Concerns expressed by the Child and Family Agency Tusla about mandatory reporting are “predictable and understandable”, a social work expert has said.

Pressure is growing on the Child and Family Agency to publish a report into the care offered to Daniel McAnaspie, after one man was found guilty of his murder and another pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Intervention for children at risk should be made on the basis of identified need, rather than availability of places, according to the chairperson of the National Review Panel on the deaths of children known to care services.

The deaths of nine young people, who had been in the Irish care system, were not as a result of the services they had received.

The child and family agency Tusla has been cleared of the deaths of several youngsters it was helping.

Three out of four teenage girls who died by suicide were known to child protection services and had been on lengthy waiting lists for psychology services, it emerged yesterday.

Any real reform of social services meant to protect children at risk of neglect or abuse is entirely dependent on the State ensuring resources are made available for the battle.

Child abuse could go undetected by doctors because they may have outdated ideas about how many bruises are normal in physically active children.

A report into whether or not recommendations made in major child abuse report have been implemented has claimed there is an element of “recommendation fatigue” at work.

Robert was described as “a little charmer” — likeable, funny, and popular. He died by suicide as a young adult with the coroner linking his death to “the recent use of multiple drugs”. It was a sad end to a difficult and damaged life.

The independent chairwoman of the HSE’s child deaths in care review has warned below-requirement social worker levels are preventing vulnerable people from accessing potentially life-saving help.

Five children have died in State care over the last two years, it was revealed today.

The number of children and teenagers who died of unnatural causes while in the care of the HSE more than doubled last year.

Social workers may be unable to meet the recommendations made in various child abuse inquiry reports because of the high number of children assigned to them, claim academics in University College Cork.

Forty-six children known to care services have died since the start of 2010 including 13 in the first four months of this year, with the HSE admitting that its frontline services are under pressure.

Two children in State care and 10 more known to child protection services have died so far this year, health chiefs have revealed.

SENDING an army of young women out to deal with horrific situations even gardaí find difficult could have devastating consequences, it has been warned.

IT will be next year before a group charged with looking into care provided to murdered teenager Daniel McAnaspie will report its findings.

A GROUP set up to review deaths and serious incidents involving children in state care or known to the child protection services is struggling to cope with its workload.

A team set up to investigate deaths and serious injuries of children and young people known to social services cannot cope with its workload, it has warned.

THERE is a dearth of child protection-focused research on the factors that cause and perpetuate child abuse, such as homelessness, addiction, parental mental illness and domestic violence, a Trinity College Dublin audit of research on child protection has found.

THE HSE has still not told the family of a young man who died having been in care whether they will release his file, despite seven requests to do so.

THE family of the murdered teenager Daniel McAnaspie yesterday renewed their call for his killers to be brought to justice.

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) has confirmed it has set up the new child death review panel and has also named a review team to deal with the death of teenager Daniel McAnaspie.

The HSE has appointed a review panel to investigate serious incidents and child deaths.

THE state’s child protection services are failing to respond quickly enough to cries for help from parents, research has revealed.

People who used the state’s child protection system found it unsympathetic, powerful and intimidating, a report said today.

More than half of people being supported by social services voluntarily seek help, it emerged today.

Lessons must be learned if the Dunne family tragedy is not to be repeated, writes Conor Ryan

AN inquiry into clerical sexual abuse in the Diocese of Ferns is finally up and running – over 15 months after it was promised.

A YEAR after Bishop Brendan Comiskey fell on his sword in a swirl of controversy the Government has announced the terms of reference of an inquiry into how exactly allegations of child sexual abuse were handled

The Government today authorised a formal inquiry into the handling by the Church of child sex abuse allegations in the diocese of Ferns.