Roscommon Childcare case.

[Andrew49]

Your posts are always very sensible and informed, Andrew.

But over and over again whenever there's a child-abuse scandal I get worried about the things not discussed. There are several such aspects to this Roscommon case.

The case came before the High Court in 2000.

Now the recent HSE Inquiry says that the case-papers were all over the shop. But surely back in 2000 the lawyers and the High Court would have required and demanded that all the Health Board papers were in front of them in evidence, all in proper order, paginated and date-indexed.

And there would have been statements and preliminary hearings etc. The mother would have got her interim injunction straightaway but then there'd have been all the rigmarole and a full hearing.

Or am I a silly old man that has missed something?

Andrew, your comments please on the Irish legal system's attitude to child-abuse. Is it that the courts would rather not know?

The courts want child abuse cases out of the way - I almost said 'child protection cases' but realised that the courts (or the laws) do not protect children. Protecting children through the court system in Ireland is bound to fail because children are the property of parents - indeed I can recall only one happy outcome from court action here in the Republic but it wasn't about protecting children ... it concerned a lone parent, Desmond Doyle (the father) trying to have his children released from Industrial schools ... and the successful barrister cited from American cases (yeah! American cases!) to advance the father's case. The final outcome of that case didn't (they say) depend on these U.S citations but for some unknown reason, the Supreme Court's decision in Doyle was not published in the Irish Reports in 1955 but was finally published in 1989. In re Doyle [1989] Irish Law Rep. Monthly 277. Source

The HSE are being asked TODAY to get their files in order - as they were asked in 2000 when this case came to light ,,, and the authorities were asked in the wake of the 1993 Kilkenny Incest case .....

After the Kilkenny Incest case came
the Fr Brendan Smyth case
then the swimming abuse cases
the McColgan family's abuse by their father
the Kelly Fitzgerald case.
All these followed within a few years of the Kilkenny report, and all highlighted failures on the part of voluntary and statutory organisations in identifying and handling abuse cases. In recent years, we've had the scandals of Ferns and Dublin dioceses, to historical abuse and neglect in Irish industrial schools, and ALL have further illustrated the poor record of child protection in Ireland.

Official Ireland Hates Children - particularly vulnerable children.

[Newsy]

[There was a deliberate attempt by these 'pro-family' people to prevent these children from being cared for by their relatives.

From what I understand, the parents with the 'help' of the 'pro-family' group brought this case so that they (parents) wouldn't loose their children's allowances.

Children and particularily vulnerable children ARE NOT valued in this society. The 'seen and not heard', still prevails.

The social workers in this case were totally unprofessional and way beyond careless and neglectful. For years they turned a blind eye.

Where is the accountability??? No one's head has rolled.

[C. Flower]

Discussed on Primetime now, and later on Vincent Browne tonight -

On Tonight with Vincent Browne:The Roscommon Child Care report- who's going to be held responsible and will we fail to learn any lessons?

[carolmon]

She was intellectually challanged FFS !! And this land hungry hoor took advantage of her. One after the other ! You should have seen them traipising along the road going to school. What were the doctors doing ? Why did a priest marry her in the first place ? I have nothing against Downs Syndrome children but I do have a problem with deliberately bringing them into the world.

intellectually challenged not sub human!
the terminology you used was better suited to discussing breeding livestock on the farm than this sad case.

[Newsy]

I believe that social workers, managers within the HSE and the two ministers, andrews AND harney.......have to ask themselves.........if these children were their neices or nephews, how would they have dealth with this family???

These children are NOT statistics......they are human beings that are dependent on their families.....and if those let them down, the state HAS to step in and DO THE RIGHT THING.

For God's sake, such treatment of children HAS TO STOP.

[disability student]

Re Mary Harney's tenure at HSE were littered with many clossal mistakes and purely monostrous autocratic organisation. The whole buck has to STOP with M Harney nothing more. It's a resignation issue for her but she won't resign for the sake of privatisation of Health services such as co -location hospitals.

Everything (almost) was wrong in the HSE, such as National children hospital, Cervical vaccines, generous tax breaks for her friends.

It's to be said simply that she has to go.

[Griska]

[quote=Lapsedmethodist;84634]

It was brought to the attention of the health borad by family members......but they weren't listened.........

What the hell was going on with the health borad???

And then the parents brought their own case to keep the children in the home!!!! Couldn't make this stuff up...

/QUOTE]

Will changing the constitution remove the intimidatory nature of rightwing Roman Catholic pressure groups ? Will it prevent them trying again ? Don't think so.
What is needed is the granting of authority to the Garda to accompany social workers when they enter the homes of primitives like these so that they can't be intimidated.

Changing the constitution would have given the high court the right to consider the safety and well being of the children, instead of the rights of the parents.

Gardai regularly accompany social workers entering homes when necessary.

[Andrew49]

From what I understand, the parents with the 'help' of the 'pro-family' group brought this case so that they (parents) wouldn't loose their children's allowances.

Children and particularily vulnerable children ARE NOT valued in this society. The 'seen and not heard', still prevails.

The social workers in this case were totally unprofessional and way beyond careless and neglectful. For years they turned a blind eye.

Where is the accountability??? No one's head has rolled.

There is no accountability and nobody's head will roll

In a statement, the HSE said it fully accepted the findings and recommendations of the report into the failures of the then Western Health Board, later absorbed into the HSE.

"Our apology is unreserved and unequivocal. The report finds that, regardless of the good intentions of the health and social service providers, important child protection concerns were not addressed adequately over the years. This failure meant that the harm and neglect of the children and young adults in this family continued."

This is a quite disgusting 'apology'.

There were NO good 'intentions' shown towards the children - They failed to act on obviously sick and hungry children, They failed to take any action despite knowing that the children were living in a squalid three-bedroom bungalow, strewn with rubbish and dead rodents - clear risk indicators of neglect and the professionals turned their backs. Back in time other children were found in similar disgraceful conditions - lice-ridden, bruised, ill, hungry and the State's response then was similar. They turned their backs on those children too and gave money to the nuns - nuns who were (and still are) managing primary and secondary schools, boarding schools and hospitals. The children were ignored and the State didn't intervene on their behalf.

There will be no despair at this report in the Western Health area or in the HSE - this is, after all, just another report highlighting their criminal incompetence. Expect no change, expect no resignations ....

but DO expect another damning report.

[Lapsedmethodist]

Interview with SPUC type fundamentalist coming up on 5-Live soon.

[Dr. FIVE]

Mina Bean Ui Chribín has died

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCmjgXo1YS8"]Max Romeo - Chase the devil [HQ] - YouTube[/ame]

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Mina Bean Ui Chribín has died

Max Romeo - Chase the devil [HQ] - YouTube

And good riddance to that psychotic version of Peig Sayers and the mad donkey she rode in on.

Thats put me in a good mood for the evening. Might go for a pint to celebrate.