Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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403. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 1613 of 9 June 2026, the reason the average number of placement changes experienced by children in State care, broken down by duration in care categories of less than one year, one to three years, three to five years, and more than five years, is not centrally collated by Tusla; if this data gap has been identified on Tusla’s corporate risk register or any internal audit plan; the timeline by which Tusla’s “data management and reporting systems” review, as referenced in the answer will be capable of producing this breakdown; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50554/26]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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404. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality given that Tusla’s only published placement stability metric is the number of children in their third or greater placement within the previous 12 months (328 of 5,729 children in care at end of 2025), whether her Department considers this metric sufficient to monitor placement stability across all durations in care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50555/26]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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405. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason for the 40% increase in the number of children in care experiencing three or more placement changes within a twelve-month period, from 231 in 2023 to 324 in 2024; whether this increase has been analysed by Tusla; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50556/26]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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406. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the number of children in care experiencing three or more placement changes within a twelve-month period is recorded on any Tusla or Departmental risk register; whether this metric is subject to any audit process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50557/26]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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407. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason for the disproportionate increase in children experiencing three or more placement changes in the Dublin northeast region, which tripled from 30 in 2021 to 91 in 2025; whether any target or action plan exists to reduce placement instability nationally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50558/26]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 403, 404, 405, 406 and 407 together.

I would like to thank the Deputy for this question regarding permanency and stability for children in the care of the State.

Tusla has developed a policy and operational document relating to permanency planning for children in care, the Pathways to Permanency Handbook. This document supports social work practitioners and decision makers in their aim to ensure stable and safe care placements for children.

Detailed information in relation to permanency and placements for children in care is available through Tusla’s annual Review of Adequacy report, available on the Tusla website: . Tusla also publishes data through its Data Hub, available online at: ww.data.tusla.ie/.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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408. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether Tusla has conducted any internal audit, review, analysis, or risk assessment of the impact of repeated placement instability on educational attendance, mental health outcomes, behavioural presentations, or long-term permanency outcomes for children in care; if no such audit, review, analysis, or risk assessment exists, to confirm this directly; if one is planned; the timeline for when it will be commissioned and completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50559/26]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The department and Tusla recognise the importance of placement stability, and many studies both in Ireland and elsewhere have highlighted the benefit of quality and stable placements in improving outcomes for children in care.

Tusla has developed a policy and operational document relating to permanency planning for children in care, the Pathways to Permanency Handbook. This document supports social work practitioners and decision makers in their aim to ensure stable and safe care placements for children.

More information in relation to permanency and placements for children in care is available through Tusla’s annual Review of Adequacy report, available on the Tusla website: www.tusla.ie/publications/review-of-adequacy-reports/.

Tusla also publishes data through its Data Hub, available online at: www.data.tusla.ie/.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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409. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason data on the outcomes of emergency care order applications for children under one year of age is not centrally collated by Tusla; if the Department considers this an acceptable gap in oversight of the most vulnerable cohort in the care system; if the Department will direct Tusla to establish a centralised dataset tracking reunification, long-term care order, adoption, and guardianship outcomes for this cohort; the timeline for such a dataset if planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50580/26]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency holds statutory responsibility under the Child Care Act 1991 and other legislation to safeguard children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. This means assisting children, who have been, or are at risk of being abused, neglected or otherwise harmed, or whose parents are unable to provide adequate care or protection. The aim is to intervene early to provide a timely response that is appropriate and proportionate to the identified need. Tusla conducts this work in partnership with other statutory services, such as health, education, An Garda Síochána, local authorities, the voluntary sector and most importantly families and their communities.

Section 13 of the Child Care Act allows the District Court to grant an emergency care order to Tusla if there is reasonable cause to believe a child faces immediate and serious risk to their health or welfare.

In practice, this means that where a child is believed to have been subjected to harm where the impact of that harm has posed an immediate and serious risk to the child, and that no other measure could be established that removes the likelihood of a such a risk of future harm occurring, the Agency has a statutory duty to make an application to the court under Section 13 of the Act. Section 13(1) of the Act sets out the thresholds that need to be met before the District Court can grant an emergency care order.

Court oversight of the granting of care orders, including emergency care orders, is a key aspect of upholding the rights of parents and families, and ensuring that children are taken into care only where it is found that they are unlikely to receive the care or protection they need unless a Court makes a care order in respect of that child.

Tusla publishes annual data in relation to the legal status of children in its care: . These reports outline the number of children coming into care for the first time under a section 13 emergency care order, in a given year. This information is not broken down by age.

Both Tusla and the Department are committed to promoting safe and high-quality practice in all areas of Alternative Care. This is achieved through the thorough application of regulations and standards that govern Alternative Care on behalf of the State, and is underpinned by the provisions of the Child Care Act 1991.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) monitors the quality of service provided by the Child and Family Agency to protect children and to promote the welfare of children. The Authority monitors the performance of the Child and Family Agency against the National Standards for the Protection and Welfare of Children and advises the Minister and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The National Standards state that in safe and effective services, social workers are supported in making appropriate evidence-based assessments and decisions and managing risk to provide interventions and supports that are more likely to protect children not receiving adequate care and protection.

HIQA submits its Inspection Reports to the Department, and where necessary the Reports are analysed and escalated within the Department to Senior Management. The Department engages with Tusla on the implementation of compliance plans when deemed necessary.

Under the provisions of the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, Tusla is independent in the performance of its functions. The Department does not direct the day to day operations of Tusla. In keeping with the provisions of the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, the Department’s governance of Tusla is captured within its Oversight Agreement.

The Oversight Agreement includes references to

• the reporting arrangements between the Department and Tusla,
• the roles and responsibilities of key parties including the role of the Board of Tusla, its Audit and Risk Committee, its Chief Executive Officer and Executive Management team,
• how Tusla’s annual business plan and longer term strategy are aligned with the priorities of the Minister and of the Government,
• the monitoring arrangements including the formal engagements and different meetings between senior Departmental Official and staff in Tusla to ensure that its actions are properly aligned.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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410. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the absence of centrally collated outcome data for emergency care order cases involving children under one year of age appears on Tusla's corporate risk register or internal audit plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50581/26]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you deputy for your question.

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is an operationally independent body. In line with the Oversight Agreement with the Department, Tusla is responsible for the maintenance of its Corporate Risk Register. The identification, assessment and mitigating of risks, including those related to data for emergency care order cases , are a matter for Tusla management, its Audit and Risk Committee and its Board.