A report from the Child Care Law Reporting Project (CCLRP) has identified 48 instances of "severe neglect", citing the prolonged closure of schools due to lockdown as a factor in the cases going undetected for a prolonged period of time.
The report mentions one girl, who cannot be identified, who was admitted into intensive care as it was feared she was going into septic shock caused by scabies. Her doctor also said the child has the "most serious case of head lice" he had ever seen.
The child was found in a home, which the report describes as being "in a derelict state", with her sister and mother, according to The Irish Times.
The Dublin District Court heard the house was in "total disarray" and the children's rooms contained "two feet of rubbish and clothing and the mattresses were soiled with no bedding on them". The report adds there were also no hygienic washing facilities in the house.
The Court heard that following her admission into hospital, the child's skin was now improving, and she was participating in arts and play therapy, but would speak to no one but her mother and sister.
Gardaí added the mother was co-operative, but the social worker questioned whether she understood the circumstances and the children were taken into interim care.
CCLRP director Dr Carol Coulter said the report published today raises the question whether "the prolonged closure of schools meant that teachers, often at the front line of protecting such children, were cut off from them and the neglect when unnoticed for far too long".
The report also highlights the pandemic has adversely effected parental access for some children, while others have had assessments delayed, impacting the planning of the child's future.
