim consultant&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The social media post also said that the woman did not want a Muslim doctor involved in her medical care.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Independent Councillor Dermot Looney took to Twitter to say that Muslim doctors do &ldquo;amazing work&rdquo; around Ireland and in Tallaght.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Tallaght Hospital confirmed that a patient had refused treatment.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Tallaght Hospital cannot comment on individual patient cases due to patient confidentiality,&rdquo; they said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;However our Hospital&rsquo;s values emphasise respect, and the hospital&rsquo;s establishing charter guarantees the free profession and practice of religion by all associated with the hospital and in particular the members of staff,&rdquo; it said in a statement.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;These values are upheld by all staff and the hospital expects patients to respect these values of fairness and equity.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Tallaght Hospital has since confirmed that treatment was provided to the woman in question, as the hospital has a duty of care to all its patients.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A spokeswoman for the Muslim Association of Ireland said she feared that acts carried out by groups like Isis or Isil were turning people against all Muslims.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We do not know why this patient reacted the way she did, but we fear Muslims are facing racism from members of society who wrongly believe that such terror groups are acting in the name of Islam,&rdquo; said the spokeswoman.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;We are the first victims of these terror groups and then everyone turns against us because they think we are all the same and that the killings are done in our name.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;Sometimes these attitudes happen through ignorance, but it fuels racism.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;What I would say to this patient is read more about Islam...and ask the doctor&rsquo;s colleagues about them before judging them.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/i-dont-want-to-be-treated-by-someone-in-a-hijab-patient-refuses-care-from-two-muslim-doctors-34276594.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/i-dont-want-to-be-treated-by-someone-in-a-hijab-patient-refuses-care-from-two-muslim-doctors-34276594.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-11 09:18:28',NULL,'i-dont-want-to-be-treated-by-someone-in-a-hijab-patient-refuses-care-from-two-muslim-doctors'),(1425,'Boy (12) admitted to adult psychiatric ward','<p>\r\n	A 12-year-old child has been admitted to an adult psychiatric unit because there are no children&#39;s beds available.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The young boy was previously being cared for in a children&#39;s facility but was transferred to University Hospital Waterford for emergency medical treatment last week.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	When deemed fit enough for transfer out of the medical unit, his family were told that there were no children&#39;s psychiatric beds available in the country.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He was then admitted to the adult psychiatric unit at the hospital yesterday afternoon.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The acute facility currently houses a number of &quot;dangerous and highly unstable individuals&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;This is the youngest child that has ever been admitted to the unit. Before him, there was a 14-year-old,&quot; said a source.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	A spokesperson for the HSE said it could not comment on individual cases.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The boy was admitted at 2pm yesterday and is expected to be there until after the weekend at the earliest.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	ISPCC director of services Caroline O&#39;Sullivan described the case as &quot;beyond appalling&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;We know that child adolescent psychiatric services are at crisis point in Ireland, but this is extremely disturbing,&quot; she said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;No child should ever be placed in an adult unit no matter what the circumstance is. To be put in a situation where adults around him are unstable is beyond belief.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/boy-12-admitted-to-adult-psychiatric-ward-34277838.html\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/boy-12-admitted-to-adult-psychiatric-ward-34277838.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-11 09:20:05',NULL,'boy-12-admitted-to-adult-psychiatric-ward'),(1426,'Parents no longer let \'chastise\' children by smacking','<p>\r\n	Parents are now effectively banned from smacking their children after the Government yesterday formally removed from law the defence of &quot;reasonable chastisement&quot;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	From today, any person who administers corporal punishment to a child will no longer be able to rely on such a defence in the courts.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Children&#39;s Minister James Reilly yesterday formally signed a commencement order for the removal of the clause from common law.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Such a move has been called for by human rights groups for many months.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Legislation which permitted parents to use force against their children was repealed almost 15 years ago but the defence of reasonable chastisement remained.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	No new offence has been created that explicitly prohibits the smacking of children as a form of punishment - however, the decision to remove the defence is a significant step.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Speaking yesterday, Dr Reilly said he hopes removing the defence of reasonable chastisement will result in a &quot;cultural change&quot; in society.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The removal of the Common Law defence sends a strong message which will, I hope, lead to a cultural change across Irish society that corporal punishment is wrong,&quot; Dr Reilly said.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;We have not created any new offence but rather we are removing something that has its roots in a completely different era and societal context,&quot; he added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Fine Gael deputy leader said the move is also important in reinforcing proper parenting practices in Ireland.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;The measure represents a significant advancement as regards the protection and rights of children. It reinforces the developing impetus in parenting practice in Ireland to use positive discipline strategies in the upbringing of children, which reject the use of corporal punishment,&quot; he added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Earlier this year, Dr Reilly and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald reviewed the issue of reasonable chastisement following a Council of Europe ruling.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The EU body found that young people&#39;s rights were being violated as a result of a lack of a clear ban on smacking.