Waterford TD calls for greater safeguarding laws in wake of the Grace case
The report was to examine allegations made of abuse and neglect of a vulnerable woman with the pseudonym 'Grace.' Stock Image.
Waterford TD David Cullinane has said he was “shocked” by the Farrelly Commission Report on the Grace Case.
Reacting on Prime Time, Waterford TD David Cullinane said the report did show a “litany of neglect” and “failures”, but it does not establish the extent of what happened to Grace in her 20 years in the home.
“And in circumstances where it is out of sight, out of mind and you have that level of neglect, abuse, of course it is going to be difficult for evidence to be produced, particularly when this child is non-verbal,” said Deputy Cullinane.
Deputy Cullinane went on to say that there is no robust adult safeguarding legislation in place, an issue raised by many national organisations.
One of those organisations is the Irish Association of Social Workers.
In a statement following the publishing of the report, the IASW reiterated the call they made after the Brandon and Emily cases.
“They acknowledged that the HSE and government are working on measures but called them “piecemeal” and “not sufficient.”
This means social workers cannot adequately support or protect vulnerable adults.
“Quite simply, we lack the legislation to do our jobs.
“All eyes must now turn to the Government. IASW asked for robust adult safeguarding legislation after the Brandon case. The Government failed to act. We asked for legislation after the Emily case. The Government failed to act.
"We are asking for the Government to act now, in the wake of the Grace case,” said the IASW.
They said Commissions of Inquiry are not suitable for the review of safeguarding concerns and said those needed to be assessed by “competent safeguarding experts.”
“Witnesses have advised that they felt traumatised in what they described as an adversarial environment. This itself points to a process which could never support the kind of sensitive, skilled reflection and dialogue required to better understand what happened to Grace and how we can learn from it,” said the IASW.
The association also criticised the report's lack of executive summary, failure to consult the families and to make the report accessible for those who might read it.
They said that the threshold of evidence used in the Farrelly report was not the same as was used in expert safeguarding reviews.
And, had the criteria been applied to the Emily report, other victims would not have been identified.
The IASW acknowledged the work of the social workers who worked to bring the Grace case to light and said they stand in solidarity with Grace, her mother and all those who supported justice for her.
