Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Rights Of The Child Referendum (Autumn 2012)

Options
  • 21-06-2012 10:29pm
    #1
    Hogzy
    Registered Users Posts: 7,544 ✭✭✭


    Mr Gilmore has told the Dáil that the issue needed to be progressed on a non partisan basis.
    Eamon Gilmore said that the issue needs to be progress on a non-partisan basis.
    Mr Gilmore said there is a necessity for early intervention in many cases, as highlighted in the child protection services report, and this must not be politicised.
    Earlier, Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald said that the report on the deaths of children in State care makes for poignant and distressing reading.
    The Minister had appeared before the Health and Children Committee to discuss the findings of the report.
    Ms Fitzgerald said it was particularly upsetting to think that the child protection services outlined in the report were working during the height of the Celtic Tiger boom.
    She said that child protection was not a priority then and that huge lessons had to be learned from the report.
    The report showed that young adults up to the age of 23 are very vulnerable.
    Ms Fitzgerald said that a particular focus had to put on the 16-18-year-old group.
    She said that connections between mental health services and child protection services need to be worked on.
    Elsewhere, organisations, including Barnardos and UNICEF Ireland, have welcomed the announcement by Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore that the referendum on children's rights will be held in the Autumn.
    Barnardos has said that the announcement was timely in light of yesterday's report on the deaths of children involved in the care system.
    UNICEF said it would support any proposed Constitutional Amendment that is consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

    Link RTE

    Does anyone know what the referendum will be about. Im assuming it will be a constitutional amendment to Arts 41 and/or 42. Does anyone know what the proposal will be? It seems strange to announce a referendum with absolutely no proposals as to what the changes will be.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Farcear
    Registered Users Posts: 618 ✭✭✭Farcear


    I believe the announcement was just a response to the report on children issued this week.

    I haven't seen or heard of any bill yet.


  • Options
    #3
    monkeypants
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,386 ✭✭✭monkeypants


    Not sure what difference such a referendum will make to the results of the report...


  • Options
    #4
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,345 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    Frances Fitzgerald (Minister for Children) was on RTE Drivetime on the day the report was published, she gave all the usual guff which avoided saying anyone was fired for incompetence, just that there was 'new people' in charge.

    When asked for a reasonably specific time-scale for the referendum, all she would say was 'this year'. Now that to my mind showed a staggering level of naivety on her part because this is June, you can't hold a referendum in July or August because people are away on holidays and schools are locked up for the summer and you can't hold it in November December for fear of bad weather.

    Despite this, when pressed by Mary Wilson to be more specific, she repeated 'this year' so Gilmore stole her thunder the next day and announced that it would be held in 'the autumn' and got coverage in every news bulletin thereby making her look like a complete idiot.


  • Options
    #5
    Hogzy
    Registered Users Posts: 7,544 ✭✭✭Hogzy


    coylemj wrote: »
    Frances Fitzgerald (Minister for Children) was on RTE Drivetime on the day the report was published, she gave all the usual guff which avoided saying anyone was fired for incompetence, just that there was 'new people' in charge.

    When asked for a reasonably specific time-scale for the referendum, all she would say was 'this year'. Now that to my mind showed a staggering level of naivety on her part because this is June, you can't hold a referendum in July or August because people are away on holidays and schools are locked up for the summer and you can't hold it in November December for fear of bad weather.

    Despite this, when pressed by Mary Wilson to be more specific, she repeated 'this year' so Gilmore stole her thunder the next day and announced that it would be held in 'the autumn' and got coverage in every news bulletin thereby making her look like a complete idiot.

    September would be a good time i would imagine. Kids going back to school makes people 'Child Orientated' so the thought of children will be in their heads. Might be a good time to have a childrens rights referendum if you ask me.
    Most people will be back from holidays and the weather is usually the nicest in September (unfortunatly).


Advertisement