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	A retired Supreme Court judge, who led a major investigation into the Kilkenny Incest case in the 1990s, has said child protection services have been continually under resourced.</p>
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	Speaking ahead of the publication next week of the terms of reference for an Commission of Investigation into a foster home in the southeast at the centre of abuse allegations, Catherine McGuinness said there has never been a complete commitment in following through on what needs to be done.</p>
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	The Government is set to launch an official inquiry into the foster home where 47 children were placed over two decades up to 2013.</p>
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	One of the children was &#39;Grace&#39; - a young woman with profound intellectual disabilities who was left in the home for almost 20 years, despite a succession of sexual abuse allegations.</p>
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	Speaking on RT&Eacute;&#39;s Morning Ireland, Justice McGuinness advised those setting the terms of reference to look at accountability on two levels: what actually happened and how the situation was managed.</p>
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	This should not be a witch hunt for one social worker to blame, she said, but rather a look at the case in its entirety.</p>
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	Justice McGuinness led a major investigation in 1993 into child sexual abuse and the failure of authorities to act in the Kilkenny Incest case.</p>
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	There were over 100 contacts between the victim and the health services but the system failed to protect her from or respond adequately to the horrific abuse she suffered.</p>
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	Her report led to a significant changes in the area of child care law, but Justice McGuinness said she is unsure&nbsp;as to why all the repeated recommendations, made over several years, have not been put in place.</p>
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	She said&nbsp;we are a country that is inclined to &quot;wring its hands in horror&quot;&nbsp;in response to terrible events&nbsp;but then put the events to the back of our minds.&nbsp;</p>
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	When the child and family functions of the health&nbsp;service were&nbsp;separated into an independent&nbsp;entity Tusla in 2014,&nbsp;Justice McGuinness said the medical needs of children continued to be looked after by HSE.</p>
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	Consequently, the two agencies are not joined-up, resulting in a situation that costs a lot of money and causes delays in court, she added.</p>
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	There have been other reports of &quot;terrifying cases&quot;&nbsp;since 1993, she said.</p>
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	She also said that there were 700 high priority cases awaiting allocation to a social worker&nbsp;in November because of a lack of resources,&nbsp;adding that&nbsp;young social workers are getting burnt-out and leaving the system.</p>
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	(Published by RTE.ie on the 2nd March 2017)</p>
<p>
	<a href="https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0302/856594-mcguinesss-tusla-grace/">https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0302/856594-mcguinesss-tusla-grace/</a></p>
