Latest news with #NormaFoley
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Independent
‘Over 10 years later, I still suffer from panic attacks' – people who were in child residential care tell of troubles they faced in system
He painted a sad picture of his chaotic early years in the care system at an event organised by the Children's Rights Alliance, attended by Children's Minister Norma Foley. When the system worked, it worked really well, he said, but when it failed, it could leave you feeling more defeated than before, he told the gathering of children's rights advocates yesterday. He 'absolutely hated' his first residential placement. It was a perfect picture of 'children should be seen and not heard'. He felt like a case file or a problem to be solved, rather than a child. He was suffering from severe mental health difficulties due to trauma early in life. 'I was given no privacy, no autonomy and no real voice in my care,' he said. 'Decisions about my life were never mine to be involved in. I didn't have access to any real meaningful mental health support.' They were told the only way to stop my panic attacks was to ignore them He said he was made to feel ashamed if he ended up in hospital. 'I remember when they were told that the only way to stop my panic attacks was to ignore them,' he said. 'No one stood up and said that doesn't sound quite right. Instead, if I dared to have a panic attack, staff were instructed to completely ignore me for up to an hour. 'Over 10 years later, and I still suffer from panic attacks.' The next home was the opposite. His room had art supplies and teddies and staff paid attention to the things that made life worth living for him. He started to act his age and felt less institutionalised. 'I finally felt heard, seen and safe,' he said. 'I was never made to feel like I was seen as a case file. I was seen as Kai.' As an early school-leaver, he felt he would never see the walls of a college, but last week he got a first-class honours in his social care degree. He called for the voices of children in care to be heard when reforms to the system are considered and more support for young people after they reach 18. 'At times my mental health had to be in crisis before anyone listened or acted, a failure that not only nearly cost me my life, but took my best friend from me at age 16, a loss and pain too well known within this community,' he said. There is a need for up to 300 social workers to respond to increasing demand Andrea Reilly, who suffers from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), said she found it a challenge to access services and support while in foster care. She felt support was crisis-led. 'Unless the shit really hits the fan, you're not going to get the support needed as quick as other people,' she said. Kate Duggan, CEO of Tusla, said there is a need for up to 300 social workers to respond to increasing demand, and an extra 200 beds in residential care. Due to staffing challenges, a social worker apprenticeship scheme is in place, which she described as a 'gamechanger'. However, it will take up to three years to see the outcome on the ground. The Children's Rights Alliance is calling for an additional €50m in Budget 2026 to provide investment in core child protection and welfare services. Ms Foley said a new framework for alternative care to support children and young people will be complete by the summer of 2026.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Independent
Over €66 million in payments issued under Government's redress scheme for mother and baby home survivors
An awareness campaign is expected to be launched to encourage people to apply for the scheme, with a particular focus on people living in Great Britain. The Government set up the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme with the expectation of issuing payments to around 34,000 people and health supports to 19,000 people who were in mother and baby homes, at a cost of €800 million. Its third implementation report about the action plan for issues related to mother and baby homes, published on Tuesday, said that over 6,600 applications have been received as of June 15, 2025. By this date, over 4,400 payments had been processed to the value of over €66 million. Over 16,000 requests for information has also been completed under the Birth Information and Tracing Act. 'With an estimated 34,000 people eligible for this Scheme, an estimated 40pc of whom live outside of Ireland, the department is conscious of the need to raise awareness of the scheme through all means possible and phase 2 of a public awareness campaign ran from October to December 2024 with a particular focus on Great Britain,' the report said. 