Children First

Report on the Monitoring of the Implementation of Children First National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children

Children First, National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children, was launched by the then Minister for State with special responsibility for children, Frank Fahey, on September, 21^st 1999. 

The objectives of the guidelinesn are to:

• Improve the identification, reporting, assessment, treatment and management of child abuse.
• Clarify the responsibilities of various professionals and individuals within organisations.
• Maximise the capacity of staff and organisations to protect children effectively.
• Enhance communication and co-ordination of information between disciplines and organisations.

The government approved the guidelines and decided that all health boards, government departments and organisations providing services for children should apply them consistently.  The Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) was asked to monitor the implementation of the guidelines.

To view the executive summary of the SSI report, please click here. To download the report of the SSI, please click here.