'Grace' foster parents had criminal convictions

Grace had been neglected to a point where she suffered repeated injuries to her body, required “significant dental work” and instances of inappropriate stripping went unreported.

The intellectually disabled woman known as ‘Grace’ was placed in the care of foster parents, despite them both having criminal convictions, a State Commission of Investigation has found.

It also highlighted “systemic failings” by the South Eastern Health Board (SEHB) which led to Grace being neglected to a point where she suffered repeated injuries to her body, required “significant dental work” and instances of inappropriate stripping went unreported.

However, the investigation cleared former Health ministers Michael Noonan and Austin Currie over their handling of the case in 1996, after a decision to remove Grace from the home was controversially overturned after the foster father wrote a letter to Mr Noonan.

It can also be revealed that the Government is set to grant the Commission one final extension to allow it to conclude its work by July of next year.

Running to almost 800 pages, two interim reports seen by the Irish Examiner from the Farrelly Commission into allegations of abuse of Grace and 46 others who stayed in the home identified specific failings by health workers who were charged with Grace’s care.

They include a failure to remove her from the home, securing her legal status after turning 18 and also for failing to act on warnings as to her health and well-being.

In relation to the foster parents, referred to as ‘Mr and Mrs X’, the report found both had convictions for theft/larceny, yet were deemed fit to house Grace and other vulnerable young adults and children.

The Commission report states it is unable to definitely conclude as to whether a minor conviction for larceny would have prevented Mr and Mrs X from being approved as foster parents.

Grace was only meant to stay with the couple temporarily from her arrival in 1989. However, successive failures and decision u-turns meant she remained in the home until 2009, despite allegations of abuse being made against Mr X.

In 1996, after those allegations were made known to health officials, a decision to remove Grace from the foster home was taken.  However, this decision was later overturned in the wake of Mr X writing to Mr Noonan to appeal for help in allowing Grace to remain.

The letter written to Michael Noonan in 1996.

The Commission said it received no oral evidence or rationale as to why that decision was overturned.

Nonetheless, it concluded that the actions of Mr Noonan and Mr Currie did not constitute an interference in the case and their actions were “within the scope of accepted custom and practice at the time”.

“There is no evidence of any nature seen by the Commission or brought by any party to suggest that improper influence was brought to bear by the ministers of their officials in the manner in which any of them performed their functions,” the report states.

In evidence, Mr Noonan’s private secretary told the Commission that he had no recollection of the letter of reply to Mr X being shown to Mr Noonan.

The report states that Mr Noonan told the Commission that he had never seen the correspondence from Mr. X.

Mr Noonan gave evidence that he did not know Mr and Mrs X and he had no contact with them other than what was apparent from the correspondence.

When contacted by the Irish Examiner this week, Mr Noonan said he had no comment. Mr Currie similarly had no comment when contacted.

The decision to remove Grace from the foster home was later overturned in the wake of Mr X writing to Michael Noonan (pictured) to appeal for help in allowing Grace to remain.

The damning report did conclude that the health board did not substantially comply with its obligations under the regulations.

Key health board personnel who were involved in Grace's care and decision-making were unfamiliar with regulations and guidelines and did not adhere to them in the performance of their duties towards Grace.

From June 2001 to June 2002, there was no key worker assigned to Grace and between 2002 and 2003 no visits by health officials to the foster home took place. In 2004, Mrs X was contacted about a place for Grace in a residential care home but “no response was received”. 

The Day Care facility recorded a significant volume of absences of Grace over the period of 2002-2006, but the health board was not informed. Her last care worker left their post in 2006 and was not replaced. Grace did not leave the foster home until 2009.

In 2016, she was awarded €6.3 million in damages from the HSE which apologised for the systemic failures in her care during her time in the foster home.

The two interim reports do not make any findings as to whether Grace or any of the other children and young adults who stayed in the home were abused. This issue is set to be reported on at a later date.