Child Safeguarding Statement

1.     Service being provided:       General Dental Care

2.     Nature of service and principles to safeguard children from harm:         We provide General Dental Care to Adults and Children and exercise a Duty of Care to all our patients providing, to the best of our ability, a caring and comfortable service delivered in a caring and comfortable environment. We are guided by: Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children; Tusla’s Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice; the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and current legislation such as the Children First Act 2015, Child Care Act 1991, Protections for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act 1998 and the National Vetting Bureau Act 2012. 

3.    Risk Assessment:       We have carried out a careful assessment of any potential for harm to a child with regard to Safeguarding while availing of our services and have identified no risks. We are aware of the possibility of such risks arising and we review our Assessment on a regular basis.

4.     Procedures:               Our Child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with requirements under the Children First Act 2015, Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017), and Tusla’s Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice. The following procedures support our intention to safeguard children while they are availing of our service: 

• Procedure for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct against a member of this practice of a child availing of our service;
• Procedure for the safe recruitment and selection of practice members to work with children;
• Procedure for provision of and access to child safeguarding training and information, including the identification of the occurrence of harm;
• Procedure for the reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla;
• Procedure for maintaining a list of the mandated persons;
• Procedure for appointing a relevant person.

All procedures listed are available upon request.

5.     Implementation: 

We recognize that implementation is an on-going process. Our service is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the procedures that support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our service.

This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed on an annual basis, or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers.

F.X. O’Brien. 

For queries, please contact F.X. O’Brien, Relevant Person under the Children First Act 2015.

Child Safeguarding Procedures

• Procedure for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct against a member of this practice of a child availing of our service:

Immediate reporting to the Mandated/Relevant Person, F.X. O’Brien,  35 Forster Street, Galway, Telephone 091 562 709 or directly to the Child & Family Agency, 25 Newcastle Road, Galway, Telephone 091 546 235

• Procedure for the safe recruitment and selection of practice members to work with children:

Child Safeguarding suitability is among criteria employed in recruiting staff for the practice.

• Procedure for provision of and access to child safeguarding training and information, including the identification of the occurrence of harm:

Contact Children First Information and Advice Officer, Child & Family Agency, First Floor, Mill Lane, Bridge Street, Castlebar, County Mayo. Telephone: 094 904 2579

• Procedure for the reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla:

Call: Child & Family Agency, 25 Newcastle Road, Galway, Telephone 091 546 235

• Procedure for maintaining a list of the mandated persons:

The Mandated Person is the Principal of the Practice

• Procedure for appointing a relevant person:
• The Relevant Person is the Principal of the Practice