The Child and Family Agency (Tusla) has insisted that the way in which the State responds to vulnerable young people has ‘radically changed'.

It made its comments following the publication of reports into the deaths of four young people. A report into a fifth death was not published at the request of the deceased's family.

The reports were carried out by the National Review Panel, an independent body which reviews cases where children in care, or those known to child protection services, die or experience serious incidents.

One of the reports centred on a child names Nicholas who died ‘suddenly and unexpectedly aged 17'.

"The Coroner's Court determined that his death was due to misadventure. The cause was respiratory failure brought on by the consumption of what proved to be a toxic combination of drugs. He had first been referred to the Social Work Department when he was five years old," the report into his death found.

He had originally been referred to child protection services as a result of ‘neglect due to parental conflict, maternal alcohol misuse and family homelessness'.

His parents separated and Nicholas, his father and his siblings were moved into supported accommodation, however he remained at risk as a result of ‘poor school attendance, a caring but disorganised home environment, deepening involvement in antisocial behaviour and drug misuse'.

"He spent his final evening socialising with friends and he fell asleep in their company. When he could not be roused the next morning, assistance was summoned immediately and arrived swiftly but he could not be resuscitated," the report noted.

It said that despite concerns about Nicholas being neglected and abused and the ‘obvious inability' of his father - also a drug user - to care for his dependents, the emphasis of social workers was on ‘maintaining the family'.

"Nicholas' father was assessed as being loving and kind but, given his poor health and chronic drug problem, he could not provide adequate care. The review team believes that it was ambitious to think that he might be able to do so in the face of much evidence to the contrary," the report pointed out.

While Nicholas' case was regularly assessed and plans were made, if these plans did not have the intended effects, ‘matters were allowed to drift'.

The report concluded that Nicholas was allowed to remain ‘for too long in an environment where drug misuse was the norm and where his father could not adequately meet his needs'.

"These obvious hazards should have been addressed more directly by the Social Work Department. Because his father was passive, well-liked, and relatively amenable this did not become as pressing an issue as it should have and despite the obvious inadequacy of the domestic environment, matters were allowed to drift," the report said.

It suggested that had Nicholas been admitted to foster care or residential care, or placed with a relative, this would have needed to happen at a much earlier age.

"The services made available to him could not compensate for the neglect he experienced from parents who did not have the capacity to provide adequate care, and his childhood exposure to domestic violence and substance abuse," it said.

Commenting on the reports' findings, Tusla's director of policy and strategy, Paul Harrison, extended his deepest sympathies to all those affected by the deaths of these young people.

"The primary responsibility for the care of a child lies with the family. Sometimes families need help to carry out that responsibility and it is the duty of the State to respond. The key learning from these reports is that good individual supports are not enough, without a coordinated, multi-agency approach," he noted.

However, he insisted that since these deaths,‘there has been a radical change in the way we respond to vulnerable young people'.

"The establishment of Tusla was heralded as a seminal moment in the delivery of services to children, promising improved services and greater accountability. Tusla is committed to the review of previous failings and to ensuring that the legacy of those failings is a renewed determination not to fail future generations. Significant reform, centred on co-ordination, accountability, oversight and multiagency working is taking place," Mr Harrison added.