An allegation of abuse made against a staff member will be acted upon immediately. In the event of allegations being made against a staff member, or if a staff member suspects another member of staff of inappropriate behaviour towards or abuse of a child, the protection of the child is the first and paramount consideration. The priority is to ensure that no child is exposed to unnecessary risk. The CSO should as a matter of urgency take any necessary protective measures (see Appendix 6). The measures should be proportionate to the level of risk and should not unreasonably penalise the staff member, financially or otherwise, unless necessary to protect children. Where protective measures penalise the staff member, it is important that early consideration be given to the case.
Where there is a complaint of abuse against a member of staff, procedures will take on two strands. The reporting of the child abuse will be the same as Section 5.3 (staff member → Designated Liaison Person → Tusla). However, there will also be an investigation into the alleged abuse. In fact, there may be three investigations:
It is the responsibility of the DLPs to ensure that the Child Safeguarding Reporting Procedure is implemented as necessary. They will liaise, where appropriate, with the family. They will co-operate in full with all investigating bodies.
The HR Manager will handle the departmental investigation into the alleged abuse by a staff member. This investigation will be commenced by the Principal Officer, HR, and will be dealt with promptly and carefully. The HR Division will consult with Tusla and An Garda Síochána in order to avoid unintentionally impeding an investigation.
It is the responsibility of the HR Manager:
The disciplinary procedure applicable to matters of serious misconduct are set out in Circular 19/2016: Civil Service Disciplinary Code.
It must be remembered that staff may be subjected to erroneous or malicious allegations. Therefore, any abuse allegation must be dealt with sensitively. While the primary goal must be to protect the child, care will be taken to ensure that the member of staff is treated fairly.
As soon as an allegation against a staff member has been made, these steps will be followed: