The main body representing the mentally handicapped has called for an independent authority to monitor standards in psychiatric hospitals and other services.
Ms Ann Donovan, president of the National Association for the Mentally Handicapped of Ireland (NAMHI), said in order to ensure the abuses uncovered by the States of Fear programme did not happen again, "we need national standards, and procedures to implement and monitor these standards.
"Research has shown that children and adults with a mental handicap or intellectual disability are extremely vulnerable and must be given every protection," she continued.
She said parents and other family members must not be afraid to speak up when they are worried about how their loved ones are being treated "for fear they might lose their places in a particular queue or service. Those that have no family must have someone to speak for them."
She was speaking at the launch by the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Cowen, of a NAMHI standards of care leaflet and directory of services.
The Minister said his priority was to improve services by widening the partnerships between health boards and those bodies providing services to the mentally handicapped represented by the Federation of Voluntary Bodies providing Services to People with a Mental Handicap. This was being done through "service agreements" which would increase their transparency and accountability. He noted that voluntary bodies like NAMHI had often felt alienated from the statutory system in the past.
He hoped all the service providers and statutory agencies could agree a common code of practice. Legislation could also be discussed.
NAMHI assistant general secretary Ms Deirdre Carroll welcomed the service agreements but said NAMHI did not want standards set by individual health boards but at a national level "in a legally enforceable way to ensure than vulnerable people are receiving the standard of care to which they have a right".