The Ombudsman for Children has expressed “deep concern” to two senior Government Ministers about the “ongoing evictions” of families living in direct provision who have been granted international protection status.
Dr Niall Muldoon wrote to the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien and Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman last month, stating: “Children cannot fall through the cracks because departments are passing the buck and failing to work jointly to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of these children.”
He also expressed concern about the movement of families living in State-provided accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.
In the letter dated October 17th, which was released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, Dr Muldoon said recent months had seen “many eviction notices” issued to families with children, including lone-parent families, causing significant distress and upheaval.
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“Many parents have received conflicting information about their moving deadlines, while others were told their cases were under review, leaving many families with children in limbo,” he said.
“This process is having a devastating impact on the rights of the children involved.”
Since late 2022, the Department of Integration started sending out letters to single people or couples who have had international protection status for more than nine months, and families who have had status for more than 18 months, requesting that they move to “alternative accommodation in the community” by a set date.
In his correspondence, Dr Muldoon said he was writing to both ministers as the housing needs of refugee and asylum-seeking children lay between both departments and required a concerted effort across Government.
“My office has observed how siloed decision-making hurts and damages children and we must see much greater co-ordination of supports and joined-up thinking,” he added.
Dr Muldoon urged the Ministers to reconsider the approach being taken and to devise a plan for transfers out of direct provision and accommodation for Ukrainian refugees that “prioritises the rights of these children and fully assesses the impact of such decisions by using a children’s rights framework”.
He said in the immediate term, and until such assessments are in place, the Government should extend the exemption from eviction given to people in direct provision over 65, or those with health needs, to families with children.
The Ombudsman for Children’s Office said this week that no response had been received from either Minister to date.
In response to queries from The Irish Times, the Department of Housing said it was “working closely” with officials from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to improve the process for those with status moving out of direct provision, and to support them in their efforts to secure long-term housing.
The Department of Integration said it “never allows” people with status to be left without accommodation, even though there is “no formal legal entitlement to provide people with status with accommodation”.
“It is the case, where people have not been able to source their own private accommodation solution, that we have to ask people in IPAS [International Protection Accommodation Service] accommodation to move to different centres at times, because we are operating in system that is at or beyond capacity,” it said.
“It should be noted that people who are asked to move are offered a transfer to alternative IPAS accommodation, and are not evicted. When people are asked to move to alternative IPAS accommodation, we make every effort to give them as much information as we can about the move, as quickly as possible.”
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