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Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Children's Ombudsman accuses Government of ‘letting down' child victims of domestic and sexual violence
The Children's Ombudsman has accused the Government of letting down child victims of domestic and sexual violence, and of disrespecting his office. Dr Niall Muldoon's remarks came after it refused to fund the monitoring of how the Government's landmark 'zero tolerance' domestic abuse strategy affects children. The role fell apart during a 'shameful' three-year row which left Dr Muldoon 'very angry'. The Department of Justice has confirmed the ombudsman will now have no role in monitoring the third national plan, which was the first to identify children as domestic abuse victims in their own right rather than witnesses. Before it was launched with much fanfare in 2022, the government asked Dr Muldoon to monitor whether the plan was upholding children's rights. READ MORE But Dr Muldoon's office spent the following three years unsuccessfully asking the Department of Justice and the Department of Children to fund the role his office was asked to do. Both departments claimed the other was responsible for funding the role. From 2022 on, Dr Muldoon sent a series of letters to then justice minister Helen McEntee, expressing increasing frustration. In the correspondence with the Department of Justice, released under Freedom of Information laws, Dr Muldoon said the ombudsman 'did not seek' the position, but government officials had been 'very eager for us to take [it] up'. In early 2023, Dr Muldoon asked for the role to be funded by January 2024, 'even if it is 18 months late'. By October 2023, Dr Muldoon expressed exasperation to have received 'not one single reply' in a year. Despite 'long, drawn-out engagement' between government officials, Dr Muldoon said, 'for the second budget in a row – your department has reneged on the promises given'. 'The actions of your department have been disrespectful of this office. However, my biggest concern and one that makes me very angry, is the impact this will have on the children who are being subjected to domestic or sexual and gender-based violence. These children have been let down. That is shameful behaviour,' Dr Muldoon said. He formally asked for any reference to the ombudsman to be removed from the strategy. 'The good name of this office has been used by your department to offer credibility and substance to the actions in relation to children that are outlined in the strategy, but I cannot let that continue,' he said. In January 2024, Dr Muldoon tried to secure funding again, arguing that 'while discussions continue over who pays for what, it is the children impacted by domestic, sexual and gender-based violence who will suffer'. In March of this year, Dr Muldoon wrote to newly-appointed Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, seeking a meeting to talk about 'key areas', including the 'essential' funding of the role overseeing the national strategy. [ Better-off families 'sailing away from the have-nots', warns Ombudsman Opens in new window ] 'The strategy rightly identifies children and young people as both witnesses and victims/survivors, and their needs must be fully considered,' Dr Muldoon said. But the Department of Justice has now confirmed 'it was not possible to reach agreement on the precise parameters of this policy advice role and the resources that would be required'. The third national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) was due to run from 2022 to 2026. The last implementation plan for the strategy, which covers 2025 to 2026, was launched last month and includes no reference to the ombudsman. A spokesman for the department said 'further consideration will be given to how the needs to children are best met under the fourth national strategy on DSGBV, as it is developed'. A Department of Children spokeswoman said that, as the ombudsman was no longer mentioned in the national domestic violence plan, 'the query you have raised is no longer relevant'. [ Child homelessness a 'national shame', TDs and Senators told Opens in new window ]
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
WA facility caring for drug-exposed newborns at risk of closure after state funding cut
(Getty Images) The only medical facility focused on caring for drug-exposed babies in western Washington is pleading for help after Gov. Bob Ferguson vetoed its funding and the state abruptly canceled its contract. And a group of GOP lawmakers is urging Ferguson to find a way to keep the Kent facility operating. For decades, the Pediatric Interim Care Center has tended to babies born to mothers with substance use disorder. Just under half of its annual $1.7 million budget has usually come from the state, said Development Director Elaine Purchase. Fundraising makes up the rest. But this year, lawmakers slashed that funding to $100,000 in the face of a steep budget shortfall. The facility, known as PICC, was ready to make do with the deep cut and dip into its reserves, with the hope of making up for it when the Legislature returns next year. Then last month, Ferguson vetoed even that $100,000, as part of a slew of small items he removed to save money in the $78 billion two-year spending plan. And soon after, Purchase was 'blindsided' when the state Department of Children, Youth and Families cut its contract with the nursery, meaning no more babies would be referred there starting July 1. 'Which basically destroys our program,' Purchase said. 'Why would they abandon it for $100,000?' In a statement, the Department of Children, Youth and Families argued the center's state funding was 'not cost-effective.' Secretary Tana Senn said the center received money for its 13 beds regardless of how many babies it was serving, and didn't meet requirements to get Medicaid funding. 