Tusla to review closed cases after child's disappearance

Gardaí (Irish police) said an area in Donabate will continue to be searched in the coming days

Tusla, the Irish state agency responsible for child welfare and protection, is to undertake wellbeing checks on cases closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, a cabinet minister has said.

The request comes as gardaí (Irish police) continue to search an area of open ground in Donabate, County Dublin, for a young boy who is missing and presumed dead.

Since Tusla's last contact with the family - five years ago - the child disappeared. He would have been aged two at the time.

On Wednesday, Minister for Children Norma Foley described the case as "hugely disturbing".

Speaking at a press conference, Foley said she has asked the chief executive of Tusla to undertake wellbeing checks "on all cases, in particular in relation to children during Covid-19, particularly beginning with cases that were closed".

She also said Tusla were conducting a "rapid review" in relation to the case of the missing Donabate boy.

Minister for Children Norma Foley described the case as "hugely disturbing"

On Tuesday, Tusla confirmed that it had dealings with the child and his family and that its engagement with them ceased in 2020.

Speaking to RTÉ's Six One News, Minister Foley said it was necessary to recognise that cases such as this one "are individual cases as well" with "very different circumstances".

She said: "We know in this instance, a young couple who were expecting a child felt that they were not in the position to look after that child, wanted to give up the child for adoption.

"They engaged with Tusla as part of that process, there was a fostering situation put in place, but over that time that couple actually bonded very well with the child."

After receiving support from Tulsa, Foley said the couple "made the decision to keep the child themselves and it was at that point that Tusla's work from that kind of direct engagement with them actually ceased".

Since 2020, Tulsa said no new referrals or information of concern were received about the child until last Friday, when they referred the matter to gardaí following a report from the Republic of Ireland's Department of Social Protection.

'Unsolicited contact'

In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, gardaí appealed to the media to provide investigating officers with "space and time" to carry out the investigation and search operation "sympathetically for everybody involved".

They said they were continuing to engage with people connected with the investigation.

Gardaí added they are aware that a small number of individuals in the media "are attempting to make unsolicited and unwanted direct contact" with those connected with the investigation.

'Rushing to conclusions'

Earlier on Wednesday, Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin warned people against "rushing to conclusions" over the case, RTÉ (Ireland's national broadcaster) reported.

He said that Ireland had a "strong and robust" child protection system.

"It is very, very distressing in terms of what has happened here," he added.

"The garda investigation is under way, I would caution against people rushing to conclusions and apportioning blame far too early."

Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned people against "rushing to conclusions" over the case

Tánaiste (deputy Prime Minister) Simon Harris said the case of a missing boy who is presumed dead has "shocked the nation" and that it is "deeply disturbing".

Mirroring the taoiseach's advice not to jump to conclusions, he said that members of the public should allow gardaí to do their job to establish the facts.

Harris added: "There will then be a broader conversation as there should be in terms of child safety, child protection, what happened in this case, is there broader implications?"

The boy is last known to have resided at apartments in Donabate, County Dublin.

Earlier this week, An Garda Síochána said it has been "unable to either locate the boy, identify any information on his current whereabouts or any evidence that he is currently alive".

They said he is "missing, presumed dead".

Tulsa have said they will "continue to work closely with gardaí" throughout the investigation.

No arrests have been made.