SINN FÉIN HAS said it has overhauled its HR and child protection rules through a review carried out in the wake of highly publicised controversies that struck the party before last year’s general election.

Party leader Mary Lou McDonald said the new procedures were part of a plan to ensure the “highest level of governance across Sinn Féin” and to make party management, staff and members “aware of their responsibilities” as they go about their work.

McDonald published a progress report from the party’s General Secretary Sean Baker in relation to the upgrading of governance procedures within the party.

In a statement released this evening, the party said it had consulted external professionals and has appointed a new HR Manager and a Director of National Corporate Governance.

A registered social worker had also completed a draft of the party’s updated child protection policy as part of an update to its safeguarding measures.

In a statement also published tonight, Sinn Féin’s General Secretary Sean Baker said that he was tasked with carrying out an “urgent review and to initiate a complete overhaul of governance procedures and processes within the party”.

Baker said that the review was the “result of inappropriate behaviour, involving separate incidents, by several now former Sinn Féin elected representatives and staff”, which he added party leadership had addressed publicly at the time.

“As a result of the action taken in response to those individuals, a commitment was given that the party will do everything necessary to ensure that this never arises again,” Baker said.

“The General Secretary was tasked to take external professional advice in this work and significant progress in overhauling governance has been achieved. Our approach will be one of continuous improvement that carries forward and will be reviewed annually.”

“Governance will be an ongoing part of our work and we will be reviewing all aspects of this annually.”

Baker outlined that four core areas “demanded attention” from the party. Those were:

• Disciplinary Procedures
• Human Resource Management
• Safeguarding Guidelines
• Corporate Governance

The party saw controversy last year in separate incidents, when two Sinn Féin press officers resigned after they gave references for a party colleague who was being investigated for child sex offences.

In another incident, former senator Niall Ó Donnghaile revealed he left Sinn Féin after allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to a teenager.

A separate controversy to hit the party last year was the loss of its Public Accounts Committee chairperson when TD Brian Stanley stepped down, alleging at the time that an inquiry into a complaint made against him by a party colleague was “seriously flawed”.

In her statement, McDonald said that a ‘governance hub’ has also been put in place, under the General Secretary which involves senior managers with responsibility for HR, safeguarding and child protection, discipline, training, financial regulation and data protection.