Latest news with #NiallMuldoon
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- Irish Independent
Ombudsman ‘utterly dismayed' by issues around children's needs
Children's ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon called for the full and direct incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Irish law as he questioned whether ongoing scandals around child homelessness and scoliosis waiting lists would be as severe this year if they had been addressed earlier. Dr Muldoon told the Oireachtas Children's Committee on Wednesday that direct incorporation of the convention is 'the most important thing' that can be done to protect and safeguard the rights of Irish children. He said Ireland had already committed to these rights but there was a need to put 'real force' behind the international obligations. Dr Muldoon told the committee: 'It will put children's rights at the heart of every decision within the public and civil service, and give us a stronger basis to ensure we are keeping our promises to children. 'For example, imagine if five years ago the State had to come up with a child and family-focused home strategy. 'Would there still be 4,775 children in emergency accommodation today?' He added: 'Or if our recommendations around scoliosis as a children's rights issue as far back as 2017 was made against the backdrop of direct incorporation, would there be the same crisis as there is today?' Dr Muldoon said Ireland should be able to better funnel resources to where they are 'needed most', adding that societies are judged on how they treat their most vulnerable. He said: 'As ombudsman for children, I am exasperated and utterly dismayed at the persistent chronic issues around access to affordable housing for children and families, at the unacceptable delays in access to vital surgeries and assessments of need in a country as well-off as Ireland economically. 'We are now at a crossroads in terms of what can be achieved for children, and in the current climate of political uncertainty and change it's more important than ever for the State to bed down its commitments on children's rights.'
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Ombudsman ‘utterly dismayed' by issues around children's needs
An ombudsman has said he is 'exasperated and utterly dismayed' at chronic issues around children's needs. Children's Ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon called for the full and direct incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Irish law as he questioned whether ongoing scandals around child homelessness and scoliosis waiting lists would be as severe this year if they had been addressed earlier. Advertisement Dr Muldoon told the Oireachtas Children's Committee on Wednesday that direct incorporation of the convention is 'the most important thing' that can be done to protect and safeguard the rights of Irish children. He said Ireland had already committed to these rights, but there was a need to put 'real force' behind the international obligations. Dr Muldoon told the committee: 'It will put children's rights at the heart of every decision within the public and civil service, and give us a stronger basis to ensure we are keeping our promises to children. 'For example, imagine if five years ago the State had to come up with a child and family-focused home strategy. Advertisement 'Would there still be 4,775 children in emergency accommodation today?' He added: 'Or if our recommendations around scoliosis as a children's rights issue, as far back as 2017, was made against the backdrop of direct incorporation, would there be the same crisis as there is today?' Dr Muldoon said Ireland should be able to better funnel resources to where they are 'needed most', adding that societies are judged on how they treat their most vulnerable. He said: 'As ombudsman for children, I am exasperated and utterly dismayed at the persistent chronic issues around access to affordable housing for children and families, at the unacceptable delays in access to vital surgeries and assessments of need in a country as well-off as Ireland economically. Advertisement 'We are now at a crossroads in terms of what can be achieved for children, and in the current climate of political uncertainty and change, it's more important than ever for the State to bed down its commitments on children's rights.'