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In a recent interview with this newspaper, Dr Reilly said that he received correspondence from the UN Secretary General on Violence Against Children, Marta Santos Pais, congratulating the Government over the decision to remove the reasonable chastisement clause.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Violence</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Political support at the highest level is critical to ensuring that sustained progress can be made in combating violence against children. The steps that Ireland has taken Ms Pais added that &quot;in taking this step, Ireland is making an important contribution to the global movement towards a world where all children are free from violence.&quot;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In a statement yesterday, Dr Reilly stressed the value of &#39;positive parenting&#39;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Dublin Fingal TD said it is important that the issue of self-discipline among children is supported by a &quot;learning strategy&quot; rather than punishment.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&quot;Parental and family relationships are the most important factor in child development outcomes - therefore, supporting parents and families is the best way to improve outcomes for children,&quot; Dr Reilly added.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	His remarks came after the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, held a parenting conference in Dublin Castle to encourage best practice.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	More details are available on the website www.parenting24seven.ieaugur well for a change in attitudes and behaviour that will help build a culture in which no form of violence against children is acceptable,&quot; the letter stated.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/parents-no-longer-let-chastise-children-by-smacking-34277831.html\" style=\"font-size: 12px;\">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/parents-no-longer-let-chastise-children-by-smacking-34277831.html</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2015-12-11 09:24:57',NULL,'parents-no-longer-let-chastise-children-by-smacking'),(1427,'New Bill allows adoption regardless of parents’ marrital status','<p>\r\n	The right of children to be adopted irrespective of the marital status of their parents is part of the first Bill introduced in the D&aacute;il by the new Government.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Minister for Children Katherine Zappone introduced the Adoption (Amendment) Bill, published last month by her predecessor Dr James Reilly, which gives effect to the constitutional amendment arising from the children&rsquo;s referendum, passed in 2012.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Previously, a child could only be adopted where the parents were unmarried but under the Bill a child can be adopted where both parents consent to the adoption.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Zappone said the legislation also provided that the best interest of the child would be &ldquo;the paramount consideration in regard to any matter, application or proceedings under the Adoption Act 2010&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<h4>\r\n	Due weight</h4>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said that would mean the views of the child would be ascertained by the Adoption Authority or by the court and those views would be &ldquo;given due weight, having regard to the age and maturity of the child&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The legislation also changes criteria under which the High Court could make an order authorising the adoption of a child without parental consent, &ldquo;in a case of parental failure&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The Bill will make specific provision for adoption by a step-parent to overcome the current requirement where a step-parent can jointly adopt a child with the parent, but the parent is obliged to adopt their own child.</p>\r\n<h4>\r\n	Not acceptable</h4>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;I do not consider this to be acceptable,&rdquo; the Minister said. Under this Bill, &ldquo;the parent will continue to be a parent and the step-parent will be an adoptive parent&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Adoption of a child by civil partners and cohabiting couples will also be inserted into the Bill.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ms Zappone said the legislation provided significant improvements to the rights of children and &ldquo;will give a voice to the child and we will finally put the best interests of the child at the centre of any decision regarding adoption&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/new-bill-allows-adoption-regardless-of-parents-marrital-status-1.2651825\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/new-bill-allows-adoption-regardless-of-parents-marrital-status-1.2651825</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2016-05-18 15:04:45',NULL,'new-bill-allows-adoption-regardless-of-parents’-marrital-status'),(1428,'Opinion: Prisons now a dumping ground for mentally ill young men','<p>\r\n	We have amongst the lowest number of secure psychiatric beds per head of population in Europe</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Despite having one of the highest levels of severe mental illness when compared with other advanced European nations, Ireland has fewer adult psychiatric beds than almost any other country in Europe.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	New research looking at the number of beds across the EU shows we have even fewer secure (forensic) psychiatric beds compared with other countries.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Psychiatric bed numbers in Ireland have fallen drastically, and since 2011 beds have fallen to below 20 per 100,000 people, where the European average is still over 40 per 100,000.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The beds that remain are on wards open to the public and to other wards in the same hospital. It is often difficult to care safely for young people with disturbed and challenging behaviour due to acute delusions and hallucinations in such wards.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	With the closing of the old-style asylums across Europe, many countries recognised that, even with the development of community mental health services, there would always remain a significant need for some inpatient beds. They are required so the most unwell and difficult to treat patients could receive the help they need in a stable and safe therapeutic environment. Unfortunately we have failed to plan for the needs of such patients in this country, and the most unwell and difficult to treat patients increasingly find themselves either homeless or placed in prison rather than treated in hospital and supported in the community. Strangely, these well known facts are regarded as neither a failure of policy nor a cause for shame.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In 2016 the current 10-year plan, A Vision for Change will have run its course. It is timely to wonder what policy reforms will come next. A Vision for Change has led to considerable positive achievements. The experts who drafted the policy should be congratulated for the universal adoption of the ethos and language of recovery. However, while recovery is a commendable policy priority, it is not the same as cure, and it is increasingly obvious that people with severe, enduring and disabling mental illnesses have lost out in the recent changes that our mental health service has undergone.