Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Children who are homeless are entitled to have the same level of safeguarding as any other child. Child protection concerns will be dealt with by Tusla with the same degree of diligence, care and promptness for any child in need, regardless of whether they or their family are experiencing homelessness. While ultimate responsibility for managing homelessness rests with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, my Department and Tusla are determined to do their part to alleviate the difficulties experienced by children and families who are homeless.

My Department and Tusla have important roles to play in regard to a number of elements of the national action plan for housing and homelessness. In addition Tusla is represented on a number of key interagency fora, including the Homelessness Inter-Agency Group, along with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, and the Dublin Joint Homelessness Consultative Forum alongside the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, DRHE.

Tusla has taken a number of steps to help keep children whose families are experiencing homelessness safe. These include the joint protocol agreed between Tusla and the DRHE, which aims to promote interagency co-operation to address the specific needs of homeless families. As part of the protocol, Tusla provides support to the DRHE’s one-stop shop assessment centres and Tusla's staff participate as required in issues involving child protection and welfare, educational welfare and domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services. Referrals received from case workers located in assessment centres are responded to as appropriate and, in addition, the Tusla homelessness liaison officer provides broad-based supports to the centres. Work is under way to replicate this interagency co-operation nationally and Tusla is working with the DRHE and the family resource centres, themselves part-funded by Tusla, to co-ordinate family support services for families in family hubs and other forms of emergency accommodation.

The key legislation relating to legal safeguards for all children, whether homeless or not, is the Children First Act 2015 and it provides for a number of child protection measures that benefit all children, including those who are homeless.

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