Social workers could not have predicted deaths of two 'at risk' children, report finds
A report by the independent National Review Panel, which reviews instances where children known to child protection services die or experience serious incidents, praised staff involved in the case. File picture
The deaths of two “at risk” children could not have been predicted, but a review has concluded lessons “can be learned”.
The children were known to Tusla child safety services before they died in 2021. They had also been placed on the national Child Protection Notification System for children with an ongoing risk of significant harm and gardaí were aware of issues in the home.
A report by the independent National Review Panel, which reviews instances where children known to child protection services die or experience serious incidents, praised staff involved in the case. The case was one of four to be published on Thursday.
One concerned a 16-year-old boy who died by suicide. His parents had a history of poor mental health and substance abuse.
Another concerned a 10-week-old baby who was assaulted by her father and left with “life-changing” injuries.
She had been referred to social services after a social worker noted her mother, who had attempted suicide two years previously and had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, was only 16 and her 17-year-old boyfriend was in the care of Tusla social services.
The review report noted concerns were raised about the baby’s father, who was subsequently jailed after pleading guilty to causing his baby daughter’s injuries.
Before she was subjected to a “serious assault”, her father’s allocated social worker raised concerns about background issues “related to anger” and warned the baby could be in a “risky situation”.
Of the two “at risk” children who died, the report stated: “The tragic deaths of the children could not have been predicted by any services involved.
“Despite significant challenges posed by Covid-19 restrictions, the social work services involved responded quickly to (a) domestic violence incident and immediately instituted an appropriate safety plan.
“The social work department was mindful of the potential risks to the children despite their parents’ attempts to minimise the incident that had led to the concerns.”
The Gardaí and emergency medical services acted “appropriately and supportively”. The review team said that “lessons can be learned”.
Noting Tusla’s Signs of Safety practice framework for child protection and welfare has a strong focus on the capacity of families and communities to keep children safe, it stated: “This review has highlighted some issues about the use of Signs of Safety (SoS) that require reflection.
“In this case, the mother of the children was from an ethnic minority group in which men and women identify with traditional gender roles that do not always accord with western norms.
“A basic principle of SoS is that family members chose their own support persons.
“The fact that three men from ethnic minorities were selected by the male parent, an alleged perpetrator of domestic violence, to act in protective roles raises questions about how their involvement may be perceived by the female victim."
They also noted: “It could also be asked whether it is wise for the social work department to send a letter to an alleged victim of domestic violence who is living with the alleged perpetrator, as happened in response to the first referral.”
The report, among other things, concluded: “Tusla needs to develop specialist expertise towards minority ethnic groups and recognise and plan for diverse needs.”