'Further phases of the awareness campaign will be undertaken in the future.' The government had sought for religious bodies to contribute around €270 million to the cost of the Government-established Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. Only two of eight religious bodies linked to mother and baby homes in Ireland have offered to contribute, a report found in April. The Sisters of Bon Secours offered €12.97 million, while the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul proposed contributing a building to the scheme. ADVERTISEMENT A commission of investigation was set up in 2015 to examine homes run by the state and religious organisations where tens of thousands of unmarried Irish women were sent to have their babies. The commission found that almost 170,000 women and children passed through the institutions from 1922 until the last one closed in 1998. The investigation exposed the often harsh conditions and unforgiving regimes many women and children experienced in the institutions. It comes as Minister Norma Foley is to bring a plan to Cabinet for a permanent residential abuse commemorative centre on Sean MacDermott Street in Dublin to honour all victims of religious abuse. The new interpretive centre will be on the site of an old Magdalene laundry, which once accommodated some 'fallen women' from the streets of neighbouring Monto, once the largest red light district in Europe. But while the brothels of Monto were cleared a century ago this year, the Magdalene laundries continued in operation until the 1990s, incarcerating unmarried mothers. They were held often for decades, carrying out unpaid work for the Catholic Church and its religious orders. A planning application has already gone in for a campus in which the public can learn about the harsh lives of women forced into manual work for the 'sin of having a child out of wedlock'. It was initiated by former Equality minister, Roderic O'Gorman, who said a national centre for records and memorialisation in Seán MacDermott Street was really important for the validation of victims. Survivor groups were notified overnight of this afternoon's intended announcement of the conversion of the laundry. There will be a museum of the Magdalene experience, and an archive run by the National Archives. It is also believed there will ultimately be some social housing there as well, with an allocation for elderly people as part of the overall concept. The announcement comes days after work has started on the Tuam mother and baby home site that could contain the remains of 800 infants buried in a septic sewer. Director Daniel McSweeney and an advisory board have started work, supported by campaigner Catherine Corless. It was Ms Corless who first uncovered the scale of unregistered burials in Tuam and who brought it to national and international attention. The legislation allows for identification attempts when human remains are found, with the Government pledging that the best technology that currently exists will be used in the effort to get DNA from those remains that are excavated. But identification efforts, with family members giving blood samples, will depend on what material is found, and the condition it's in. Sensitive reburial is on the agenda, and there will be ongoing discussion with with families of former residents, in terms of how respectful reburial can be undertaken at the end of the process.
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- General
- RTÉ News
What impact will the changes to Senior Cycle have?
Plans to overhaul how Leaving Certificate students are assessed will be discussed by the leadership of the ASTI teachers' union at a two-day meeting in Killarney which begins this afternoon. With students sitting the last of this year's Leaving Certificate exams today, Education Correspondent Emma O Kelly looks at what the senior cycle changes are and the issues and concerns around them. What are the Government's plans for Senior Cycle reform? The next four years will see a profound revamping across all Leaving Certificate subjects to shift the balance away from a focus on terminal exams towards continuous assessment. Reconfiguration is due to begin this September with revised specifications for incoming fifth years in an initial seven subjects, including the science subjects of physics, biology and chemistry, as well as business. Under the plans, at least 40% of students' marks will be awarded for a project completed during the year, known as an AAC or Additional Assessment Component. This means that when those fifth years reach the end of their final year, their June written exams will count for just 60% of their overall mark. While this is certainly a shift, the Department of Education points to the fact that non-exam-based assessment is already a feature of the Leaving Certificate. Out of 41 Leaving Certificate subjects, only 12 are examined entirely via an end-of-year exam. The department says these non-exam-based components take a variety of formats, and the majority of them are already weighted at or above 40%. While assessment projects will be marked by the State Examinations Commission, it is teachers and school principals who will police the new system. In the main, projects must be completed in school under the supervision of the subject teacher and must be authenticated by them and by the school principal. The school and the teacher will be required to stand over a student's work, and they need to be satisfied that the student has carried out the work themselves. Work that is not authenticated by the subject teacher or school will not be accepted. Guidelines for the Additional Assessment Components state: "The submission of work by any student not entirely completed by that student is a significant breach of regulations." The new plans were announced two years ago by the then Minister for Education Norma Foley. She argued that the change would allow for a more holistic and deeper experience of learning for students, and reduce the stress associated with the Leaving Certificate. This is a stance fully supported by the current minister Helen McEntee. Curriculum