Barnardos criticises censoring of report

AGENCIES:GARDA COMMISSIONER Fachtna Murphy has said he accepts the findings of the Monageer inquiry report and is committed to ensuring the safety and protection of children is a priority for the force.

He said the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the Dunne family were “highly exceptional” and posed challenges to the staff of all agencies dealing with the tragedy. “The findings of this report will be utilised to refine our practices and procedures to complement the ‘Children First’ guidelines, which provide the essential framework for the work of An Garda Síochána and the Health Service Executive in dealing with the sensitive area of child safety.”

Children’s charity Barnardos said the report highlighted the importance of an adequate support system for children and families in crisis. Fergus Finlay said the report was heavily edited and he was baffled why seven out of 26 recommendations were censored.

The Children’s Rights Alliance called for immediate implementation of the report’s recommendations, in particular the provision of a national out-of-hours social work service. Mary Nicholson expressed frustration yet another report was reiterating failures of child protection and welfare systems.