It will be some time before the full implications of the report into the case of “Grace”, published on Tuesday can be comprehensively teased out. Running to almost 2,000 pages in six volumes and referring back to previous documents, the report of the Farrelly commission is a difficult read on a number of levels – harrowing in much of its detail, but also hard to follow and lacking a clear setting out of overarching conclusions.
This is not an accessible document. After more than seven years, it was reasonable to expect clear summary conclusions and policy recommendations, rather than findings being scattered through the document.
It is not clear that the commission’s report advances our broad understanding of what happened greatly, although through its extensive work it does provide much information on what exactly happened. This provides more forensic detail on how Grace was failed by the State.
And the serious shortcomings in her case are clear. A non-verbal woman with severe intellectual and physical disabilities – given the pseudonym Grace – was failed by State services again and again while she was in a foster home from 1989 to 2009. Receiving no visit from a social worker for many years, she was not moved despite credible reports of sexual abuse relating, in particular, to one other child and wider concerns being raised by whistle-blowers. Only when her birth mother was informed of her circumstances and raised a fuss about it was she eventually moved.
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The report found evidence of “serious neglect” in the foster home and “financial mismanagement” relating to the State allowances for Grace. It concluded that there had been “a fundamental failure by the South Eastern Health Board and the HSE in their duty of care to Grace in the circumstances”.
The commission, chaired by senior counsel Marjorie Farrelly, found that bruises on Grace’s body – and the details known about these – provided insufficient evidence of sexual or physical abuse. This has led to some criticism of yesterday’s report, particularly given allegations of sexual abuse in relation to two other girls who spent time in the home. The fact that these allegations came to light meant that Grace should have been moved from the foster home years earlier.
The report yet again raises questions about how matters of public interest are investigated and the adversarial and legalistic route often used as part of the process. In this case, the length of time and costs have meant investigations of other related cases will not happen.
Meanwhile, while the Government promises to learn lessons – and better procedures are now in place – there are still serious shortcomings in social services for vulnerable children. And no guarantee that further cases of failure will not emerge in the future.
