Staff in ‘Grace’ abuse case still in jobs

Senior child protection staff in the ‘Grace’ foster home sex abuse scandal have yet to be risk assessed or moved from their positions because legal red tape is preventing the HSE from “inappropriately” identifying them.

The Irish Examiner has learned the complex legal situation is blocking the possibility of examining whether the individuals pose any potential risks to other children, four months after their names were first sought by child protection watchdog Tusla.

During a Dáil meeting last February, HSE director general Tony O’Brien confirmed that senior Tusla staff were involved in the ‘Grace’ controversy while working with the South Eastern Health Board in the 1990s.