Foster scandal: Second case is revealed

At least one more person with significant intellectual disabilities continued to live with the south-east foster care family accused of extreme sexual and physical abuse, until October 2013 —four years after officials were alerted to the scandal.

The HSE confirmed last night that a second woman, now in her early 30s, was placed by a private organisation with the family before 1993, meaning she was in their care for at least two decades. The new case comes after it previously emerged that a different woman with significant intellectual disabilities, who has been given the pseudonym Grace, was accidentally left at the home until 2009, despite the fact that all placements were meant to end in 1995 due to concerns over the family.

However, despite high-profile publicity; three Garda investigations; two HSE reports costing more than €300,000, which have yet to be published; and disputed claims of a cover-up, the HSE has only now clarified that Grace was not the only vulnerable person who failed to be removed.