The intellectually disabled woman known as ‘Grace’ was placed in the care of foster parents, despite them both having criminal convictions, a State Commission of Investigation has found.
As the Irish Examiner reports, it also highlighted “systemic failings” by the South Eastern Health Board (SEHB) which led to Grace being neglected to a point where she suffered repeated injuries to her body, required “significant dental work” and instances of inappropriate stripping went unreported.
However, the investigation cleared former Health ministers Michael Noonan and Austin Currie over their handling of the case in 1996, after a decision to remove Grace from the home was controversially overturned after the foster father wrote a letter to Mr Noonan.
It can also be revealed that the Government is set to grant the Commission one final extension to allow it to conclude its work by July of next year.
Running to almost 800 pages, two interim reports seen by the Irish Examiner from the Farrelly Commission into allegations of abuse of Grace and 46 others who stayed in the home identified specific failings by health workers who were charged with Grace’s care.
They include a failure to remove her from the home, securing her legal status after turning 18 and also for failing to act on warnings as to her health and well-being.
Vulnerable young adults
In relation to the foster parents, referred to as ‘Mr and Mrs X’, the report found both had convictions for theft/larceny, yet were deemed fit to house Grace and other vulnerable young adults and children.
The Commission report states it is unable to definitely conclude whether a minor conviction for larceny would have prevented Mr and Mrs X from being approved as foster parents.
Grace was only meant to stay with the couple temporarily from her arrival in 1989. However, successive failures and decision u-turns meant she remained in the home until 2009, despite allegations of abuse being made against Mr X.
In 1996, after those allegations were made known to health officials, a decision to remove Grace from the foster home was taken. However, this decision was later overturned in the wake of Mr X writing to Mr Noonan to appeal for help in allowing Grace to remain.
The Commission said it received no oral evidence or rationale as to why that decision was overturned.
Nonetheless, it concluded that the actions of Mr Noonan and Mr Currie did not constitute an interference in the case and their actions were “within the scope of accepted custom and practice at the time”.
