CHILDREN’S MINISTER KATHERINE Zappone has said she intends to commission an independent review of the management of a “serious and complex” case of alleged child abuse and neglect.
The case is believed to involve a number of children.
The review will be carried out by a panel of three experts and will be chaired by the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Dr Geoffrey Shannon.
Zappone said the case has received media attention in recent weeks and that she and Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan had been briefed throughout.
“We have agreed that while there is no evidence of any serious mishandling of the case by either Tusla or An Garda Síochána, due to the complexity of the current case it would be good practice to arrange for a short, focused independent ‘Serious Incident’ review of the actions to date.
The independent ‘Serious Incident’ review will examine the management of the case including the inter-agency activity and co-operation which primarily involved Tusla and An Garda Síochána. The primary purpose of the review is to ensure that any learning which may arise is captured at the earliest possible opportunity and informs future work.
A statement issued on behalf of both ministers said that they were “conscious that it will be important to ensure that this non-statutory review does not risk prejudicing the on-going investigation and criminal prosecution”.
The review team will investigate the handling of the case over the coming weeks after terms of reference have been agreed. The team will report back to both ministers, who will bring the report to cabinet.
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