'We also want to clarify that DCYF is not shutting down the Kent PICC,' said Senn, a former state lawmaker. 'They can still accept referrals from hospitals and have informed DCYF on multiple occasions that they have sufficient charitable funding to continue serving children.' On Friday, state House Republican leadership, including Minority Leader Drew Stokesbary, of Auburn, took issue with the rationale and urged the state agency and Ferguson to reverse course. 'Governor Ferguson, throughout your first legislative session as governor, you said that you just wanted to do things that are 'common sense,'' the half-dozen lawmakers wrote. 'What is more common sense than using the power you hold to save the lives of innocent newborn babies?' The facility, open for 35 years, was caring for just one newborn Friday, said Purchase. It has been underused as the focus has shifted to keeping babies with their parents. Research has indicated parental involvement is integral in an infant's development. 'New evidence-based models demonstrate better outcomes for babies when they 'room in' at hospitals under the care of a physician or are in transitional care homes that allow the mother and baby to stay together,' Senn said. 'While hospitals, of course, may choose to continue to refer children to the Kent PICC, they have been doing so much less frequently as demonstrated by the current empty beds at the Kent PICC,' the agency secretary continued. 'Instead, hospitals more often refer infants to other facilities that use the current standard of care.' In 2021, the Legislature passed a measure known as the Keeping Families Together Act to help relatives take care of children who can't stay with their parents and to reduce racial disparities in the child welfare system. Critics blame the bipartisan law for a reported increase in child deaths, including from drug exposure. The average stay for babies at the Kent pediatric care center is 30 to 40 days. Most are exposed to fentanyl or methamphetamine. Since opening in 1990, the facility says it has cared for over 3,500 babies. 'We just want there to be a safe place for these little ones,' Purchase said. The governor did not provide comment on Friday, with a spokesperson for his office referring to the statement from the Department of Children, Youth and Families. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Deaths and critical injuries spike in Washington's child welfare system
(Photo by) Critical injuries for Washington children involved in the state's welfare system jumped significantly in the first half of this year. Through June, at least 92 children had died or nearly died, according to the state's Office of the Family and Children's Ombuds. That's up from 78 in the first six months of 2024. These incidents stem from causes such as drug exposure, abuse and neglect. They also include expected medical deaths if the family had some involvement with child welfare. The figures only capture cases the state Department of Children, Youth and Families is aware of. The agency oversees Washington's child welfare system. Some Republicans have blamed a recent state law for putting kids at greater risk. But state officials say there isn't a definite link between that law and many of the incidents. The highly potent opioid fentanyl has driven increases in fatalities and near-fatalities for the state's children in recent years. Last year, over two-fifths of the episodes were tied to accidental drug ingestion and overdose. Such incidents were very rare in 2017 and 2018. So far this year, 20 of the cases involving children ages 0 to 3 stemmed from accidental fentanyl exposure, according to the ombuds data. There were 33 such cases in all of 2024. 'These are the ones where, usually, it's a younger child accidentally picks up some foil and puts it in their mouth or a tablet and ingests it,' Patrick Dowd, the head of the agency watchdog, told the Department of Children, Youth and Families oversight board Thursday. In light of this spike, state lawmakers in 2024 passed legislation requiring courts to more strongly weigh the presence of opioids in the home when deciding whether a child should be removed and placed into foster care. State officials also point to increased economic stress over the past few years as a contributor to the incidents, and say that may only increase as the impacts of tariffs and cuts to social safety net programs are felt. 'It is not necessarily going to be better before it's worse,' said Sen. Claire Wilson, D-Federal Way, the co-chair of the oversight board, 'and so we really have to think about what that looks like and how we leverage resources and support.' The 2021 Keeping Families Together Act raised the bar for taking children away from their parents and favored placing them with other relatives over foster care. The idea was that removal from their homes can cause them major problems later in life. The legislation passed with strong bipartisan support in the Legislature. But now Republican lawmakers in particular are souring on the law. Rep. Chris Corry, R-Yakima, said if he could take back any of his votes since joining the state House in 2019, this would be it. 'It's either being completely misapplied or when the law was passed, it was misrepresented to myself and members of the Legislature because this was not ever in my mind where we keep children with drug-addled parents,' said Corry, who has fostered children. But the ombuds office didn't recommend changes to the Keeping Families Together Act, enshrined in House Bill 1227, to the oversight board. 