Sir, – Much of the discussion following RTÉ’s ‘Breach of Trust’ programme has focused on the need for creches to have qualified staff. This is, of course, extremely important, however, what is more important than having a full complement of such staff is to have good managers. Even where there are some unqualified staff, if they are well managed no harm need come to any child. That means high standards, good supervision and the consistent application of sound child- care principles. Staff who lack qualifications can learn if well supervised and guided.
The key failure in this instance was at management level: both the micro-management in the centres but also the macro-management required of the HSE and the policy-makers in Government departments. This is hardly surprising when one considers that many of our creches were built during the “boom” years in response to the need to facilitate women, in particular, to work. At one point this drive was overseen by the Department of Justice – a very curious decision indeed – with a range of grants and tax-breaks for those who opened facilities.
The subsequent failure to adequately regulate the tax-incentive-driven childcare sector is a carbon copy of failure to regulate the tax-incentive-driven construction industry, which has led to the virtual collapse of the economy.
If this current controversy prompts a real rethink of our approach to childcare some good will have come from it. However, history would suggest that our capacity to learn is very limited. – Yours, etc,
KIERAN McGRATH,
Child Welfare Consultant,
Beaconsfield Court,
Kilmainham, Dublin 8.
Sir, – I think Darren Williams (May 30th) and other contributors are trying to suggest that our society has somehow become broken as parents choose to put their children into childcare facilities in order to continue a career, or simply have to, to make ends meet. He suggests that putting children into childcare is somehow upper class and that parents effectively neglect the essential rearing of their children by putting them into childcare from an early age. This is not just facile, outdated and puerile, but frankly, offensive.
We have a wonderful, loving, nurturing and trusting relationship with our children and we, both the parents and the children, also had a fantastic experience with the childcare facility we use. There is no downside. I believe the silent majority of young parents have a similar experience to ours. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK METTLER,
Weston Park,
Churchtown, Dublin 14.
A chara, – While echoing Fergus Finlay’s call for registration of childminders, I’d question what an undercover op at a childminder’s would uncover.
Many studies have shown that a home from home environment is best for the under-threes ( P Leach et al, Families, Children and Child Care, 2005); also parents are the daily inspectors who can drop in at any time – an open door policy is normal at a childminder’s.
That said, it is a glaring anomaly that paid childminders working in their own homes, who are alone with children every day of the week, are not even included in the upcoming child protection bills for mandatory Garda vetting, while volunteers for sporting organisations, who simply stand on the sidelines, are obliged to undergo vetting.
Combined with the dismantling of the Childminder Advisory Services around the country, this indicates a complete lack of interest in the estimated 50,000 young children in Ireland being cared for by paid childminders. – Is mise,
MIRIAM O’REGAN,
Knockanree Upper,
Avoca. Co Wicklow.
Sir, – It is no surprise that some children are abused in creches. Inspections are sporadic and indeed some creches are not inspected at all.
Research shows the first five years of a child’s development are vital to life formation. Abuse in those five years may cause residual damage which in turn will affect children throughout their lives. Young children do not have the words to verbalise their abuse, because of this many children display challenging behaviour at primary and secondary school level. Sadly, a high proportion of these children leave school prior to their Leaving Cert. That residual damage may lead to anti-social behaviour and many victims begin a lifetime of crime. These crimes affect families, communities and the taxpayer. Research proves that two-thirds of offenders (mostly males) reoffend within three years. Thus we have the revolving door syndrome in the prison services.
Successive governments have been acutely aware of these statistics; they have a multitude of reports on the abuse of children dating from 1943 to the Ryan report in 2009, yet despite Justice Ryan’s recommendations, The Children First Guidelines have yet to be implemented. This clearly illustrates the unimportance of children in our society.
The money invested in the Spire, the now defunct millennium clock and the €52 million wasted on the electronic voting machines could have been invested in high quality resources in early childhood care.
Our children are our future, so lets put children first for the first time in our history. – Yours, etc,
CHRISTINE BUCKLEY,
Director,
Aislinn Education and
Support Centre,
Jervis Street, Dublin 1.
Sir, – Does the unfolding creche scandal not have a simple solution? Apply a model that is used successfully already.
Get the HSE issue certificates to creches. Make the certificate a statutory requirement in order to care for children. Have the creche pay for the inspection for the certificate. Make it a requirement that all deficiencies identified in HSE inspection are resolved within 30 days or the certificate will be withdrawn. Get a contracted company to carry out the inspections.
Where is the model for this that works already? It’s called the NCT. I think our children deserve at least the same level of care we lavish on our cars. – Yours, etc,
PAUL GALLAGHER,
Beaumont Road,
Beaumont,
Dublin 9.