The State must recognise and act on the Ombudsman for Children’s call for the National Review Panel to be put on a statutory footing, according to Social Democrats children spokesperson Aidan Farrelly.
The National Review Panel (NRP) investigates serious incidents including the deaths of children in care or known to the child protection system.
Deputy Farrelly said:
“Successive Ministers for Children, governments and TUSLA have failed to establish an acceptable standard of child protection and safeguarding in Ireland, leading to the endangering of vulnerable children across the country.
“I have serious concerns in respect of Minister for Children Norma Foley’s response to the case of a missing child in Donabate, County Dublin, in light of the Ombudsman for Children’s comments in his statement on RTÉ’s Prime Time.
“The Minister talks about a so-called rapid review of cases – how is that possible given the scale and complexity of the task? I really hope this is not lip service for children and families failed by TUSLA from the outset.
“I have requested that the Children’s Committee reconvenes next week to urgently discuss this matter and the ways in which we can further support the National Review Panel.
“I fully endorse the call for the NRP to be given statutory powers for their work – I find it alarming that the NRP could be potentially stonewalled when seeking information during the course of its investigations.
“The NRP is a body described as not fit for purpose by TUSLA and Minister Foley’s own Department – it can’t even publish its own reports.
“There is no valid reason why the NRP can’t do its job in tandem with a Garda investigation – if the State continues to pull in different directions, then children will continue to slip through the safety nets put in place for their wellbeing.”
September 5th, 2025