Introduction

One in Four provides professional psychotherapy and advocacy services to men and women over the age of 18 years who were sexually abused in childhood, and to their families.  We also provide a sex offender intervention programme to people who committed a sexual offence against a child and to their families.

Assessment of Risk

All our clients have been directly or indirectly affected by childhood sexual abuse. As adults, they themselves are no longer at risk.  However, we believe that even if the sexual abuse took place some years ago, the alleged perpetrator may still pose a risk to current children.

It is our policy that all child protection concerns received from our clients are notified to Tusla child protection teams. As all our clients are adults, most of these allegations concern retrospective accounts of child sexual abuse. 

For people who cause sexual harm attending the Prevention Programme, all disclosures are notified to Tusla child protection services and to the Garda Superintendent in the area in which that person lives.

Protecting Children

Protecting children from sexual harm is at the core of all our activities at One in Four.  We are committed to remaining fully compliant with the relevant legislation: The Children First Act (2015) and The Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information) Act 2012. We are a prescribed organisation under the terms of the 2012 Act. We also strive to remain compliant with the Children First National Guidance 2017. 

Arranging and monitoring compliance with national policy and legislation is ultimately the responsibility of the Board of Directors of One in Four. This responsibility has been delegated to the CEO who has appointed the Director of Advocacy as One in Four’s Child Safeguarding Officer.

Child Safeguarding Officer Contact Details:

Deirdre Kenny

Director of Advocacy

One in Four

35-36 Arran Quay

Dublin 7

[email protected]  

01 6624070

 

 

All psychotherapists and advocacy case managers working at One in Four are mandated persons under the terms of the Children First Act 2015.

Each psychotherapist and advocacy officer is obliged to comply with the provisions of the Act.

Garda Vetting

All frontline staff who work with vulnerable adults (and/or victims of DSGBV) must be fully vetted by the National Vetting Bureau or undergo equivalent criminal background checks in respect of persons who have resided outside the Republic of Ireland.

The Head of Business Support is responsible for ensuring that all relevant staff complete the vetting process.

Training

All staff members and trainees are required to complete the HSE ‘Children First’ eLearning Module before commencing work at One in Four, and to repeat the training every three years. In addition, all new staff and trainees will complete an internal training session on the One in Four Child Safeguarding Policy as part of their induction programme.

Breaches of the Child Safeguarding Statement

All breaches of the Child Safeguarding Policy must be reported to the CEO. Employees and trainees who breach the Policy may be subject to the One in Four disciplinary procedures.

Reporting Policy

We know that it is difficult for clients to take the first step to reach out for help, and people are very often concerned about confidentiality. At One in Four we understand the need to protect the privacy of our clients, but we also understand how important it is that children are protected from sexual harm. We try at all times to ensure that our child protection policy does not deter clients from accessing services.

Determining whether or not a child is at risk of abuse is a specialised task and beyond the competence of One in Four staff. We act on the basis that regardless of when the alleged sexual abuse took place, the alleged offender may still pose a risk to children. For these purposes we remain compliant with the Children First Act 2015 and relevant reporting obligations.

For the purposes of meaningfully investigating an allegation, it is preferable that the client is prepared to make a statement to a Tusla social worker. However, the client must never be put under pressure to do so. If a client does not wish to engage with Tusla, a third-party notification will be made.

If a client who is a survivor of child sexual abuse wishes to make a complaint to the Gardaí, they will be fully supported to do so by a member of the Advocacy team.

For people who are attending the Prevention Programme, a notification will be made to the Tusla child protection team and to the Garda Superintendent in the area in which they live. The Clinical Director is responsible for ensuring that notifications are made promptly in this regard.

GDPR and Mandatory Reporting

Care must be taken to comply with our responsibilities under GDPR when processing sensitive information. When we are sharing this information with a third party, such as Tusla or other state body under our statutory obligation as Mandated Professionals, only the information which is necessary and proportionate to the requirements of the processing activities should be shared. All reasonable efforts should be made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided. Only the relevant personal information requested should be provided.

Child Protection Concerns

The Director of Advocacy is the designated Child Safeguarding Officer at One in Four and will maintain a register of all notifications made to Tusla and of all actions taken. This register will be reviewed regularly with the CEO.

Child Protection is a regular agenda item on clinical and advocacy weekly team meetings and ongoing concerns, including with regards to reporting notifications, are discussed regularly.   

Liaison with External Agencies

One in Four will fully cooperate with Tusla staff and the Gardaí in relation to child protection concerns, including participating in inter-agency meetings and mandated assistance under Section 16 of the Children First Act 2015, where necessary.

Review of Child Safeguarding Statement

The Child Safeguarding Statement must be reviewed by the CEO and Advocacy Director annually to ensure it remains compliant with on-going legislative and policy developments.

This Review must be notified to the Governance & Risk Committee of the Board annually in the meeting scheduled prior to the AGM.