The Minister for Children said he has “concerns” about the state’s response following a report about missing schoolboy Kyran Durnin.
Gardai launched a murder investigation last month after the disappearance of the Co Louth child who was potentially missing for two years, unknown to authorities.
Officers suspect he may have died in 2022 when he was six years old.
In late October, investigators searched a former family home in Dundalk and adjoining land.
Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman said he has ‘concerns’ about the state’s response following a Tusla report about Kyran Durnin (Grainne Ni Aodha/PA)
On Friday, the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, sent a report on their engagement with Kyran and his family to Roderic O’Gorman.
Mr O’Gorman said he could not reveal or publish any details of the report as there is an ongoing garda investigation into the presumed death of the boy, who would now be eight.
Asked whether he identified any failings from the report, Mr O’Gorman said: “From what I’ve seen, there are elements that are of concern in terms of the overall state response.
“I asked Tusla to undertake their own review and bring forward any proposals or changes that they need to make to their operations, their procedures.”
Mr O’Gorman told the RTE News At One programme that he will be meeting with the chief executive of Tusla, Kate Duggan, later this week to go through the recommendations and setting out how they will be implemented.
“This report will also be sent to the National Review Panel,” he added.
“I said before, this case shows how the importance of inter-agency co-operation is so important, and how every arm of the state that comes in contact with children where there is some identified vulnerability, need to be working together.
“What I did earlier this year was set up a new inter-agency committee on vulnerable children to make sure that we have a forum where Tusla can speak to the gardai, can speak to the HSE, can speak to education services.
“Tusla is the ultimate safety net for these incredibly vulnerable children, but it needs the help, it needs the support of all arms of the state in terms of making sure we have a strong response to the needs of these children.
“This committee will be put on the statutory footing in the new Child Care Bill, but I actually asked that it be established even before the legislation was put on the books, because I really think this interagency piece is so important.”
On Sunday, Ms Duggan said they received no referrals of concern between 2022 and 2024, and that the agency had no reason to check whether Kyran was attending school.
She said in 2021 and 2022 “significant efforts” were made by Tusla’s child welfare services to provide “further supports” to Kyran and his family.
Ms Duggan said there were no referrals of concern for the child over those years.