The HSE has welcomed the publication of the Monageer report on the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the Dunne family in Wexford two years ago.
A redacted version of the report published today found there was no single definite motive behind the deaths of Adrian and Ciara Dunne and their two children, Leanne and Shania in April 2007.
The HSE said familicide was a “rare, tragic and complex event” and that there had been about 10 confirmed cases of it in Ireland since 2006.
“In 2008, the HSE established a national working group, led by the director of the National Office for Suicide Prevention, to gain an understanding of the complexities of extended suicide including familicide.”
It said the National Suicide Research Foundation was examining international research on the subject.
“The group’s work will conclude in the summer and will inform HSE policy in this area.”
In a lengthy statement, the HSE said all agencies involved in providing community services must “redouble their efforts to ensure they are supporting individuals and families in need”.
It said it would “work strenuously towards implementing its recommendations”.
“While the report acknowledges the difficulties for both the HSE and the Gardaí in preventing familicide, we must redouble our efforts to ensure all our community services are working together to support as a priority individuals and families in the greatest need,” the statement said.
The HSE said the Monageer report identified a “significant number of issues in respect of public health nursing, early intervention teams and child care services.
“A pilot project is currently underway in Wexford and will be fully rolled out from July 2009, taking account of the report’s recommendations. The learning achieved will inform national decisions.”
It also said it had been working on a series of programmes since 2007 that would result in the report's recommendations as being implemented.
The HSE would also support other agencies in implementing any recommendations relating to them.
From early June, the health authority will operate an “expanded emergency place of safety” for children.
“This will enable gardaí to place children in an appropriate safe environment – in approved foster families - when they have to remove children from a situation of extreme risk outside of normal working hours.”
It said it was also developing a more integrated multi-disciplinary approach to out-of-hours services “within available resources”.
This would build on existing GP, acute hospital and mental health services, to ensure that people seeking services outside normal working hours can be provided with appropriate advice, information and support and in emergency situations access to specialist staff.
It said a pilot project is also currently underway in Wexford involving a suicide crisis assessment nurse.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy, who has also considered the report’s findings, expressed his sympathy to the Dunne and O’Brien families and the local communities in Wexford and Donegal on the tragedy.
“The circumstances surrounding this tragedy were highly exceptional and posed considerable challenges to the personnel of all the agencies charged with responding to it,” Mr Murphy said in a statement.
He said he accepted the findings and was “committed to ensuring that the safety and protection of children is a key priority for An Garda Siochana”.
Mr Murphy said the national ‘Children First’ guidelines, together with the relevant legislation, were being fully applied by An Garda Siochana.
“The findings of this report will be utilised to refine our practices and procedures to complement the ‘Children First’ guidelines, which provide the essential framework for the work of An Garda Siochana and the Health Service Executive in dealing with the sensitive area of child safety.”