Tusla has seen a 14 per cent increase in referrals so far this year compared with this time last year, and the numbers are expected to rise by 20 per cent by the end of 2023, according to the interim chief executive of the agency, Kate Duggan.
During a panel discussion at a Children’s Rights Alliance event in Cork today, Ms Duggan indicated that Tusla has received 46,661 referrals so far this year.
“That is 46,661 children where somebody is concerned that they are suffering from neglect, where there is a concern about ability to thrive, where there is a concern that that child is being harmed.
“That is a 14 per cent increase on this time last year. We are seeing our referrals increasing year on year at 10, 14 and 15 per cent. We expect at the end of this year to have had a 20 per cent increase in referrals compared to the end of 2022.”
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Ms Duggan said that in the aftermath of Covid-19, Tusla is seeing a “significant increase” in the number of people aged between 16 and 18 who were never in the care system but whose families are now “volunteering them for care because they are unable to cope”.
“They [parents] see us as the State agency of last resort to try to help them to look after their children. We are concerned about it,” she said.
[ How has Tusla found itself at crisis point in its care of vulnerable children?Opens in new window ]
Ms Duggan said many are being placed in unregulated emergency accommodation.
“There might be 60 to 65 young people in that [type of] accommodation. Last week alone 41 per cent of the young people were there because of a breakdown in their home arrangement. They have never been in the care system before.”
She said many of those in this cohort had addiction issues, mental health issues or were being exploited by criminal gangs.
Ms Duggan said Ireland can be “proud” of its foster care system but said there was a need for better supports for people who undertake this work.
“We have 5,595 children in the care of the State; 91 per cent of those children are in foster care. And that is only because of the selflessness and the commitment and the dedication of foster carers right across the country,” she said.
Ms Duggan said Tusla has experienced issues around obtaining appropriate residential service places for young people.
“We are seeing too many children having to leave their communities, their social networks, their local support systems to move to a residential facility in another location,” she said.