No county, including Galway had anything like the number of social workers and back up resources to properly implement the child protection policies of the State.

This was stated by Marian Harkin MEP when she described HSE reports on the child protection system as horrifying and a major betrayal of the rights of children.

“Nearly ten years ago the Government introduced a policy ‘Children First’ but successive governments have failed to implement the recommendations concerning the reporting of child abuse”, she said.  The recent serious case of child abuse in Co. Roscommon was indicative of a totally deficient system in that county, she said.  “Unfortunately this is also true in Galway where the number of social workers and the resources available to them are totally inadequate to meet the challenge of caring for abused or neglected children while, at the same time, trying to handle an unacceptably high case load in other areas,” Marian Harkin said.

It was vital, she said, that current economic difficulties did not further delay the provision of adequate protection of children from abuse or neglect.  “Despite current problems it is vital to prioritise investment in social services and in particular those pertaining to protecting children”, Marian Harkin MEP said.