Mick Wallace
Question:90. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on the findings of the child death review. [27990/14]
View answerTuesday, 1 July 2014
Questions (90)
Written answers
The National Review Panel was established in 2010 to review serious incidences and deaths of children in care, young people receiving aftercare services and children known to Child Protection and Welfare Services. It is chaired by Dr. Helen Buckley and is independent in its functions.
The National Review Panel's individual and annual reports are published on the Child and Family Agency’s website and are available for the three year period between 2010 and 2012. The latest National Review Panel Annual Report 2 indicates that over the three year period it was notified of 60 deaths (22 in 2010; 15 in 2011 and 23 in 2012). Further breakdown of cases reviewed indicate the following:
- Seven children were in care at the time of death (2 in 2010; 2 in 2011 and 3 in 2012),
- Eight were receiving aftercare services (4 in 2010; 2 in 2011 and 2 in 2012),
- Forty five were living with their family and known to child protection services (16 in 2010; 11 in 2011 and 18 in 2012).
The report further notes that the highest proportion of notified deaths between 2010 and 2012 concerned children or babies who died by natural causes. The majority of these (9) were babies whose cause of death was sudden unexpected death in infancy. The next most common cause for 8 children was complications due to congenital abnormalities, two children died from terminal cancer and two died from complications of serious illness.
Fourteen children and young people died unexpectedly from accidental causes, seven of which were road traffic incidents. The remaining seven involved accidents of a different nature including fire, domestic accidents involving two small children and one older teenager and two outdoor accidents involving a drowning and a fall. Six of the young people died from drug overdoses. In all but one case the young person was found dead and toxicology reports indicated drug misuse.
What is alarming is that the largest number of unexpected deaths was from suicide. In 2012 nine children and young people up to the age of 20 died by suicide. One young person was in HSE care at the time of death having been known to HSE services for a very short period. Three suicide victims were young adults in receipt of aftercare services. It is well acknowledged that adolescence can be a difficult time for some children but especially those who have experienced early adversity. These difficulties present across all areas of a child's life including health, education and in the community. It is important that people working in these settings know how to identify and support children using a multi-agency approach for those who are experiencing difficulties.
As of December 2012, 24 National Review Panel reports have been published. While the Panel reported on a number of management and practice weaknesses, there was no case where the review team concluded that action or inaction on the part of the HSE services was a direct contributory factor in the child or young person’s death. The report notes that many of its recommendations have been implemented. My Department follows up recommendations made in the NRP reports to ensure they are in place. I am happy that the work of the National Review Panel is identifying areas where practice can be improved and the Agency's response.
The reform programme of the Child and Family Agency is extensive. The Agency's Business Plan for 2014 sets out in strategic terms the overall approach to be adopted by the Agency to the provision of child and family services and reflects a range of policy priorities which my predecessor communicated to the Agency last December. The Plan includes a particular focus on areas of service development and reform.
My Department has adopted a cross-Government and inter-agency approach to ensuring that we deliver a timely, comprehensive and integrated service to vulnerable children and families. This will require the support and input of various departments and agencies to ensure that vulnerable children and families can access necessary services.