The Journal
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Journal
Ombudsman 'exasperated' over repeated warnings on lifelong impact homelessness can have on children
LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago THE OMBUDSMAN FOR Children is expected to tell an Oireachtas committee this morning that the impact of homelessness and unstable living conditions on children is 'catastrophic'. Dr Niall Muldoon and other members of the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO) will appear before the Oireachtas Housing Committee later this afternoon, alongside the Dublin Region Homelessness Executive and Westmeath County Council. Muldoon will tell TDs and Senators that it is 'exasperating' to have to repeatedly warn of the serious impacts of homelessness on children amid the ongoing housing crisis. He will say that the OCO has been raising many of the same issues that are impacting children's lives and preventing them from fully enjoying their lives over the last 20 years, with child homelessness having grown 'exponentially' in the last ten years. 'As Ombudsman for Children I have made recommendations, met with Ministers and officials, but still every month the number of children who are living in homeless accommodation continues to grow,' Muldoon will say. 'Housing has been identified by the Taoiseach as the 'number one issue' for the current government, and so it should be,' he will tell the committee. Advertisement 'The trouble is that the seriousness of the housing situation has been known for almost a decade now, and because of its longevity the effects have rippled across all of our society. Children however have borne the biggest brunt of the ongoing crisis and we cannot forget that.' Muldoon will say that the move away from local authority housing during the economic crash in 2008 has led to a situation now where 'we are consistently failing more and more children and families who are falling into homelessness'. He will highlight the 2019 No Place Like Home report, which featured children's views and experiences of homelessness and recommended that the Housing Act 1988 be amended to place a statutory duty on local authorities to ensure the best interests of the child is at the centre of decision-making when supporting homeless families. The report also recommended that capital investment in, and output of social and affordable housing be 'significantly increased'. 'These recommendations were reflected in the 2019 report from Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, yet we have seen little or no progress,' Muldoon will say. He will call for the Government to introduce 'bold brave measures' to address 'what is a crisis of epic proportions for children in Ireland'. I know it is not a simple problem to solve but it must be done. 'Until children are considered in their own right, and their specific circumstances addressed, it will be difficult to make significant progress.' According to the latest figures from the Department of Housing, 4,775 children were among a record 15,580 people living in emergency accommodation in the State in April. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Children have ‘borne the biggest brunt' of homelessness crisis
Children have 'borne the biggest brunt' of the homelessness crisis, TDs and Senators will be told. The Ombudsman for Children Dr Niall Muldoon is expected to make the remarks during Tuesday's meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing. The committee, which is to examine the challenges to tackling homelessness, will separately hear that spending on homeless services in Dublin has increased by 337 per cent over the last decade. In his opening statement Mr Muldoon is to tell the politicians that 'over the past 10 years the crisis of homelessness, but in particular child homelessness, has grown exponentially'. READ MORE 'As Ombudsman for Children I have made recommendations, met with Ministers and officials, but still every month the number of children who are living in homeless accommodation continues to grow.' Mr Muldoon will outline how his office published its No Place Like Home report in April 2019 on children's views and experiences of living in family hubs (a form of emergency accommodation). At the time there were 3,784 children in emergency accommodation. This dropped to 2,193 in April 2021 when the pandemic-era eviction ban was in place. Mr Muldoon will say the number 'has climbed every April since – 2,944 in 2022, 3,594 in 2023, 4,214 in 2024 and 4,775 in 2025, which are the most recent figures available.' Overall 15,580 people across all ages were homeless in Ireland at the end of April. Mr Muldoon will tell the committee that 'the impact of homelessness and unstable living conditions on children is catastrophic' and it 'affects every aspect of their lives; education, wellbeing, self-development'. [ Number of children in consistent poverty rises by `staggering' 45,000, report shows Opens in new window ] He will say that 'housing has been identified by the Taoiseach as the 'number one issue' for the current Government. And so it should be. 'The trouble is that the seriousness of the housing situation has been known for almost a decade now, and because of its longevity the effects have rippled across all of our society. 'Children, however, have borne the biggest brunt of the ongoing crisis and we cannot forget that.' He adds: 'The move away from local authority housing during the economic crash of 2008 has led to a situation now where we are consistently failing more and more children and families who are falling into homelessness. 'It is exasperating for me to repeatedly have to make these points, but it must be said again and again: even short-term exposure to homelessness can have a lifelong impact on children.' Separately, the director of the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) Mary Hayes is expected to outline the increased cost of providing homeless services in the capital over the last 10 years. The committee will hear that Dublin provides accommodation and services to approximately 72 per cent of the adults experiencing homelessness nationally. Ms Hayes says that under exchequer arrangements, local authorities must provide at least 10 per cent of the cost of homeless services from their own resources. She adds: 'Expenditure has increased by 337 per cent over the last decade, with the majority spent on emergency accommodation.' A table provided as part of her opening statement shows homeless service expenditure of €73,365,255 in 2015 rising to €320,336,703 last year. The spend in 2025 is expected to be €355,541,935. Ms Hayes says: 'Emergency accommodation is very costly in both human and economic terms and is where most of the funding is spent each year. 'There is a strong will to move away from contracting from the private sector but that can be difficult when the immediate demand for emergency accommodation is so high.'
