Tusla: No attendance referrals for Kyran Durnin between 2022 and 2024

Tusla, the Irish state agency tasked with child welfare and protection, has stated that it did not receive any reports or expressions of concern regarding Kyran Durnin’s school attendance or educational well-being during the period from 2022 to 2024. Kyran was reported as missing in late August; however, last month, gardaí (Irish police) announced that the boy is now “presumed dead” and initiated a murder inquiry. Investigators suspect the missing child may have been killed over two years prior, at the age of six. Kate Duggan, Tusla’s Chief Executive, indicated that one of the agency’s family resource services had its final interaction with Kyran and his family in 2022. Ms. Duggan also mentioned that during the 2021/2022 school year, child welfare services would have undertaken “significant efforts” to offer additional support to both Kyran and his family. In an interview with Irish broadcaster RTÉ’s This Week programme, Ms. Duggan affirmed that Tusla did not receive “referrals of concern either through our child protection welfare services or our educational support services” during that period. She further stated, “We also know that May 2022 was the last time that Kyran was present in school within junior infants in his local school.” Ms. Duggan reiterated that no fresh information or reports of concern regarding Kyran had been submitted to the agency between 2022 and 2024. Ms. Duggan informed the program that earlier this year, while Tusla was involved in a separate case, its personnel discovered information that “caused concern to us in relation to Kyran’s whereabouts.” She added, “At that point then, we would have linked with An Garda Síochána [Irish police] with that information.” According to Ms. Duggan, Tusla’s interactions with the family have only occurred since April 2024, following the emergence of this new information. Last week, Tusla declared that an internal review concerning its dealings with Kyran’s family would not be released publicly at present. Ms. Duggan stated that this choice was made subsequent to discussions with gardaí. She further commented, “When our review is published, obviously there will be reference to any engagement that we had with Kyran, with his family or with other members of his family.” However, she concluded, “But at the moment, I can’t confirm the details around that because of the live garda investigation.”