Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank members of the committee for inviting me here to discuss matters relating to child protection.

I would like to begin by acknowledging the great work done by Tusla and the commitment of its staff in the context of a huge increase in demand for its services in recent times. Referral rates to Tusla continue to increase year on year. This can be considered to be a result of increased awareness of child protection within society and some changes to the reporting process.

It is also important to acknowledge the challenges the agency is facing. Ireland is now accommodating more than 90,000 persons fleeing the conflict in Ukraine and international protection applicants, resulting in significant pressure on State services, including Tusla. This is resulting in challenges in providing sufficient suitable placements for children in care. I am aware of the concern of members and other stakeholders in this regard, specifically related to the use of special emergency arrangements. It is also important to note that the complexity of the presentations of children coming before Tusla continues to grow. In addition to these pressures, Tusla is also experiencing pressures with regard to the recruitment and retention of staff. This is something my Department is working to address in collaboration with the agency.

Specifically in relation to foster carers, I know of the valuable role they play, and recently received the pre-budget submission from Irish Foster Care Association. I again state that it is a priority of mine to seek an increase in the foster care allowance in budget 2024. I assure the committee that the safety and welfare of children in care is a priority for me and my Department and for Tusla, and we will have an opportunity to discuss this further in the course of our meeting.

Over recent months, a number of child protection matters have been the subject of media reports, including the UCD scoping report on child sexual exploitation, HIQA inspection reports of child protection services, which were found to be non-compliant, and a letter to my Department from Judge Simms. I would like to take the opportunity to address each of these in turn. The committee will have already received my observations on the very concerning matters raised in the UCD scoping report, Protecting Against Predators, which raises unsettling concerns that young girls in residential centres might be being targeted by predatory and organised groups of men. As stated in that correspondence, my Department and Tusla continue to take the issue of potential child sexual abuse very seriously. I have met a delegation from the UCD sexual exploitation research programme, including one of the authors of the report, to discuss the report and its findings in more detail. My Department has and will continue to liaise closely with Tusla regarding its response to the report.

Regarding the HIQA reports, my officials have been in regular contact with Tusla about the non-compliance with child protection standards arising from the HIQA inspection reports. There are action plans in place to address the deficits, and I am happy to discuss these more, as no doubt will our colleagues from Tusla. There are also further engagements planned between my Department, Tusla and HIQA regarding the proposed new HIQA national standards relating to child protection and children in care.

I reiterate that my Department and I continue to place a clear focus on the care needs of separated children in care, be they from Ukraine or any other state. Tusla has seen a significant increase in the number of children under this heading requiring care over the past 18 months.

These pressures, along with the broader increase in referrals, are resulting in challenges in providing sufficient suitable placements for children in care. I am aware of the concern of members and other stakeholders in this regard, specifically relating to the use of special emergency arrangements.

Again, I assure the committee that the safety and welfare of children in care is a priority for me, my Department and Tusla, and we will have an opportunity to discuss this further in the course of our meeting. I thank the committee for calling a meeting on this specific issue. This is probably one of the first times we have had the opportunity to go into some of these issues in depth. I look forward to responding to questions as we go ahead.