'We did not find in many cases a certain point where, if only 1227 had not been enacted, then the department would have filed' for removal, Dowd said. Instead, the ombuds suggested the state expand treatment services for pregnant women and mothers, increase efforts to engage fathers and look into allowing children to stay in their guardians' homes under court-ordered state supervision. The agency has taken steps to respond to the alarming trend. For example, the state now requires 'safe child consults' for all child welfare cases involving opioid use and a child younger than 3. These reviews help determine whether officials will allow a child to go home or petition a judge for care elsewhere. The department has also increased training for caseworkers on neglect and medically complex cases. Republicans have also been frustrated over the state's defunding of the only medical facility in western Washington focused on caring for drug-exposed newborns. Most of the babies cared for at the Pediatric Interim Care Center in Kent were exposed to fentanyl or methamphetamine before birth. The Department of Children, Youth and Families, in a statement Friday, said it's 'not possible or appropriate' to point to a single cause driving this year's rise in child fatalities. The agency attributed the increase largely to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, parental stress, 'an increase of families with high needs, and the complexities of cases and the systems involved.' Last year saw a slight decline in the overall number of fatal and near-fatal incidents, with 140 child deaths and near deaths compared to 147 in 2022. Of those whose deaths last year were related to maltreatment, like abuse or neglect, 42% were part of an open case with the Department of Children, Youth and Families at the time of their death. Another nearly 40% had a case closed in the prior 12 months. Of the 38 maltreatment deaths in 2024, more than half of the children were under one year old. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Irish Times
18-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
HSE to introduce curbs on staff training and travel in bid to clip spending
The health service is to introduce new spending controls in an attempt to reduce expenditure in the months ahead. Areas such as staff travel, training as well as on the use of agency personnel will be affected by the move. The health service recorded a €218 million overrun in current spending in the first six months of 2025. The Health Service Executive said on Thursday that it wanted to break even for the year in terms of spending on services funded by the Department of Health. It said it was in talks regarding 'challenges' in relation to disability services, which are funded separately by the Department of Children . In a memo to his senior management on Tuesday, HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said the organisation remained 'very challenged' concerning non-pay spending. He said he was introducing additional measures to be put in place with immediate effect. He urged senior managers to 'thoroughly review all areas of non-essential expenditure and implement additional financial measures' to achieve savings. Mr Gloster said new controls on spending limits would be introduced shortly. However, under new temporary rules, all expenditure valued at more than €1 million will in future have to be approved by the chief executive. An exemption will apply for capital payments already approved. All cost-incurring travel and subsistence not directly associated with clinical care is to be halted with immediate effect. The memo says the only exceptions were for regional executive officers overseeing their regions, the HSE's chief clinical officer dealing with patient safety issues and four senior executives who are required to attend critical engagements in Dublin. Individual staff training and attendance at conferences are to be deferred except where contracts have been entered into. Exceptions will be allowed in cases of statutory training required under legislation. International travel is to be cancelled even where this has been approved but the money not yet spent. The only exception will be where contracts have been entered into. No further use of agency workers outside of existing framework agreements will be allowed except for patient safety and care, 'where all other options have been documented as being exhausted at a minimum of hospital chief executive/manager or Integrated Healthcare Area manager level'. 'All authority to approve any management administration agency staffing ... is revoked as per recent instruction. This instruction is now confirmed without exemption,' the memo says. With some exceptions in areas such as digital and financial management, 'all external professional providers, including management consultancy and similar non-patient-facing services, are to be reduced by 50 per cent based on current use and expenditure'. The HSE in a statement on Thursday said it was 'extremely focused on cost control and the need to maximise savings without affecting patient care, and this week's memo to management is just the latest manifestation' of that. 'We are committed to achieving a cash break-even position for 2025 in relation to Department of Health-funded services and we have this week revisited our plans to do this, and believe we are on track. We are having separate discussions with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality in relation to challenges in disability services.' The HSE said 'any numbers taken from a midyear accounting exercise are just that – numbers without adequate context – and are not a measure of what we expect the full-year 2025 financial performance to be'.
