Increased examination of the 'solid and vigilant child safety measures'
In a week marked by renewed scrutiny, the Irish child protection system has come under close examination following a series of critical reviews and statements. The case of a missing boy in north county Dublin, believed to be seven-year-old Rhys Jones, has drawn comparisons to the disappearance of Kyran Durnin and sparked calls for a full review.
Dr Niall Muldoon, the Ombudsman for Children, issued a critical statement about the response to Rhys' case. He expressed dissatisfaction with the Government and Tusla's handling of the situation and questioned what safety protections were put in place for Rhys once reunified with his family. In a bold move, Dr Muldoon wrote to the Taoiseach requesting "an urgent update on the matter" of formalising the National Review Panel (NRP).
The NRP, established in 2010, provides independent reviews of serious incidents and deaths involving children who engaged with child protection and welfare services. If established as proposed by the Ombudsman for Children's Office, the NRP would have the power to examine all child deaths, not just welfare cases. However, the current Programme for Government includes a commitment to formalise the NRP, but there has been little progress.
The Minister for Children and Disability, Norma Foley, has requested a rapid review into the case of the missing child in Donabate. Tusla, the child and family agency, had dealings with Rhys' family between 2017 and 2020 and ceased engagement with the family in 2020. At the time, there were no child protection concerns.
Tusla has confirmed that around 38,000 cases fall into the category of children who were closed during the pandemic, and the Minister for Children is concerned about these cases. The rapid review will be sent to the National Review Panel (NRP), like the review of Kyran Durnin's case, which was followed by a second review by the National Review Panel, neither of which have been published.
The Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) has joined the call for a full statutory review of the Donabate case. They question what safety protections were put in place for Rhys once reunified with his family. The IASW also called for the formalisation of the NRP to ensure its independence from Tusla.
The Department of Children defended the move, describing the review as "of critical importance" due to the NRP's independence from Tusla. The Taoiseach stated that Ireland has a "strong and robust child protection system", but events this week have resulted in renewed scrutiny. As the reviews continue, the focus remains on ensuring the safety and well-being of Ireland's most vulnerable children.
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