Ulster Unionist Health Spokesperson Jo-Anne Dobson MLA has warned that children are still being exposed to risk after an independent review identified a swathe of failings within the Safeguarding Board of Northern Ireland.
Jo-Anne Dobson said:
“The Safeguarding Board of Northern Ireland has an essential role in protecting and promoting the welfare of children and young people across Northern Ireland.
“The revelation that concerns being raised by social workers have not been swiftly responded to is deeply concerning, and the emphasis that the report places on tensions within the membership of the Board does a deep disservice to all those young people who are at risk.
“Worryingly these latest findings come only a fortnight after Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary revealed that the PSNI needed to improve its working with vulnerable people and specifically identified flaws with how they responded to children at risk of sexual exploitation.
“It is simply unacceptable that in 2016 children and young people are being exposed to risk as a result of entirely avoidable gaps and failings in safeguarding.
“This report raises a number of serious issues which I will be pursuing to ensure the risk to our young people is minimised. Unfortunately, however, given the Department of Health inexplicably took six months to publish this report I have little confidence that the swift and robust actions that need to be taken, will be.”