St Clare’s unit, Temple Street Children’s Hospital, Dublin

Medium Sized c writes:

I was asked to share this around but given my limited social media footprint, I figured it might be better going to you guys

This is an an Irish Times story from earlier this month featuring an interview with a psychologist from Saint Clare’s unit in Temple Street Children’s Hospital.

That is a unit to provide expert interviewing services to form opinions on the veracity of claims of sexual abuse of children. They also provide therapy services to help children and families “pick up the pieces” as it were.

The article concerns an increasing trend of solicitors and barristers to try to obtain therapy notes from the service.

That is not reports and professional opinions but the notes taken in the process of therapy to help people recover from the trauma of sexual abuse.

You will understand that this is bad. If you have ever gone through the process of therapy you will understand that THIS IS VERY BAD AND DISTINCTIVELY NOT COOL.

People’s private thoughts shared in confidentiality are not evidence at the best of times, but in our ghoulish adversarial justice system where any and every little detail is turned over.

All of which is further complicated by the fact that we are taking about rape & sexual abuse here. Which means notes describing the victims feelings on an immensely traumatic event in their lives are made available to the DPP and by extension, the defence. Which sort of means the accused too.

Bear in mind that the vast majority of child sexual abuse cases are perpetrated by someone known to the family and know horror. It’s easy to miss, and I’m not sure what would be achieved by sharing, but it might raise some awareness in some way…

Pic: Temple Street Children’s Hospital