Health authorities are in need of additional social workers to cope with cases of neglect and child abuse.
A report by the Eastern Health Board last year found an increase in the number of reported cases of suspected child abuse over a three year period.
A shortage of social workers in the east of the country means that health authorities do not have enough staff to cope with the rise in child abuse cases.
Bríd Clarke who is Director of Childcare for the Eastern Health Board (EHB) attributes this severe shortage of social workers in recent years to a lack of university graduates.
New provisions in the Child Care Act mean that Health Boards are now legally responsible for the provision of social services. A child who requires supports can apply through the courts for them.
Editor of The Irish Social Worker Kieran McGrath believes that this method of accessing services will incur great expense for the health boards.
The issue of sexual and physical abuse of children has received much attention from the media and society in general, and rightly so, says Bríd Clarke. However other forms of abuse such as neglect is often overlooked, and
This is an issue we also need to be looking at.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 30 May 1996. The reporter is Joe Little.
