Children’s Rights Alliance CEO to Lead Review of 42,000 Tusla Cases

The Minister for Children, Norma Foley, has announced that Tanya Ward, CEO of the Children’s Rights Alliance, will independently chair a significant review of 42,000 cases closed by Tusla, Ireland’s child and family agency, during the pandemic. This initiative aims to ensure the wellbeing of children whose cases were closed between March 1, 2020, and February 28, 2022.

The decision follows the tragic cases of two young children, Kyran Durnin and Daniel Aruebose, who have gone missing for several years. Ward emphasized the importance of learning from these distressing situations, stating, “Every effort should be made to ensure that we learn from Kyran Durnin and Daniel Aruebose’s cases.”

Ward characterized the review process as a “substantial undertaking,” reflecting the scale of the cases involved. The Children’s Rights Alliance is known for its advocacy on children’s rights and its research into access to those rights across Ireland and the UK. Before her tenure at the Alliance, Ward served as a human rights lecturer at Trinity College Dublin and was the Deputy Director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

The review process has gained urgency following revelations about Daniel Aruebose. His remains were recovered after a search lasting over two weeks. Daniel is believed to have died at the age of three or four, and if alive today, he would be seven. His case brought to light significant lapses in documentation when a family member made a social welfare claim, which alerted Tusla to potential issues with his status.

Tusla had reported its involvement with Daniel’s family at their request but ceased contact in 2020. The agency later asserted that no child protection concerns had been raised after the case was closed. However, it was revealed that Daniel had spent his early years in foster care, with his foster family reportedly reluctant to see him leave. Tusla reassigned him to his biological family in mid-2019, after which the agency lost contact with him.

In response to pressure from advocacy groups and opposition politicians, Minister Foley’s department confirmed the establishment of an independent steering group to oversee the review of all 42,000 cases. It is anticipated that approximately three-quarters of these cases will relate to child welfare issues, while the remainder will involve child protection concerns.

A spokesperson for the Department of Children stated that child protection cases will be prioritized during the wellbeing checks. Minister Foley remarked, “This wellbeing check will seek to provide that assurance in relation to children whose cases were closed during the pandemic. I am committed to providing all necessary resources to support its work.”

The steering group will consist of representatives from government departments, the Health Service Executive (HSE), Tusla, as well as community and voluntary organizations, and social work professionals. A mechanism to categorize cases by risk level—high, medium, and low—will be implemented.

Efforts are already underway to assemble a team capable of conducting these wellbeing checks, which may include retired Tusla staff. The Department of Children has pledged to minimize the impact of this review process on frontline workers. Notably, a significant challenge will be addressing cases involving children who have left the country, as there is no legal obligation for families to inform the state of such departures.

Minister Foley is also set to convene a meeting of the Children First Interdepartmental Group to discuss improvements in monitoring young children throughout the system. The terms of reference for the steering group are still being finalized, and the public will receive updates on the progress every six weeks. The completion of this review is anticipated by the end of March next year.

This initiative underscores the commitment to safeguarding children’s welfare and ensuring that no child falls through the cracks in the system.