Sharon Keogan criticises Tusla over child protection crisis
Sharon Keogan told the committee that Ireland faces a child protection crisis and argued the problems are structural rather than solely resource-driven, questioning whether extra funding will improve outcomes. She criticised Tusla documents as filled with procedural language and passive phrasing and highlighted persistent unallocated cases and repeated high-profile failures.
Committee critique and call for evidence
Keogan told the committee that Tusla's governance and oversight are "utterly failing some of our children" and pressed for evidence that additional funding will deliver better outcomes rather than create more bureaucracy. She challenged reliance on "frameworks and committees" while children remain missing or harmed.
Budget and resource questions
Keogan noted the 2026 budget for Tusla is listed at €1.336 billion, its highest in history, and said this compares with, and in some cases exceeds, spending in other European countries per child in care. She asked whether the issue is a resource problem or a structural problem and demanded concrete evidence that more money would improve outcomes.
Statistics and case concerns
The committee heard figures cited in the exchange: over 163 children in unregistered special care arrangements as of mid-November; referrals for the year possibly exceeding 105,000 to 107,000; and 5,866 children currently in Tusla care. Officials also noted many children are in foster families and that 9 in 10 children in care are in education, while a small cohort of roughly 100-150 young people with very complex needs remains a serious concern.
Single-occupancy units and IPAS child protection procedures
Keogan asked how many single-occupancy units exist and how children are protected in IPAS centres. Officials said some residential units can be used for single-occupancy arrangements and offered to provide specific figures after the meeting. On IPAS centres, she was told child protection mechanisms are the same as elsewhere, staff may be based on-site (notably at City West), and responses - including moving a child or perpetrator - depend on assessed risk and safety plans; incident data was not immediately available but could be sought.
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Thank you very much for coming in here this afternoon and I once again want to pay tribute to all the people that work in Tuesday, all the social care workers, people that are involved in multidisciplinary teams in your organisation. They are amazing people and I'm very grateful for them and I'm sure there's many, many children around this country that are equally as grateful. But if you'll permit me, I'd like to make a brief comment on your response here this morning. We're facing a child protection crisis, yet the documents provided to this committee are saturated with procedural language and passive phrasing, planning stages, strategic reviews, steering groups. These are not safeguards, they are not timelines and they are not answers. While children are missing, while tragedies occur, we are told about frameworks and committees. I acknowledge that resourcing challenges exist, but that cannot be the only explanation for repeated failures. Currently, I believe, Tusla is structurally, your governance, your oversight is utterly failing some of our children. Which brings me to my first question. Is more money going to fix this? Your budget for 2026 stands at 1.336 billion, the highest in its history. This is comparable to, in some cases, exceeds spending in other European countries per child in care. Yet outcomes remain poor, over 163 children in unregistered special care arrangements as of mid-November. There's persistent, unallocated cases. Repeated, high-profile failures. So I ask, is this truly a resource problem? Or is this a structural problem? I believe it is structural. What evidence can you provide this committee that additional funding will deliver better outcomes, rather than more bureaucracy? I do think it's important to say, Deputy, and we've said this, we're probably looking at over 105,000 to almost 107,000 referrals this year. And we are significantly challenged by the fact that we now almost have as many unaccompanied minors either been accommodated or in the care of Tusla as we do have children in our mainstream services. But I also think, when we talk in forums today and when there's media reporting on this, today there's 5,866 children in the care of Tusla. And we know that, you know, 80, 70% of those are in foster care families right across this country who are thriving because of the foster care families that are looking after them so well. And we also know, and we also know, and I referenced it in my opening statement, you know, we now know that 9 in 10 of our children in care are in education. We know that, you know, the number of children in aftercare and young people that are engaged in education, in training, in third level education. So outcomes for the vast majority of our people and young people that are in our care are really very good. But it is very important to talk about, and I do talk about this, there is a cohort of young people, perhaps about 100 or 150 young people with very complex needs and very challenging behaviour that we do really worry about, that we are working really hard to try and accommodate, that we need the support of other agencies and state agencies to be able to better meet their needs. And as we just talked, and I won't go through it again, we recognise that a complete restructuring of Tusla had to take place, and that is going live on the 1st of January. Just on those young people, in relation to single occupancy units, how many of those units actually exist around the country, where you only have one child per housing unit, where you would have a team looking after them? How many children in single occupancy units? So we wouldn't have single occupancy units, there'd be full units, there'd be units, but they'd be used at a particular point in time for single occupancy arrangements. I don't have, do we have that figure? I can get that to you, David, I don't have that off the top of my head. But there'd be just one child in one residence with a social worker, so you're telling me you don't have any child at this moment in time? Oh no, we do. I'm sorry, I just don't have it. I can get it to you straight after this meeting. Yeah, okay, so that's important. Just in relation to the protection of children in IPAS centres, what happens in relation, if an incident occurs in relation to a child protection issue within those centres, what happens to the children in those centres there? Where are they moved to? Can you tell me what happens with those children? So children in IPAS centres with their families? So if an incident occurs in relation to a child protection issue in a IPAS centre to a child. Where they're living with their families? Where they're living with their parents. Yeah. Yeah, where they're living with their parents. What happens to that child within that setting? Well, the same, so we have a staff member based on site in City West, because that's obviously the largest centre at the moment. That's the largest one, but you have many centres, many IPAS centres, yes. Yeah, so again, we have particular resources to support IPAS centres in particular areas, but it would be the exact same child protection mechanisms. So if an incident happened or if there's a concern, they are referred to our services in the same way as any other child. Okay, would they be moved out of that setting immediately or? Well, it would depend on the risk. Obviously, if it's a serious risk to the child or something is after happening to that child, would they be moved out of that setting immediately? Well, it would depend if the perpetrator was in the centre, the perpetrator would need to be moved. If it's a risk of the parents, the child would be moved. So it would be again, it would be very specific. So the perpetrator would be moved rather than the child or? Well, that would be what we would have as part of a safety plan. And how many of those incidents have actually happened around the country? I don't have that, but I can look for data on that. Please, that would be fantastic. Thank you. I'll come back in in the next session. Thank you. Deputy, I might.
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