changes of any great magnitude are normally piloted in a small number of schools prior to their wider introduction, but for these reforms a decision was taken to skip this piloting phase. Norma Foley characterised this as an "acceleration" of the plans. What is the problem? Many teachers feel the change is far too rushed. The two second level teachers' unions both initially called for a "pause" before implementation. An 'implementation plan', designed to bring teachers on board, was drawn up and the two teacher unions balloted on it. While the TUI accepted the plan, ASTI members rejected it and gave their union a mandate for action, up to and including strike action. The TUI leadership was quick to stress that even though members voted in favour their concerns remained. Teacher concerns centre on these Additional Assessment Components. They worry that the challenges posed by AI have not been thoroughly assessed. They are concerned that the changes might actually increase stress for students, and that that stress will now be spread throughout the school year. They also express concern around equity, that students attending schools that are better resourced would have an advantage over others. What do science teachers say? The science subjects of Physics, Biology and Chemistry are among the first to be revamped, with new curriculums coming in this September for incoming fifth year students. Students will be required to complete a project involving original research and experimentation which they will then write up. It is this written document that will be submitted for assessment. Last December the Irish Science Teachers Association, which had representatives sitting on a working group related to the new specifications, decided to disassociate the organisation from the AAC components. The association is deeply unhappy with elements of the AACs. This includes concern about their integrity, given the arrival of generative AI. It also feels awarding 40% of marks for this is disproportionate. Helen Cowley teaches chemistry at Oatlands College in Dublin. She is very happy with the overall thrust of the new chemistry specification. "I'm pleased with the link to 'everyday', the practical inquiry-based learning, the students thinking for themselves," she says. It is the sudden shift to the awarding of such a high proportion of marks for project work that concerns her, as well as the fact that assessment is based not directly on the student's experiment but on the report that the student will write about it. "The AAC is worth 40% of the marks. AI can produce a credible written investigation within minutes. Teachers don't have the fraud detecting software and have not [as yet] got AI usage guidelines," she said. She is concerned about the cumulative impact upon students of multiple assessment projects over a short period of time. "Students, within a very short timeframe of between November and May, could have as many as 6 to 7 AACs to submit – they also have their orals in that time - and that is chronic stress and no respite for the student. It is one on top of the other, and I think that is the opposite of what [the Department of Education] are trying to achieve." What does the Department of Education say? Last month Minister for Education said the reforms were "in the best interests of students". "It will help to reduce the pressure faced by students, while recognising a broader range of skills and ensuring that students have the skills necessary to thrive and succeed in a rapidly changing world," Helen McEntee said. Key to this shift, for the Department, is the move towards assessment. Orlaith O'Connor is Deputy Chief Inspector at the Department of Education. Addressing concerns around the Additional Assessment Components, she points out that students are already completing projects for assessment in place of written examinations in most subjects. Indeed, students sitting their Religious Education exam this afternoon will already have completed a written assignment worth 20% of their overall mark. "[Those assessments] range from coursework to project work, so this is already a well-established practice across the Leaving Certificate and the Leaving Certificate Applied," Ms O'Connor says. On concerns around the potential use by students of AI to cheat, she points to the oversight that the teacher will have over a student's progress. The process is "multi-staged", she says. "And this multi-staged approach allows for students to engage over a period of time with the process. [The project] is designed to be completed in the classroom, with support and guidance from the teacher. In some cases this is over six stages, in some it is seven. Ms O'Connor says the department is in the process of developing guidelines for teachers around AI. "The guidelines will focus on the ethical, safe, and responsible use of AI in schools and will also set out the opportunities and challenges." The ultimate impact of the ASTI rejection of the 'implementation plan' designed to assuage teacher concerns is still unclear. It does not necessarily mean that the union will not co-operate with the changes. Such a decision would leave members open to losing pay increases due to them under the latest current national pay deal. But there is not getting away from the fact that the changes to assessment do not enjoy the confidence of teachers. The elephant in the room In the background to all of this is