Child abuse - where else can I report?

Kruk

Hi,
I'm really sorry if the thread is not proper for this board but I couldnt find any other boards dedicated to children and parents.

I saw a child abuse on Saturday in Dublin and wanna make sure sth will be done about that. Two men and one woman (probably mother) was standing beside a car. A child didn`t want to get in the car and his father (??) threw him into the car and started to beat his face, head and neck. The boy was under 2 and he was screaming and crying really loudy. I cant forget it and I'm still thinking about that. And his father was very violent.

We told them to stop, but they said it's not our child and we should walk away. One of the men became very agressive and almost attacked us. We wrote down car plates and we reported it on Garda Station but we want to follow it up and do everything we can to help this boy. If those guys do it in public I can only image what they do behind doors.

I'm not Irish so I'm not very familiar with Irish protection system. What else can I do?

silja

Poor boy.
I am afraid there is nothing else you can do- that one incident is all you saw, and you reported it. Unless and until it goes to court, where you may be called as a witness, you won;t hear anything as the polcie would not be able to comment on open cases.

Khannie

I'm locking this. If there's a pending legal case you shouldn't discuss this any further here. Once it's been reported to the Gardai, they will look after the necessaries.

Nevyn

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/birth-family-relationships/services-and-supports-for-children/child-abuse

How do I report my concerns?

Anyone who suspects that a child is being abused, or is at risk of abuse, has a duty to report their suspicions to the HSE. You should report your concerns to the HSE’s Child Protection and Social Work Services in your area. Each Local Health Office has a social worker on duty.

You can report your concerns in person, by writing or by phone. While you can report your concerns anonymously, the HSE does not normally reveal the names of people who report suspicions of child abuse unless they have permission to do so. If you are unsure about your concerns, you can discuss your suspicions with the social worker before deciding to make a formal report.

The HSE will consider your report and decide whether it needs following up. If it does, the HSE will look for information from other sources and will contact the child and the child’s parents in order to establish what is going on. It will then take whatever action is required to protect the child.

If you need to report your concerns outside normal office hours (weekends and at night) you should report your concerns to the Garda Síochána.

Under the Protection for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act 1998, so long as you report what you believe to be true and you do it in good faith you cannot be sued for making a false or malicious report.

http://www.hse.ie/eng/Find_a_Service/Children_and_Family_Services/Child_Welfare_and_Protection/Child_Protection_Social_Work_Services/