Dáil debates

Thursday, 9 March 2017

Commission of Investigation (Certain Matters Relative to Disability Service in the South East and Related Matters) (Revised): Motion

 

1:45 pm

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We welcome the changes. This has been an incredible debacle. As far back as 1990 this foster home was found to be not fit for purpose. There was a cover-up, the first one. In 1993, a mother made a complaint and was bullied into not following it up and was threatened with allegations being made against her own family. A formal investigation which took place was signed off by the senior social worker in Waterford: cover up No. 2. In 1996 another mother made a complaint. Some good people on the ground sought to have Grace removed and given a different placement, but a higher authority overruled. It was in too deep up now: cover up No. 3.

Over the next few years there were more attempts to find a different placement for Grace but it did not happen. The abuse was allowed to continue. The primary whistleblower is a man, which does not appear on the radar. He had worked in the region since 2000. He became the social worker for Grace in 2007. In early 2008 he concluded that Grace needed to be made a ward of court to ensure she was taken out of the placement. The HSE response was to pull down the shutters. It removed the files from his desk, ordered him off the case and told him he was not allowed to make any more contact with Grace's mother. This man is the main whistleblower of the three.

The inquiry should examine the despicable way the family of the girl called Sara has been treated, how it was bullied into withdrawing their sex abuse allegations in 1993 and came under Garda suspicion in 2014 because they helped the primary whistleblower, who was Grace's social worker, as he was investigating the foster carer. The inquiry needs to find out who asked the Garda to look for files on Sara's family in 2014. Does the name Maurice McCabe ring a bell? In this case the local sergeant did the honourable thing in informing the family.

2 o’clock

I sincerely hope this investigation gets to the bottom of the manner in which the HSE higher authority has behaved through all of this, with one cover-up after another. It is absolutely imperative for the primary whistleblower to be included in this whole process. The way he was treated by the HSE and the question of who was responsible for that treatment has to be investigated.

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