Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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585. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the serious incident review announced by her on 28 March 2018 into concerns regarding the management of a serious and complex case of alleged child abuse and neglect involving a number of children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43471/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The Deputy is referring to an independent review which I intend to commission, in agreement with the Minister for Justice and Equality, to examine and report on the management of a complex and serious case of alleged child abuse and neglect involving sixteen children in four families.

While there is no evidence of any serious mishandling of the case by either Tusla or An Garda Síochána, I believe that it would be good practice to arrange for a short, focused independent ‘Serious Incident’ review of the actions taken in the case.

The primary purpose of the review will be to ensure that any learning which may arise in relation to information exchange is captured and informs future work.

The Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, and Chair of the Review Panel, Dr Geoffrey Shannon, has assisted with drafting the terms of reference for the review.  These Terms of Reference have now been agreed with the Department of Justice and Equality, and have been jointly submitted by myself and Minister Flanagan for the consideration of the Attorney General.

It is not possible to give a timeframe for the delivery of the report at this stage, given the complex and unusual nature of this case, and the importance of  ensuring that this non-statutory review does not risk prejudicing the on-going investigation and criminal prosecution.