Authorities ‘should be given space’ to investigate case of missing child

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

The head of the HSE has said authorities should be given space to investigate the case of a boy missing from north Dublin who is feared dead.

Bernard Gloster, who was in charge of the child and family agency when the boy is thought to have gone missing, said child protection cases are “exceptionally complex” and there are “no simple answers”.

Gardaí are investigating the disappearance and whereabouts of the boy, who would be seven years old if still alive, and last lived in an apartment in Donabate.

A search of open ground began in Donabate this week after concerns for the boy were raised by child and family agency Tusla on Friday.

Tusla said it had engaged with the missing child’s family five years ago.

This is the second case of a child living in Ireland who was missing for years before the case came to the attention of authorities.

Kyran Durnin, who would be nine this year if still alive, was reported missing in August last year and a murder investigation was launched in October.

As a result, questions have arisen about the child and family agency, in particular its actions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Children’s Minister Norma Foley said said Tusla is undertaking a “wellbeing check” on all cases, in particular on cases of children that were closed during Covid-19.

She said Tusla became involved in this case when the young parents of the boy felt they would not be able to look after him.

They engaged with the agency and a fostering arrangement was put in place but the parents ultimately decided to keep the child, having been provided with supports.

Speaking in Dublin on Thursday, Mr Gloster echoed the calls of Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan to “pause” until further information is known.

He also said that there will be people who are grieving and in distress about the case and this should be borne in mind.

“We should allow the gardaí to do their work, we should allow the National Review Panel, which was established over 15 years ago, long before Tulsa was established, to do their work and to tell us what happened.

“From the health side I can say to you, because of the references to Covid, the Minister has made it very clear to me, and I’ve made it very clear to Tulsa, we will fully co-operate with that National Review Panel review.

“We’ll allow the gardaí to do their work, we will see what comes from it.

“One of the things to come away from that specific case, and indeed the other case you referred to is Kyran Durnin, all of those cases are different, they all have complex factors.”

He added: “Child Protection and child welfare is an exceptionally complex phenomena. There are no simple answers or simple solutions.

“We do have to continuously reflect, learn and improve, and we have to wait and see what is the outcome of the review in any of these cases, and at the same time always remember that there is likely to be a child who has died, and that is very, very tragic.”

He said the review panel “can’t do anything” until the gardai complete their work.

“For Garda operational reasons, but also for appropriate sensitivity to a whole community who could be mourning today or experiencing trauma in different ways, we shouldn’t rush to conclusions about what might have happened.

“We actually don’t know. I don’t know, but we do need to pause and allow the normal processes to take place.”

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said “we don’t have all the information yet” about the case.

“It’s a developing story and I know the gardai are doing very difficult work out in Donabate.”