THE FAMILY of Danny Talbot, who was in receipt of aftercare from the HSE when, aged 19, he died of a drugs overdose, have criticised a panel established to review his death for failing to meet them or address their concerns about its work. They have also made a complaint to the Ombudsman for Children Emily Logan and asked her office to undertake a comprehensive inquiry into Danny’s death due to their concerns over the scope of the review group’s work.
Daniel “Danny” Talbot was living at the Caretakers Hostel, Back Lane, Dublin 8, part of the adult homeless services when he died in August 2009. He had been in the care of the HSE from a young age and had been in a variety of placements but was with foster parents, David and Ann Flood, for the majority of the time.
The review group was established by the HSE to investigate the deaths of children while in State care in May following revelations that the number of deaths was much higher than initially reported.
It consists of a 15-member panel chaired by Dr Helen Buckley, a senior lecturer at Trinity College, who are tasked with conducting reviews of serious incidents and deaths of children.
At a “for mention” hearing of the inquest into Danny’s death at the Dublin City Coroner’s Court yesterday, the family’s legal counsel said the family had submitted a letter to the coroner outlining their concern about the review panel’s ability to undertake a proper independent review.
Brian Barrington said the family had written to Dr Buckley on July 21st to request a meeting and to ask 21 relevant questions about the nature of the review panel’s investigation into Danny’s death. He said the family had not yet received a detailed response from the review panel.
The family’s letter to the coroner says they understand it is not a quick process to answer the questions but they are “disappointed” that they have not yet had a meeting with Dr Buckley or a response to their questions.
“This is a very anxious time for us, and we are anxious to know whether the Buckley group has the powers and independence to uncover the truth about Danny’s life and tragic death,” says the letter, which is signed by the late Danny Talbot’s three aunts, Donna, Debbie and Sandra Lamb.
The family say they have made a decision to seek a public inquiry into Danny’s death following news that 188 young people have died while in the care of the HSE.
“Lessons have to be learned so that children in care have better chances than Danny ever did,” says the letter. The family are concerned the panel may not undertake an investigation that meets best international practice or conforms to the European Convention on Human Rights. They want to ensure an inquiry is independent, effective, prompt and involves the next of kin.
Children’s groups have also raised questions about the independence of the panel. The Children’s Rights Alliance has said a panel is only independent if its members are drawn from agencies other than those which are being investigated. Several members of the review panel are either employed by or linked to the HSE.
Mr Barrington requested a six-week adjournment to give the family time to get answers from the review panel to enable them to assess its effectiveness. Coroner Brian Farrell granted an adjournment until Friday, November 12th.
Following yesterday’s hearing Danny’s aunts repeated their call for a full public inquiry into his death. “From the cradle to the grave he was failed by professionals who let him fall through the cracks,” said Debbie Lamb.