The State agency responsible for child protection and welfare, Tusla, has said that it will now review the outcomes of the inquest into the death of Daniel McAnaspie.
It comes after the jury at the inquest into the death of the teenager, who was in the care of the State when he was murdered over 15 years ago, recommended the State carry out an urgent review of its approach to child protection and welfare.
In a statement today, Tusla said that it would work with all stakeholders to implement any changes recommended to further strengthen and improve its services.
The agency said it again offered its deepest condolences to those who were closest to Daniel McAnaspie.
Tusla said that there are currently 14 young people in special care (0.2% of all young people in care), across three special care units.
In a statement it said that there are currently four young people who are the subject of a High Court order and are awaiting a placement in special care.
It said that for these young people, they are currently unable to fully meet their statutory obligations regarding special care, and they share the concern this causes for the High Court, for professionals involved in the care of these young people, and most importantly, for the young people themselves and their families.
It said that while awaiting placement in special care, these young people are supported in alternative care settings.
It said some progress in recent weeks will assist in increasing its special care capacity to 16 beds by the end of May 2025.
In a statement, the Department of Children said: "There have been many changes in the way that Ireland has managed its child protection system in recent years, since the tragic events that surrounded the death of Daniel in 2010.
"This includes the establishment of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency in 2014, which has placed a greater focus on the protection and welfare of children throughout the country, including where those children are in the care of the State.
"The Children First Act, which was fully commenced in 2017, also provides for a number of key child protection measures.
"This Department, along with Tusla, remains vigilant in its responsibilities for caring for and protecting children in the State, including through ongoing reforms of the Child Care Act.
"New amendments to this legislation are currently under development, with the aim of achieving greater cooperation between departments and agencies across Government in respect of child protection," added the statement.
'Urgent' need for review into recommendations
Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Caoilfhionn Gallagher, described the need for a review into recommendations made by the inquest's jury as "exceptionally urgent".
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One programme, Ms Gallagher said that she is "very concerned" by Tusla figures shown during the inquest that 14 of 26 secure care beds are operational due to staff shortages.
This morning, Tusla said that it hopes to have two additional places added by the end of the month.
"The evidence before the High Court in November last year was that of the 26 beds, only 15 were operational; the latest evidence is that only 14 are operational and might go up to 16," Ms Gallagher said.
"Speaking frankly, none of this is good enough and we've got to bear in mind that these are some of the most vulnerable children in the country... these are cases which involve very serious risks to life and to physical and mental wellbeing of children."
Ms Gallagher said that she is concerned that there are four young people who have been approved by the High Court for Special Care who are still awaiting placement.
She added that staff at Tusla, including the Chief Executive, are in a position where they are unable to comply with their statutory obligations "due to a long-standing failure to provide adequate funding".
"We cannot be in a position where we end up having these horrendous, heartbreaking cases coming before the courts, and every time we're saying: 'This is an emergency, something must be done.'"
"It's high time that we provide proper funding to meet our obligations to these vulnerable children," Ms Gallagher said.
