Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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The witnesses are all very welcome this morning. This is a subject I hold very closely to my heart. All the children in care in this State deserve the utmost attention from the State to make sure they get the best possible care. I believe we have let them down. I believe Tusla has let them down. There are so many issues I want to bring up with Tusla today. I ask the witnesses to please bear with me on them.

Thirty-eight children in Tusla care were reported missing last year, 29 of whom were separated children. How many have been located? What concrete steps are being taken to prevent further disappearances, especially when we have concerns about potential trafficking?

HIQA inspections earlier this year found that Tusla had failed to follow national protocols in cases involving unaccompanied minors, delayed strategy meetings and failed to liaise effectively with An Garda Síochána or international agencies. Considering the number of missing children, among other issues, what has Tusla done to fix these serious safeguarding gaps? How can we ensure that these children are not being lost to trafficking or exploitation?

A person was told that Tusla no longer uses the term "reunification". It is now called "permanency planning". How many children were actually returned to their families in 2024? How many reunification plans were dropped or reclassified? The whole idea is to work with families at early stages when a child is taken into care and how to support that child in certain circumstances. I understand very well that Tusla may not be ever able to place that child back in that household again, but with support from Tusla and the different multidisciplinary teams, there are families that may be the best environment for the child, rather than him or her hopping from house to house for years and becoming one of the 13% not in education.