The Journal
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Children's Ombudsman received 371 complaints last year as part of 'campaign' against SPHE syllabus
THE OMBUDSMAN FOR Children's Office received 371 complaints last year regarding the SPHE syllabus. The Office said the complaints were made as part of a 'campaign' regarding the SPHE syllabus. The figures are contained in the Office's annual report for 2024. The SPHE (Social, Personal and Health Education) curriculum has been the target of disinformation campaigns. Last year, the Department of Education acknowledged that it was aware of a YouTube video that claimed 'disturbing' practices would be introduced to Irish classrooms as part of the SPHE syllabus. 'It is understood that a video has been circulating suggesting that teachers will be expected to introduce certain explicit and inappropriate topics and materials in the classroom,' read the Department memo last October. 'The Department of Education and DCU have confirmed this is categorically not the case.' The memo also dismissed as 'false' a suggestion in the video that teachers would be expected to teach or introduce pornography or explicit topics. It said that the curriculum 'categorically does not expose children to graphic or explicit content' and does not normalise the use of pornography among secondary school students. The Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon, acknowledged that there was a 'period of time in which there was a lot of misinformation in relation to the SPHE curriculum'. 'We got a series of complaints which looked for us to investigate the content of the curriculum, which is not part of our remit, so we couldn't look into it at that stage,' he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland. Meanwhile, the Office received some 1,772 contacts in relation to complaints last year, almost identical to the number of complaints received the year previous. However, the Office said that the there is an 'increase in the complexity of the complaints being made'. The Office said that 16% of complaints related to more than one agency, while 33% included multiple categories of concern. Some 33% of complaints related to education and the most complained about issue within education were special educational supports, bullying and complaints management within schools. Some 19% of complaints were also aimed at Tusla and related to children in residential and special care, access to interventions and supports, and concerns from young people about complaint handling. And while not counted as complaints to the Office, there was an 88% rise in Child Protection and Welfare concerns received in 2024 compared to the previous year, with the figure jumping to 140. Advertisement These are handled separately to the issues raised in a complaint. Complaints resolution Elsewhere, the Office said it encourages 'local resolution of complaints' that 'usually result in quick wins'. One such 'quick win' related to a complaint from a student who had Cerebral Palsy and only had the use of her left hand. She applied to use a voice-to-text device for the Leaving Cert but was refused. Her parents wrote to the State Examinations Commission (SEC) but never got a response. The Office contacted the SEC, which then granted the use of the device and the issue was resolved days before the exam started. But some cases take longer to resolve, such as that of a six-year-old who was 'locked in a side room off the main classroom when he had become disruptive'. The student was in an autism spectrum disorder class in a mainstream school, said the Office. His mother complained to the school's Board of Management but was left 'deeply unhappy with how her complaint was responded to by the Board'. She contacted the Children's Ombudsman and when the Office became involved in the case, the school's Board of Management (BOM) acknowledged that 'their approach to managing the complaint fell below standard'. 'They confirmed that a letter of complaint was not read aloud to the BOM, and they took the word of the principal that the matters were being dealt with accordingly,' said the Office's report. 'They acknowledged they were a relatively new BOM with a new chairperson and advised that they have since made changes to their practice.' The school then provided extra supports to the student and the Office was 'assured that such seclusion practice is no longer in place'. The school also apologised to the student and his mother 'for their poor handling of the complaint and any impact that the seclusion may have had on his integration into the school community'. The Ombudsman for Children's Office was established in 2004 to protect and promote the rights of children in Ireland. The Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon, remarked that 'in the current climate of uncertainty and change, it is more important than ever for the State to bed down its commitment on children's rights'. 'Ireland is now at a crossroads of what can be achieved for children and this Office will continue to push for the rights of children to be the signpost that is followed at all times,' said Muldoon. 'By doing that we can bring to life the Government's promise to make Ireland the best place in Europe for children to grow up.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