Irish Times
11-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Department of Children accused Tusla of ‘insufficient' response to most at-risk children
Tusla and the Government clashed repeatedly over a national crisis in special care, with a senior official accusing the State agency of taking 'insufficient' action to help the most at-risk children. A chronic shortage of secure accommodation for some of the most vulnerable children in the State prompted the Department of Children to express 'grave concerns' that one child was at risk of dying without a place. The department told Tusla its continued failure to find special care places for children had caused 'high-profile litigation' that has required State resources. Detention in special care is a last resort for children aged 11 to 17 whose health and safety are at risk. Children can only be held in special care on foot of a High Court order. Once such an order is made, Tusla is legally obliged to find a special care place for the child. READ MORE Since 2023, Tusla has faced multiple high-profile court challenges and been sharply criticised by the High Court and Supreme Court for failing to find special care places for all children requiring it. A national shortage of spaces has been exacerbated by high staff turnover and sick leave as a result of workplace injuries. In early 2023, Tusla chief executive Kate Duggan wrote to the agency's parent department saying it was 'imperative to highlight the fact that these young people remain at significant risk in the community'. 'There is a real risk that one of these young people could suffer a fatal outcome,' she said. In response, the department noted the warning with 'especially grave concern' but added later in its letter that 'it is not clear, at this juncture, what specifically Tusla is requesting of the Department'. Correspondence, which was released under Freedom of Information laws, continued over two years including during an incident in July 2023 when a High Court judge asked to hear directly from then-children's minister Roderic O'Gorman on why no special care places were available for a high-risk girl. In a series of letters exchanged between February and March this year, tensions escalated, with Tusla and the department accusing each other of making 'misleading' or inaccurate statements. Kevin McCarthy, secretary general at the Department of Children, took exception to Ms Duggan's 'considerably misleading' claim that the department had not tried to engage with Tusla about the crisis in special care at any point between 2024 and 2025. Mr McCarthy also told Tulsa that the 'the pace and ambition of the collective actions taken by Tusla have been insufficient to date to address a situation which has placed a small number of young people at risk of harm for significant periods of time over the last 18 months'. The failure to resolve this issue 'has led to high-profile litigation which of itself is resource intensive for Tusla, this Department, and the Department of Public Expenditure', the letter said. In her almost 2,000-world reply, Ms Duggan suggested the 'content and inaccuracies' of Mr McCarthy's letter could be 'misconstrued as a concern in relation to the performance' of Tusla or its board. Ms Duggan said Tusla would 'refute' the view that her agency's response was insufficient. She wrote that the department's criticism 'could be perceived to call into question the performance' of the child and family agency. She told the senior civil servant that Tusla would 'be obliged if your correspondence could be reconsidered'. In response, Mr McCarthy said he could 'assure' Ms Duggan he 'did not seek to comment on Tusla's performance' and he recognised the agency's 'extensive' efforts. But he added: 'It is simply a statement of fact that these efforts have proved insufficient to date, as evidenced by the continuing issue of Tusla not being in a position [to] fulfil the requirements of Special Care Orders.' In a statement, Tusla said the correspondence 'represents a shared concern' over special care. 'Significant progress' has been made in this area, and as of Thursday, 'there is no child awaiting a special care bed who requires one', it said.
