Support for children affected by domestic violence
The Government has given the go-ahead for the drafting of legislation that would allow for information-sharing between An Garda Síochána and schools.
The aim is to strengthen protection for children affected by violence in the home.
The move will facilitate Operation Encompass, an early-intervention strategy that involves gardaí notifying a child’s school if there is a domestic-violence incident in the child’s home, so that a teacher can provide care and support.
The measures on information sharing are included in the General Scheme of the .
A similar strategy is already in place in the North.
‘Discreet support’
“Teachers are not expected to take any action, other than being sensitive to the fact that the child may have witnessed a distressing incident of domestic abuse,” said Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan.
“The discreet support will be based on the needs and wishes of the child,” he stated, adding that gardaí would be allowed to share with the school only that a domestic-violence incident had occurred in the household, with no other details.
“For some children, school is the only safe place – knowing what’s happening at home helps staff protect that space,” said Minister for Education Helen McEntee.