The response

* Children’s Rights Alliance: While people enjoyed the trappings of the Celtic Tiger, children died in the care of the state, the CRA said.

The CRA said it was shocked at the report on the deaths of nearly 200 children while in contact with an under-funded and under-resourced child protection system.

Chief executive Tanya Ward said it was shameful that the children died at the height of the Celtic Tiger years.

“While the majority of us busied ourselves with designer handbags and climbing the property ladder, children died in the care of the Health Service Executive,” she said.

Focus Ireland said that during the entire decade covered by the report, it had called for a legal right to aftercare for people leaving care at age 18.

The ISPCC said the report highlighted a decade of neglect and delays, with children being passed from one social worker to another without any stability or protection.

Barnardos’ chief executive Fergus Finlay said the most vulnerable children had been too far down our list of priorities for too long.

“We must restructure child welfare and protection to provide a continuum of care to children and families to ensure that no child falls through the gaps,” said Mr Finlay.

* Health Service Executive: The HSE admitted failings in child support systems and work practices.

Gordon Jeyes, HSE national director of children and family services, said he strongly supported the report’s recommendation on the need for more effective multi-disciplinary working partnership between those providing services to vulnerable young people.

While acknowledging the failings in systems and in work practices, Mr Jeyes said the events of the past decade were reviewed to improve the full range of services for Ireland’s children and young people.

“All of us working in children production and welfare are committed to the delivery of a high quality service that is accountable, consistent and transparent and always puts the needs of children first,” he said.

Mr Jeyes offered his sympathy and condolences to those affected by the tragic deaths covered by the report.

He pointed out that action already taken included the establishment of a national review panel for serious incidents and child deaths, with 12 reports, covering 17 cases published to date.

* Government: Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the report was a harrowing tale exposing national shame.

Mr Kenny told the Dáil that ensuring such tragedies were not repeated was not just a case of providing resources, but also of changing the system. Describing the probe as a “harrowing tale and a litany of shame,” he insisted it should be used as a foundation to avoid the mistakes of the past.

“The names of the children are anonymised, but it is a story and a saga of shame in many respects dealing with the lives of 196 children.”

Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald said the report’s findings were “deeply disturbing”. “I do not expect today’s report to bring closure. Indeed, I am sure it will, for many, bring pain,” she said, adding it had been “unacceptable” that the previous government did not know how many children linked to the care services had died.

— Evelyn Ring and Shaun Connolly