Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Rachel Barry was brutally abused as a child while she was in foster care in County Galway. She disclosed her abuse and that of another child in 2007, but despite this, other children were left in the same foster home for years. The children were eventually removed from the home when the other child confirmed the abuse. This was an incredible failing on behalf of the State.

I asked Tusla how many times it reported suspected child abuse to the Garda over the past decade. It told me it has no statistics in relation to this. I asked for statistics on the number of children who allege that they were sexually or physically abused while in care and, again, it does not have any figures. It does not have data either for the number of children who have become pregnant in care and no data in relation to the number of children who were referred to STD testing while in care. Why does Tusla not collate this vital data centrally?

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