Foster care abuse whistleblower meets HSE chief

The HSE whistleblower who uncovered the foster care abuse scandal has held a “lengthy, constructive, and positive” meeting with HSE director general Tony O’Brien in a bid to ensure the issue is finally addressed.

The social worker and a colleague met with Mr O’Brien and Paul Connors, the HSE’s national director of communications, for a number of hours in Dublin yesterday after the talks were privately called for by Leo Varadkar, the health minister.

It is understood the meeting involved the whistle-blower explaining in detail the difficulties she has faced in having the case high- lighted in recent years, and further information about what happened that was not contained in the still unpublished Conal Devine and Resilience Ireland HSE reports.

The whistleblower last night said the meeting was “constructive and positive”, and that Mr O’Brien was “very understanding” about the difficulties surrounding the handling of the case.

While there has been no further progress on ensuring more details of the reports are made public or on what disciplinary actions, if any, have been taken against individuals involvedand who are still working in the health service, it is understood the meeting has been viewed as a positive step.

Reports last month in the Irish Examiner about the bungled apology to ‘Grace’ led to a Commission of Inquiry into the events in the Waterford foster home.

The HSE has so far declined to ask any of its staff to stand aside pending the outcome of the investigations, after it emerged a number of decision makers who failed to intervene in Grace’s case currently occupy senior positions.

Although Mr O’Brien has repeatedly said that he is legally restricted from revealing all details of the case — including at least two unpublished HSE inquiries — he is expected to come under increased pressure from the whistleblower that further details need to be released.

As previously revealed by the Irish Examiner, the controversy relates to a single foster-care family in the south east, with whom at least 47 vulnerable minors with significant intellectual disabilities had been placed between 1983 and 1995.

It is alleged a number suffered severe sexual, physical, and financial abuse in the home, with the Public Accounts Committee making further disputed claims that what happened was the subject of a subsequent attempt by health service officials to cover it up.

In 1995 the family — which took in people via the State, Brothers of Charity, and private independent foster placements, was banned from taking in individuals.

However, two women with significant intellectual disabilities were inadvertently left there until 2009 and 2013 respectively.

Last week, Finance Minister Michael Noonan confirmed he received a letter from the foster family while health minister. Under investigation are allegations that up to 40 children and young adults with intellectual disabilities, including a number who were “mute”, were abused for two decades.

When health service officials were first made aware of the allegations — which include repeated rapes and claims children and teenagers were forced to live in cubby holes beneath stairs and in “out-houses” — in 1992, vulnerable children had already been placed with the family for a decade.