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Replaced asylums</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	People who have complex and difficult to treat problems are excluded from a &ldquo;mental health&rdquo; model that struggles to include the needs of those with severe, enduring and disabling mental illnesses.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Many of the acute inpatient psychiatric units which replaced asylums lack the short-term high observation units that could provide for the complex needs of such patients. Across the modern world, such patients are provided for in acute local psychiatric intensive care units.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Typically, in other European countries there are 10-15 beds serving every 250,000 people. This contrasts with Ireland, which has only 30 such beds in the entire country. Again, in other European countries the closure of the old asylums has been compensated for by opening high quality, therapeutically secure, forensic psychiatric hospital beds.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Ireland has not developed any such system and the number of forensic psychiatric beds at the Central Mental Hospital has stayed static at about two beds per 100,000 people.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	In England and Wales, by contrast, asylum closures over the last 30 years have been associated with the development of a system of more secure forensic hospital beds so that there are now 7.5 secure forensic beds per 100,000 for the mentally ill.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and many other modern mental health services provide between eight and 10 forensic secure beds per 100,000 population. Not surprisingly, Irish prisons have increasingly become the emergency department &ldquo;trolleys&rdquo; for young men with any form of psychotic mental illness. The great majority of young people remanded to Irish prisons, while actively unwell with diagnoses of severe and enduring mental illnesses, are charged with very minor offences. These patients have fallen through the net of a public mental health system which is not designed to meet their needs. Mental health legislation has reformed the rights of people detained for care and treatment, and further reform is needed. But reforms that exclude mentally incapable people from access to care, treatment and protection do them a disservice &ndash; it is already too difficult to intervene when a person with a severe mental illness is obviously relapsing and at risk of self-harm and neglect.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Violence is rare</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Fortunately, Ireland is an inherently peaceful country where violence is rare and we are very tolerant of the mentally ill. Tolerance, however, is not enough when young people with the most severe, enduring and disabling mental illnesses are ill-served by policies that fail to meet their needs. To be able to engage with community services, it is almost always necessary to first have the benefit of the acute treatment needed to restore the basics of mental health.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The next Vision for Change should help to direct resources towards services that are demonstrably effective in engaging and retaining severely mentally ill people to prevent homelessness and imprisonment. Should we fail to do this we are at risk of repeating the kind of discrimination and inhumane treatment which the closure of the asylums and the development of community mental health teams were designed to remedy. Harry Kennedy is clinical professor of forensic psychiatry at the Central Mental Hospital. He is writing in a private capacity</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/opinion-prisons-now-a-dumping-ground-for-mentally-ill-young-men-1.2651034\">http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/opinion-prisons-now-a-dumping-ground-for-mentally-ill-young-men-1.2651034</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2016-05-18 15:09:07',NULL,'opinion-prisons-now-a-dumping-ground-for-mentally-ill-young-men'),(1429,'UK court ruling ‘condemns’ disabled boy to death, family says','<p>\r\n	The parents of a &rdquo;profoundly neurologically disabled&rdquo; two-year-old boy say they are &ldquo;devastated&rdquo; by a British High Court judge&rsquo;s decision to allow medics to provide only palliative care to the child.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They said Mrs Justice Parker&rsquo;s ruling &ldquo;effectively condemns their son to death&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	NHS hospital bosses with responsibility for the boy&rsquo;s care had asked Mrs Justice Parker to rule that limiting treatment to palliative care would be lawful and in the best interests of the boy.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Specialists said the little boy suffered from an incurable, but unidentified, neurological disorder - and that his condition was deteriorating.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Nurses said he had stopped smiling and that he grimaced but no longer giggled when tickled.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Specialists said &rdquo;further invasive interventions&rdquo; would be distressing and burdensome for the little boy and would have little or no therapeutic benefit.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The youngster&rsquo;s parents disagreed with the idea of providing only palliative care and implementing an &rdquo;end-of-life plan&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	They said all treatment options should continue to be available.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Mrs Justice Parker had overseen the case at a public hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London and made a ruling on Wednesday.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said it was not in the little boy&rsquo;s best interests to &ldquo;artificially prolong&rdquo; his life.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	The judge said the little boy could not be identified.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	She said management at Guy&rsquo;s and St Thomas&rsquo; NHS Foundation Trust had asked her to make a ruling.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	Solicitor Kavi Mayor, who is based at Jung &amp; Co Solicitors and represented the couple, said his clients were &ldquo;devastated&rdquo;.</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&ldquo;They believe that the declarations made by the court effectively condemn their son to death,&rdquo; said Mr Mayor after the hearing. &ldquo;They believe that their son&rsquo;s life is worth saving.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	&nbsp;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	He added: &ldquo;They are particularly concerned that a prognosis has been given by the doctors when no firm diagnosis has been made. &ldquo;They remain of the view that all possible treatment options should remain open to their son and that the NHS trust have, to date, not explored all possible options.&rdquo;</p>\r\n<p>\r\n	<a href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/uk-court-ruling-condemns-disabled-boy-to-death-family-says-1.2652039\">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/uk/uk-court-ruling-condemns-disabled-boy-to-death-family-says-1.2652039</a></p>\r\n','public','',1,'2016-05-18 15:30:41',NULL,'uk-court-ruling-‘condemns’-disabled-boy-to-death-family-says'),