IRELAND
Irish Examiner
The appointment of an independent watchdog to ensure the Church is implementing its child protection policy will be announced within days, it emerged today.
The watchdog will assess whether the Our Children, Our Church guidelines - published in response to the Ferns Report – are being exercised in every diocese in the state.
Minister Brian Lenihan told the Joint Committee on Health and Children that the Church’s guidelines were a step in the right direction, but that he could now validate or confirm that they were totally satisfactory.
He added an amendment to the Criminal Justice Act 2004, currently being prepared, will create an offence of reckless endangerment of children.