the points system. Our third level colleges use Leaving Certificate results to rank students and filter for entry to most of their courses. With limited places on many programmes this means a considerable number of students feel under pressure to obtain the very best results and therefore the highest points possible. This in turn places pressure on teachers to 'teach to the test'. Schools feel under pressure, too. They face competition from other schools. Every year national newspapers publish tables ranking schools according to how many students they sent on to the universities, and these tables are poured over by parents wondering which school to send their child to. It is difficult to see whether, or to what extent, a more holistic experience of learning and a less stressful one is possible without addressing this underlying factor.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Health
- Irish Independent
Children's Rights Alliance calling for €50 million more funding for child protection services
The organisation's announcement comes ahead of a public event on Tuesday, June 24, at which the Minister for Children Norma Foley will deliver a special address and Kate Duggan, CEO of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, will speak to current challenges the agency is facing to meet demand. Tanya Ward, Chief Executive of the Children's Rights Alliance said: "Since 2019, referrals to Tusla have increased by 70pc. They have doubled in the last ten years. "The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the sudden withdrawal of services is increasingly evident in the complexity of cases and challenging circumstances reported by services on the frontline. "Last year's budget allocation was largely to provide for existing levels of service. However, existing levels of service cannot meet the demand and need that exist.' Ms Ward highlighted 'persistent staffing issues and an acute lack of appropriate residential and foster care placements'. The organisation's call out follows reports earlier this month that approximately 30 children in Tusla's Separated Children Seeking International Protection service were missing and unaccounted for in January and February this year. Additionally, 27 other children were unaccounted for at different stages of the inspection and returned to the centre. Ms Ward added: 'The infrastructure and personnel must be there to support the root and branch reform that is needed in the system. "This will mean the Government needs to secure funding for at least 300 social workers and social care workers, additional foster carers, as well as capital funding for Tusla to acquire enough appropriate residential facilities. 'We know from children directly of the transformative effect timely interventions, the support of a key professional and appropriate care placements can have. "However, we also know what happens if we fail to deliver these. For too long, Government investment in our core child protection services and wider family supports has been below the level needed to provide safe and appropriate care for children and young people who have no choice but to depend on the state. This cannot continue.'
Irish Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Children's Minister to be quizzed over disappearance of Kyran Durnin
The Children's Minister is to be quizzed in the Seanad over the disappearance and murder of little Kyran Durnin. Norma Foley will be asked to give an update on the Tusla Review into the case, none of which has been made public so far. The request for an update was made by Drogheda Senator Alison Comyn almost three years to the date since he was last publicly seen alive at a school in Dundalk, Co Louth. Despite a series of searches of various houses in Co Louth so far no body has been found and although two people were arrested over the murder, no one has been charged. Tusla, the Child and Family Protection Agency must carry out a review any time a child on its books or in its care, dies to see what lessons can be learned. Kyran, who was six years old when he vanished, was missing for two years before Tusla noticed he was gone. A different child was brought to meetings with social workers pretending to be Kyran. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Senator Comyn said: "It is three years since Kyran's last confirmed sighting at the end of June, 2022. He was only reported missing in August last year and is now sadly presumed dead. "There are still serious questions to be answered about who else knew what given that Tusla had engaged with the family in the months before Kyran disappeared. "I have requested that Minister Norma Foley come to the Seanad to discuss what further information she has received since her most recent statement last year on this matter. "Obviously Gardai are working on establishing the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and everyone hopes justice is served for this little boy's sake. "But procedures need to be put in place to ensure something like this must never happen again to another child." She urged members of the public who had any information about Kyran to contact the Garda in Drogheda. One of the two people arrested later killed himself while the other, a woman, left the country and is living in England. The man denied any involvement in the child's murder before he took his own life. Kyran would be nine years old if he were alive today.
