Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will begin by stating the absolutely central importance of child protection. While central to work in my Department, it must be something that every one of us is cognisant of and takes with the utmost seriousness. It is simply too important to be used as a political football.

Tusla, which falls within the remit of my Department, has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. Referral rates to Tusla continue to increase year on year to more than 91,000 in 2023. That is an 11% increase over 2022. This can partly be attributed to increased awareness of child protection within society. In overall terms in the past number of years I have been able to secure significant funding increases for Tusla, which allow that organisation to address a number of significant cost pressures that have been placing increasing strain on its resources. In 2020, the overall budget for the organisation was €858 million. By budget 2024, that allocation had risen to over €1 billion. That funding package allowed Tusla to invest in and increase capacity in its own residential care provision. We also supported foster carers by increasing the weekly foster care allowance rate for the first time since 2009. This was in recognition of the importance of foster care in contributing to improved outcomes for children in care.

In budget 2025, the allocation for Tusla increased by a further 14% and for 2024 and 2025, the level of funding being allocated to Tusla means that roughly €1 in every €100 spent by the Government is directed towards Tusla, towards the most vulnerable children in our society. This demonstrates the prioritisation placed by the State on the work of Tusla. It provides a further platform for sustainable growth and accelerated performance development in the time ahead.

Even at this level of funding, Tusla faces many challenges with increased cost pressure in the provision of residential care and increases in the number of unaccompanied and separated children arriving here seeking international protection. The separated children seeking international protection service within Tusla has experienced a significant increase in referrals. As a result, Tusla has developed a strategic plan to increase its capacity to deal with these children and young people in residential units. I expect more accommodation to be made available shortly. There remain challenges in providing suitable placements for children in care. I am very much aware of the concerns around the use of special care arrangements.

In regard to the issue of the child care law reporting project that enables my Department and indeed the public as a whole to understand and get a sense of the rulings of family law and child care reports within the courts. This organisation has done extremely important work over the past six years. I have engaged with the organisation regularly. It is a service of reporting that I want to see continue. I have made it clear to the organisation that we will continue to fund child care law reporting. I have asked my Department to prioritise the allocation of a new funding round. We will make an announcement on that shortly.

Notwithstanding the significant improvements and investments that have been made in our child protection system, we cannot afford to become complacent when it comes to child safeguarding, nor can we assume it is the sole responsibility of mandated persons or experts. Tusla is available to support anyone with child protection concerns as to how best to deal with those particular concerns.

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