Members of the North-Eastern Health Board have claimed that the board does not have the funding or resources required to address child abuse in its area.
The claim was made during a debate on the annual report of the board's childcare advisory committee and followed an announcement that a high-support residential unit for children with special needs is to be located in the former Army barracks in Castleblayney, Co Monaghan.
Cllr Brian Fitzgerald, a former TD, told yesterday's meeting of the NEHB that its resources were "absolutely inadequate" to deal with the problems outlined in the annual report, which showed that 1,784 cases of child abuse had been confirmed in the region since 1993. In 1998 the board received 1,598 reported cases of child abuse, a 35 per cent increase on 1997. Of the cases reported in 1998, 577 were confirmed.
Fifty-one per cent of the cases referred to the board related to child neglect, while sexual abuse represented 22 per cent, physical abuse 19 per cent and emotional abuse 8 per cent.
Cllr Fitzgerald said he did not believe that the board's resources could meet the demands placed on it. "These figures make horrific reading for anybody and I don't believe the message is getting through to those funding the services. I believe we should adopt a motion to inform the Minister [for Health] that the funding we have is absolutely and totally inadequate", he said.
Cllr Peter Savage, chairman of Louth County Council, agreed with Cllr Fitzgerald and said that, given the board's funding, its services were only "scratching at the surface" of the problem. "Unless the root cause is tackled, in 10 years' time we will have a horrendous situation. We are trying to hold back a tide."
Senator John Farrelly asked if the report would be presented to the Minister and said that the problems would have to be identified and dealt with.
Responding to the debate, Mr Pat Donnelly, programme manager of community services and continuing care at the NEHB, said: "The inadequacies and deficits identified in one year provide the focus for resources the next year. The reports of alleged child abuse and neglect are no higher than other boards in the country and are in and around the national average.
"Even though it is a worrying trend, I believe it is not that there is more child abuse nowadays, but that there is more reporting of it. The board alone will not solve the problem."
Members were told that the former Army barracks in Castleblayney was to be developed into a high-support residential care centre for up to 20 children with special needs. Social behaviour is to be the determining factor for referral of children to the unit. The NEHB, the Midland Health Board and the North-Western and Western Health Boards are to develop it.
The Department of Health & Children has allocated capital funding of £1 million and revenue funding of £400,000 for the unit. It will employ 45-50 people and will cost approximately £1.2 million a year to run.