Paul Murphy: Demands answers on child welfare failures
Paul Murphy challenged the Taoiseach over systemic failures in child welfare following the discovery of the body of Daniel Arabozze. He argued the state is losing track of vulnerable children and cautioned against reflexively blaming frontline agencies without first getting the facts.
The speaker noted that Daniel went missing four years ago at age three and that his body was found only after social welfare payment checks drew attention to his case. Murphy asked what it says about the state when payments are tracked more closely than vulnerable children.
Murphy criticised the system for failing to keep vulnerable children under sufficient oversight and raised the broader issue of who is responsible for tracking children who disappear from services. He urged a fact-based assessment rather than immediate attribution of blame.
The speech referenced other unresolved cases, including Kyron Durnan, and highlighted that 29 young people known to Tusla died in 2023. Murphy also cited a school principal's warning about gaps in the system and children not being looked for when they stop attending school.
Murphy pushed back on what he described as a reflex to blame Tusla for every missing child, saying that approach is unfair to social workers and staff. He acknowledged the national review panel's role and urged awaiting the panel's findings and facts before drawing conclusions, while noting the need for legislative and systemic improvements.
Discovery of Daniel Arabozze
The speaker noted that Daniel went missing four years ago at age three and that his body was found only after social welfare payment checks drew attention to his case. Murphy asked what it says about the state when payments are tracked more closely than vulnerable children.
State tracking and accountability
Murphy criticised the system for failing to keep vulnerable children under sufficient oversight and raised the broader issue of who is responsible for tracking children who disappear from services. He urged a fact-based assessment rather than immediate attribution of blame.
Other cases and statistics
The speech referenced other unresolved cases, including Kyron Durnan, and highlighted that 29 young people known to Tusla died in 2023. Murphy also cited a school principal's warning about gaps in the system and children not being looked for when they stop attending school.
Debate over blame and review processes
Murphy pushed back on what he described as a reflex to blame Tusla for every missing child, saying that approach is unfair to social workers and staff. He acknowledged the national review panel's role and urged awaiting the panel's findings and facts before drawing conclusions, while noting the need for legislative and systemic improvements.
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Transcript
That's Ken Corley. Taoiseach, I feel that the discussion about the state failing children is going to dominate the coming Dáil term, but there's no greater failure possible than the state losing track and failing children who it's meant to be taken care of. We heard just a couple of hours ago that the body of Daniel Arabozze was found. We know that he went missing four years ago when he was just three. He would have been seven now. Incredibly, when you read the story, it appears the state became aware that he was missing because of checks carried out on social welfare payments. What does it say about the nature of the state that better track is being kept of social welfare payments rather than vulnerable children? Daniel is tragically far, far from the only child to fall through the cracks. Kyron Durnan has still not been found. In 2023, 29 young people known to Tusla died. Earlier this week, a school principal said that there were huge gaps and holes in the system and that no one is looking for children that aren't turning up to school. Incredible. Taoiseach, what is going to be done to ensure that we stop failing children in this way? Deputy Morphy and Deputy O'Tobin raised the issue around the discovery of Daniel today. I just have to say that the automatic sort of impulse to blame the state, I think I don't accept. I think there needs to be a better analysis of this in advance of jumping to blame. I noticed Deputy O'Tobin used a phrase and I have a quote I wrote it down. A three-year-old boy went missing from state care, you said. This is your classic propagandising of the situation. I think it is regrettable that you would adopt such a cynical attitude because that boy didn't go missing while in state care. Do you accept that? I accept that he wasn't tracked by state care. No, I am not asking you that. Do you accept he did not go missing while in state care? I accept that his case was closed. Can you address your remarks through the chair? I apologize. I should do it through the chair. I apologize. We are over time now, Taoiseach. The time is up, I will ask you to conclude. The point I am trying to make is the chair of the national review panel gave a very robust articulation of their role and the effectiveness of their role and our ongoing issues that we can, in terms of legislation and so on, that can be progressed. But that should not be conflated with what happened in Daniel. And we need to await the outcome. And just get the facts first before we jump to conclusions. Look, I have observed Deputy Tobin's position on this for quite some time now. And the overriding objective seems to be to blame Tusla for every child that goes missing in the country. And I think that is wrong. I just think that is wrong. It is unfair to the person. There can be, in some cases, there can be wrongdoing in some cases or neglect, but you do it in every case. And I think that is wrong. I think it is unfair to those working in Tusla. I think it is unfair to social workers. And I think that is what I believe. I will conclude. As I said, the time is up, so we are moving on. The next...