Call for 24-hour social work service

Opposition parties have called for the establishment of a 24-hour out-of-hours social work service following the publication …

Opposition parties have called for the establishment of a 24-hour out-of-hours social work service following the publication of the report into the Monageer tragedy today.

The report into the deaths of the Dunne family in 2007 has failed to find any single definite motive behind their deaths.

The inquiry team said in a redacted report published this afternoon that it believes a number of family, financial and personality-related factors contributed to the decision by Adrian (29) and Ciara Dunne (24) to end their lives and those of their children, five-year-old Leanne and three-year-old Shania.

It calls for the provision o a national out-of-hours social work service to ensure an appropriate response to serious child protection and welfare concerns.

Fine Gael chief whip Paul Kehoe said: "The blame for this terrible tragedy lies squarely with HSE services and structures. A 24-out-of-hours social work service must be put in place. However, the sad reality is that if the Government failed to prioritise the development of this in the good times, it is highly unlikely that they will do it now."

Sinn Féin's spokesman on children Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin called for the full implementation of all the recommendations of the report.

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He said it was “alarming” that Minister of State or Children Barry Andrews refused to accept "the first and most important recommendation for a State-wide out-of-hours social work service".

He also said it was "of great concern" that sections of the report had been deleted before publication and he called on the Minister to publish it in full.