Letter published in the Irish Times.

Letter published in the Irish Times. See rte.ie/drivetime for follow-up interview on today's programme with Mary Wilson.

Madam, – In the wake of the the disturbing details of the Roscommon incest and child abuse case, it is imperative now that we close all loopholes that limit the State’s capacity to react to suspicions of neglect for the benefit of all our children.

One such legislative barrier is the provision within the 2000 Education Welfare Act which states that the functions of the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) are limited to children between the ages of six and 16. Crucially, there is no statutory requirement for children to be enrolled in school before the age of six, which in effect means that teachers, principals and NEWB officers are powerless to intervene in the case of chronic absenteeism of a child who is enrolled in a school under that age. At that most important developmental stage in a child’s education, the infant years, the NEWB has no statutory grounds to intervene in a case of serious absenteeism, which many educators identify as a key indication of child neglect.

It is clear now that this legislation must be amended to ensure that whenever a child is enrolled in school, the powers afforded to the NEWB under the Educational Welfare Act can be enforced, regardless of the child’s age. Such a change would ensure that those in the school community and those charged with the responsibility of monitoring school attendance can make the maximum difference at the earliest opportunity. – Is mise,

Cllr AODHÁN Ó RÍORDÁIN,

Clonliffe Avenue,

Ballybough,

Dublin 3.

Appearance on RTE Radio's Spirit Moves Programme

Aodhán's appearance on RTE Radio One Spirit Moves Programme. Click here to listen: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/spiritmoves/1231937.html

Attendance Legislation Limits School Capacity to Intervene at Earliest Stages of Neglect

With Irish society still reeling with the full disclosure of the disturbing details of the Roscommon incest and child abuse case, it is imperative now that we close all loopholes that limit the states capacity to react to suspicions of neglect for the benefit of all our children.

One such legislative barrier is the provision within the 2000 Education Welfare Act which states that the functions of the National Educational Welfare Board are limited to children between the ages of six and sixteen. Crucially there is no statutory requirement for children to be enrolled in school before the age of six, which in effect means that teachers, principals and NEWB officers are powerless to intervene in a case of chronic absenteeism of a child who is enrolled in a school under that age. At that most important developmental stage in a child's education, the infant years, the NEWB has no statutory grounds to intervene in a case of serious absenteeism which many educators point to as an indication of child neglect.

It is clear now that this legislation must be amended to ensure that wherever a child is enrolled in a school that the powers afforded to the NEWB under the Educational Welfare act can be enforced, regardless of the child's age. Such a change would ensure that those in the school community and those charged with the responsibility of monitoring school attendance can make the maximum difference at the earliest opportunity.

'St Josephs Centre for Visually Impaired' Forced to Sell Land to Finance School Building Costs after Government Betrayal

At a meeting staged today, the St Joseph's Centre for the Visually Impaired outlined plans to the local community to redevelop part of their campus in order to finance the rebuilding of their facilities, which are in dire need of repair.

Despite the fact that St Joseph's serves some of the most vulnerable children in the state, the Department of Education have repeatedly frustrated the management board's attempts to redevelop the schools and have now been forced to prostitute themselves to the property market in order to provide the kind of service that they feel their students deserve.

It is proposed that a seven-acre site within the campus will be re-developed to house 7 blocks of 362 apartments ranging in height from four to eight storeys. It is hoped that this development will fund the school building costs of approximately €35million - only €15 million of which was provisionally promised by the Department of Education five years ago with no firm commitment.

It is an absolute scandal that some of the most needy children in the country cannot have their needs directly met by the state. What message does it send to the families of those suffering from a visual impairment when this excellent educational facility is forced to gamble in the property market to secure the future of the centre. The services offered by St Joseph's are remarkable, considering their limited resources:
Assessment Service
Preschool and Early Intervention
Primary and Secondary Education
Vocational Training
Family Resource Centre
National Braille Production Centre
Training and Research Department
Ophthalmology Clinic
Occupational Therapy
Speech and Language Therapy
Physiotherapy
Residential Service
Library and Information Service
I am calling on the Minister for Education to immediately meet with the trustees and Board of Management of St Joseph's Centre for the Visually Impaired and to commit to the funding needed to help those children who cannot help themselves. The measure of a civilised society is how we serve the needs of our most vulnerable. In this case it is quite clear that the Department of Education have acted in a most uncivilised fashion.

Clontarf Shooting Shows that Gun is Beginning to Rule the Streets

The shots fired today at the junction of Vernon Ave and the Clontarf Road in an attempted raid on a Brinks Allied van show quite clearly that the rule of the gun is gradually taking over on the streets of Dublin.

Following the Dublin shooting in Summerhill earlier this month and another fatal shooting in Tallaght this morning, it is quite clear that there is no sign of a decrease in the gun culture that threatens the very stability of our democracy. While all eyes have been securely fixed on the crisis in the banking system, the continuing use of guns to exact revenge and a perverse form of justice on our streets must remains a matter of utmost concern to the government.

It is clear now that an entirely new approach is needed with improved resources for the Gardai coupled with an increased focus on education along the lines of what the late Tony Gregory always advocated. Are we now facing another year of blood drained streets or will the government stand by those public servants who are our only hope in tackling this creeping evil?