Tragic case of Louth schoolboy Kyran Durnin 'shows how children ...

Detectives in Drogheda, Co Louth, have established that Kyran, who was reported missing by his family on August 30, had not been seen for many months, and possibly for more than two years.

Catherine Ghent, solicitor and leading expert on child law and child protection, said that the tragic case may illustrate how children can disappear within the Irish system.

Tusla, the State’s child and family agency, did have significant contact over Kyran before his disappearance, it is understood.

Children could be referred to Tusla for being absent from school, or they could be referred by someone who suspected neglect or abuse.

Kyran Durnin, reported missing on August 30, may not have been seen for as long as two years.

“At the age he went missing he should have been in contact with education services at a minimum,” Ms Ghent said.

“It has been reported that Tusla was involved so either the school or someone else has referred a concern to them. It will be important to follow that referral to see where it went, how it was categorised, and how it was dealt with.”

Teachers can often be very frustrated that nothing happens after reporting concerns to Tusla, she said.

“The reasons for that are myriad. Mostly, they don’t have enough social workers.

"Social work is a horrendously difficult job. They need to be paid double what they are and need twice the support they are currently given. Like the probation service, in addition to increasingly complex dynamics, they’re facing increasing threats, physical assault, and serious harassment, including on social media."

Social workers may also be lost due to policies which have been described as inappropriate and ineffective.

The Tusla Signs of Safety programme’s focus on keeping children in the family home tends to look for signs of safety to an extent where it can miss signs of danger, Ms Ghent said.

'No one should be able to hide a child’s whereabouts,' says Catherine Ghent. Picture: Gareth Chaney

The model's onus on a child to self-report danger is unfair and unworkable, especially for a child who is being abused, she said.

When children are in fear it is extremely difficult for them to verbalise what is happening to them and they should not bear that responsibility.

Insufficient liaison between different areas allows people to hide from the authorities more easily than they should, she said.

“No one should be able to hide a child’s whereabouts.” 

Tanya Ward of the Children’s Rights Alliance said that she could not comment directly on the case due to the ongoing Garda investigation.

However, in the future it would be important to look at the contact the child may have had with members of their family, teachers, and other service providers to see if there was any opportunity to intervene and prevent what happened to that child, Ms Ward said.

If Kyran was attending school, his school should have informed Tusla if he was absent for more than 20 days in one academic year. But if Kyran vanished two years ago or more, he may not have yet been attending primary school.

Tusla said it could not comment on "this sensitive case” which is now being investigated by gardaí. “We will continue to work closely with gardaí and other parties as required at this time,” a statement from Tusla said.

Although no remains have been found and no crime scenes identified, officers upgraded their missing person’s case on Wednesday to a murder investigation.

Anyone with information can contact Drogheda Garda Station on 041 9874200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.