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Home arrow News arrow Local News arrow Scope of McElwee inquiry does not include Salthill care facility
Scope of McElwee inquiry does not include Salthill care facility E-mail
Written by Avril Horan   
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
The HSE West has confirmed the terms of an inquiry into disgraced academic Dr Niall McElwee will not cover his time at a Salthill residential centre for children at risk.

Dr McElwee, from Rockfield, Athenry participated in a placement programme at Aras Geal in 2003, despite being at the centre of an internal investigation at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) prior to his placement. In 1999, management at WIT stopped him using graphic images of child sexual abuse during lectures, following a complaint by a colleague.

A spokesperson for the HSE West said the review inquiry into Dr McElwee, chaired by industrial relations expert Conal Devine, would have “nothing to do with his time at Aras Geal”. There are no allegations against the 43-year-old lecturer with regard to his behaviour at the facility.

The HSE set up the inquiry after it came to light that Dr McElwee was convicted of a sexual offence in the Netherlands in 2005. Earlier this month, he resigned from his post as lecturer and Director of the Centre for Child and Youth Care Learning at the Athlone Institute of Technology.

The inquiry will focus on child protection issues and consider the legal basis for assembling information on staff working at third level. However, children’s charity Barnardos has criticised the scope of the inquiry. Barnardos’ Director of Advocacy, Norah Gibbons said it should start at the “beginning of the story” at Waterford IT, where concerns were first raised about to Dr McElwee.

“We need to start at the beginning of this story with Waterford IT and look at what happened there,” said Ms Gibbons.

“Barnardos has campaigned for all relevant matters to be taken into account where child protection and welfare are at stake.

 “Our hope from this review is that the system learns from any mistakes and makes the necessary improvements so that public confidence in the system is maintained,” she said. 
 


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