More than 130 children went missing from State care facilities last year, child and family agency Tusla figures show.
Last year, 137 children went missing from State care; 42 from the western region, 78 in Dublin mid-Leinster and 32 in the southern region of the country.
In 2014, 163 children went missing – 53 in the western region, 78 in Dublin mid-Leinster and 32 in the southern region.
A Tusla spokeswoman said all children identified as missing in 2014 and 2015 were accounted for and none remained missing
In response to a freedom of information (FoI) request by The Irish Times for records from all regions, Tusla said it did not have information on the numbers in Dublin northeast because "this information is not collected or recorded".
Tusla said the figures for Dublin northeast were not available as “they are currently not collected at a regional level.”
“However each area within that region has systems and information regarding missing children. This information is used for care planning and supporting young people at an individual level. For the purpose of the Fo
I request no new files can be created and therefore cannot be provided for that region,” the spokeswoman said.
The spokeswoman said Tusla was currently developing a national system to collect this data on a routine basis.
“This information will routinely be publicised as part of Tusla’s regular activity and performance reports,” she said.
Children who are reported missing from care are recognised as being among the most vulnerable in society and the Garda and Tusla work together on such cases.
A child in care is considered missing when their whereabouts are unknown and an absence management plan indicates concerns for the child’s safety.
This is distinct from children in care who return late and do not inform their staff or carers, or children who walk out without permission.
When a child in care is missing, a missing-child-from-care Garda report form is completed and sent to an Garda Síochána.
Reports of this nature are treated by gardaí as a high-risk missing person incident.
Children’s Rights Alliance chief executive Tanya Ward said it was “surprising” this information was not collected or recorded on children who go missing from State care in the Dublin northeast region.
“Such children are extremely vulnerable and the joint protocol for missing children in care says that social workers, carers and the gardaí must keep a record of actions when a child goes missing. It may be that the information is collected by area and not regionally in this part of the country. Record keeping is normally looked at by Hiqa,” she said.