Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Tusla needs to think outside the box in this regard. While we acknowledge that it is under pressure in recruiting staff into the organisation, we should consider the opportunities available in terms of co-operating with advocacy groups. I am talking about EPIC and the role of YAP Ireland. We should engage more with these advocacy groups because they have a skill set to support Tusla. We should also consider the likes of Sugru, a not for profit organisation that has been set up. There are various groups to which Tusla can reach out to work with that can help with lower priority cases, which would leave the expert skilled staff free to deal with priority cases. That will allow us to get to the core issues as quickly as possible and, importantly, retain the good people we have attracted into Tusla. Retention is critical if we are to develop Tusla and it is to continue to be the child protection agency we want into the future.

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