Soham tragedy reinforces need for child protection says Haughey

The North/South Ministerial Conference on Child Protection has been told that the murders of two children in Soham means that governments must exercise the utmost vigilance in protecting the most vulnerable members of society.

Mr Haughey made his comments at the Beyond Borders conference in Dundalk today which focused on four main issues: vetting of people who work with children; management of sex offenders; child protection systems and strategies; and child protection issues in education.

Referring to the recent tragic events in England involving the 10-year-olds Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells, Denis Haughey, Minister in the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister, said: “Such tragic events are mercifully rare and represent the extremes in terms of failure to protect children. Nevertheless, they remain a salutary reminder of the tragedies, which can occur, when society fails to protect its most vulnerable members."

The conference is designed to debate the stringent safeguards that must be in place to prevent individuals moving into positions of trust involving access to children.

Mr Haughey said that Northern Ireland is "totally committed" in delivering its children’s strategy, including the creation of a Children’s Commissioner who is dedicated to promoting and protecting children’s rights and ensuring the assembly remains focused on the issue.

“We expect to put a Children’s Strategy in place which would over-arch the work of all Northern Ireland government departments and agencies. We hope this will lead to Northern Ireland being a world leader in protecting children’s rights and needs," he said.

The minister hailed the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults Bill, which was introduced into the assembly in June, as a mode for providing enhanced arrangements for checking the suitability of those working with children.

Mr Haughey added: “In carrying forward the strategies and plans in which we are currently involved, we need to consider areas of common interest. It is vital that developments North and South complement each other and that we all strive to achieve practical arrangements to protect the children on this island."

Over 200 delegates attended the conference organised by NSPCC, ISPCC and Barnardo’s North and South. The four main charities have joined forces for the first time to push for greater north-south co-operation on child protection issues.

(GMcG)