Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We know from the authority's report that, of the 27 standards assessed, Tusla's service met six, required improvement in 19 and significant risks were identified in respect of two. The report found that the effectiveness of the service was compromised due to the length of time it took for social workers to be allocated to assess the needs of children and families, meaning that children could remain at risk while they waited. It also found that the longest a child had been waiting for a social worker to be allocated was since 2010, whereas most of the others had been waiting since 2013. Of the almost 5,000 cases referred to Tusla in Cork, more than 1,000 had no allocated social workers, including the 234 deemed high priority. Where retrospective allegations of abuse were made against adults, Tusla failed to establish the risks to all children who may have been in contact with those adults.

Is it the case that children are worse off under Tusla than under the HSE? Does the Minister agree that the Child and Family Agency, which is facing a funding crisis, will continue to reveal such findings until the lack of resources is adequately addressed? Will it be addressed in budget 2015?

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