Child Protection
Vacant: Inquiries to Sean Holland in interim
Phone (028) 9052 0732
Secretary Phone (028)
Email: sean.holland@dhsspsni.gov.uk
Key areas of responsibility include:
- professional responsibility for providing input to policy development with regard to:
- child protection and children's evidence issues;
- domestic violence and sexual violence issues;
- child and adolescent mental health services;
- matrimonial issues, private law, mediation and parental contact;
- family group conferencing; and
- schemes for the delegation of statutory functions;
- providing preliminary professional assessment of referrals to the statutory list in relation to Protection of Children (POC);
- screening assessment of need for and securing access to secure accommodation in particular for children aged under 13 years;
- providing professional input, as required, into the evaluation of:
- case management reviews;
- serious adverse incidents (children); and
- business cases;
- supporting development of the Department’s Family and Child Care Strategy.
- professional advice in relation to child protection and related issues to other Policy Branches, other Government Departments, Agencies, statutory, voluntary, private and community sector organisations, where appropriate; and
- representing the OSS in a number of DHSSPS and external groupings relevant to the above areas of work.
