TRIMESTER - Rotunda Library Newsletter June 2014 | 页面 4

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Trimester
Rotunda Library Newsletter

Children First
Midwifery Journal Club

T

he Midwifery Journal Club
meeting held on Thursday, May
29th, in the School of Midwifery
was presented by Sinead Devitt, Head
Social Worker.
Sinead’s presentation focused on child
abuse in Ireland and the introduction of
the Children First guidelines as one of the
recommendations of the Ryan Report,
2009.
Sinead commenced with a categorisation
of child abuse, as emotional, physical and
sexual abuse, with neglect deemed to be
the most common form of child abuse,
accounting for more than half of the cases
reported. Multiple factors such as social
isolation, poor housing, low levels of
employment and poverty all contribute
to the parent’s inability to provide basic
needs for the chid. The neglect often
coexists with domestic violence, substance
abuse and mental health and intellectual
issues.
The question was put, How do we recognise
child abuse or how does it come to our attention?
Who has responsibility for reporting incidents of
abuse? The answer put forward is, All
individuals have a responsibility to be aware of
the signs and the possibility of child abuse,

irrespective of their positions in the
organisation. Formally the CFA
(Tusla) and the Garda
Siochána have an overall statutory
responsibility to assess and manage
child protection concerns.
The aims of Children First are:
♦ To improve identification,
reporting, assessment and
management of child abuse.
♦ Sets out particular statutory
responsibility for the CFA
and the Garda.
♦ Provide guidance to the broader
group of professional and
organisations, whose work
brings them into contact with
children and families.
♦ To enhance communication and
co-ordination of information
between disciplines.
Staff within the Rotunda have
different levels of responsibilities
for reporting: designated officers
include all MSW’s, CNM3 and
ADOM. The role of the duty
social worker was discussed in
identifying child abuse and their
role when a referrals were made.

The role of the Hospital in protecting
the rights of the unborn child and mother
was also discussed. A child protection
order cannot be granted on a child before
he or she is born but reports can be
sought on the mother’s behaviour in
terms of any potential damage to the
unborn baby.
Concerns regarding care orders relating
to other jurisdictions must go to court in
Ireland where concerns are expressed by
social workers and an emergency care
order may be sought.
Gardai have the power where there are
reasonable grounds for believing there is
an immediate and serious risk to the
health or welfare of a child, to remove
the child to a place of safety under
section 12 of the Child Care Act.
Information sharing between agencies is
crucial and must always be written down.
All agencies should develop a policy on
staff responsibility for the protection and
welfare of children. Designated officers
should be assigned, be appropriately
trained and implement best practice.
The journal club was well attended and
members have a better understanding of
this thought provoking subject.
~ Anne M. O’Byrne

Bartholomew Mosse Monograph

I

n 2013, our Librarian, Anne, was requested to write a
personal account of the man who founded the Rotunda
Hospital, Bartholomew Mosse. James Wilder of Wild
Apple Press asked Anne to complete a monograph which
would be a limited edition print.
The monograph is a descriptive narrative of a man who was
consumed by a passion to establish a lying-in hospital for the
poor and needy women of Dublin in the mid 18th century.
What stands is a testimony to the trials and hardship this
revered man endured along the way to fulfil a vision and leave
a long lasting and continuing legacy.
Bartholomew Mosse: a physician who accomplished his dream was
published by Wild Apple Press in 2014.

~ Geraldine Walsh