Sharon Keogan (Independent)

This subject might be of interest to the children. There might be some unaccompanied minors from Ukraine here this morning. We are now over three years into the largest displacement crisis Europe has seen since the Second World War. Ireland, rightly so, opened its doors, but opening doors is not the same as ensuring safety. Safety begins with knowing who is in our care. How many unaccompanied minors from Ukraine have been taken into the care of Tusla since March 2022? How many of them are currently in aftercare?

These are not abstract figures. These are vulnerable children and young people, many of whom have fled war, trauma and separation from family. We must be honest with ourselves. The State has a troubling history when it comes to institutional care. Last week's murder of Vadym Davydenko in Donaghmede has made it harrowingly clear to us what happens when oversight is weak and accountability is absent. We cannot afford to repeat those mistakes.

I am not here to cast aspersions on Tusla staff, many of whom work under immense pressure, but I am here to demand transparency. Without transparency, there is no trust, and without trust, there is no safeguarding. I want the Minister of State to delineate clearly what we know and do not know. What are our norms? What are our unknowns? What systems are in place to ensure that our blind spots are actively sought out and addressed?

We know from parliamentary replies that as of 25 January, 33 separated children seeking international protection were missing from Tusla care and that some of these children may have left the country to join family elsewhere. We also know that data on sexual exploitation risk is not centrally collated. That is an known unknown. That is unacceptable. The justice committee was recently informed that it is expected that 1,200 minor asylum seekers will be cared for by Tusla by the end of this year and that over half of these are from Ukraine. This number is likely to increase. A large number of these are 17-year-old boys who likely leave due to the fact that men between 18 and 60 are forbidden by martial law to leave Ukraine. By leaving at 17, they stand a chance by avoiding conscription. The question of aftercare is especially important as many of them may have to enter the aftercare system within months of arriving.

We know that Tusla has a dedicated team for separated children and that foster care, residential settings and pledge family accommodation are among the options considered. What proportion of Ukrainian minors are in each category? What proportion are designated social workers? What proportion are in aftercare? These are basic questions yet they remain unanswered.

We cannot protect what we cannot see. We cannot safeguard children whose whereabouts, legal status and care arrangements are unclear. We cannot claim to be a compassionate country if we do not treat these children with the same rigour and care we would demand for our own. How many are housed in special emergency arrangements? How many are in each room? Do they have their own room? Are the staff Garda vetted? I ask the Minister of State to give us the numbers, the breakdown and the plan. These children deserve more than warm words. They deserve safety, stability and a future.