The Green Post Ireland
Tusla chief executive Kate Duggan has issued an apology for the agency’s statement following the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in west Dublin. Speaking before the Oireachtas Committee on Children, she acknowledged that the language used — which described the child as having “absconded” during a supervised outing — came across as placing responsibility on the victim. Lawmakers had previously told the Dáil the statement “verged on victim blaming.”
Duggan said she fully understood public concern in light of recent high-profile and “significant” incidents involving young people under the agency’s oversight. While emphasising that most children in care are “thriving,” she accepted that the incident and the agency’s communication had caused distress. “We do apologise for that statement and the way it was released, and the impact of it,” she told Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane.
Surge in unaccompanied minors places unprecedented strain on Tusla’s services
During the committee session, Tusla outlined severe pressures across its services, driven in part by a dramatic rise in the number of unaccompanied minors arriving in Ireland. Since 2022, arrivals have surged by 500%, creating what Duggan described as an “extraordinary challenge” for both accommodation capacity and staffing.
Tusla is currently supporting or caring for around 550 unaccompanied minors, almost matching the number of children in its mainstream system. This shift, Duggan said, has left the agency working at the limits of its resources. The committee heard that referrals have also risen sharply: 78,000 cases were reported in the first nine months of this year — an 11% increase on the same period last year — and projections indicate the figure could reach 105,000 by year’s end.
Despite ongoing recruitment, Tusla reported large workforce shortages. Of its 1,730 social workers and 1,524 social-care staff, the agency says it needs at least 400 additional frontline workers to meet current demand. Special emergency accommodation remains overwhelmed, with 58 children from mainstream services and 195 unaccompanied minors housed in temporary placements. Duggan stressed that every effort is made to transition children to registered settings as quickly as possible.
Lawmakers warn of a child-protection crisis as violence against staff escalates
Independent Senator Sharon Keoghan criticised Tusla’s documentation as overly bureaucratic and failing to provide real accountability, warning that the agency is facing a “child protection crisis.” She questioned whether increased funding alone — despite Tusla’s €1.336bn budget — could address systemic problems.
Duggan defended the agency’s work, noting that 5,866 children are currently in Tusla’s care and that 87% are placed with foster families, where outcomes remain overwhelmingly positive. However, she acknowledged that 100 to 150 children present with extremely complex needs and challenging behaviours that strain existing services.
A major concern raised during the hearing was the rise in violence and harassment directed at Tusla staff. Duggan said there had been a “significant” escalation in extreme incidents, particularly within residential services, forcing the agency to employ protective personnel. National Director for People and Change Rosarii Mannion reported that Tusla is recording 59 reportable incidents per week, totaling more than 2,300 cases so far this year — including 51 incidents just this week.
Interim Services Director Gerry Hone also warned of increasing numbers of children under 12 showing “very dysregulated, disturbed behaviour,” alongside high levels of aggression toward staff.
Calls for early intervention as external risks intensify
Duggan told the committee that the child-protection environment is changing rapidly, with challenges such as online grooming, homelessness, addiction, and gaps in mental-health services becoming more acute. She argued that “significant investment” in early-stage supports is urgently needed to prevent crises escalating before children enter the system.
Fine Gael TD Keira Keogh compared the projected 105,000 referrals to filling Croke Park and then some, calling it “a huge amount of vulnerable children.” Sinn Féin’s Ruairí Ó Murchú referenced four recent “tragic and shocking” cases as evidence of the scale of the problem, asking bluntly what lawmakers and agencies should do next. He told Duggan, “I wouldn’t want to have the list you have in front of you at this point in time.”
As Tusla faces growing demand, rising risks, a stretched workforce and heightened public scrutiny, the committee hearing highlighted a system under acute pressure — and an urgent need for reform to protect Ireland’s most vulnerable children.
