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State care: Children in overcrowded emergency Tusla accommodation at risk of abuse

Internal documents raise concerns about youngsters in care having to share bedrooms

State care: About 170 children taken into care by Tusla, the child and family agency, are being accommodated in unregulated placements known as “special emergency arrangements”.

Jack Power
Mon Mar 25 2024 - 06:00

Many children in State care are living in overcrowded emergency accommodation, leaving some at risk of being abused as a result of having to share bedrooms with others, according to internal Tusla records.

About 170 children taken into care by Tusla, the child and family agency, are being accommodated in unregulated placements known as “special emergency arrangements”.

Internal Tusla documents reveal cases of children in the emergency accommodation contracting scabies and living in rooms with bed bugs. Others were accommodated in isolated locations away from their communities, leaving children facing commutes to schools of up to five hours a day in one case.

[ Documents reveal stark concerns with accommodation for children in care ]

The Irish Times has seen a large leak of documents, including internal Tusla emails, briefings, audit reports, and confidential case notes, that detail serious concerns about the emergency accommodation. Tusla’s increasing reliance on the arrangements, which means children primarily accommodated in rental properties run by care staff from private companies, has come under scrutiny recently.

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Two-thirds of the children in the arrangements are underage asylum seekers who arrived in the country without guardians, known as unaccompanied minors. In an August 28th, 2023 email, a high-ranking Tusla official raised concerns about “systemic” problems with emergency accommodation for this vulnerable cohort.

Overcrowding meant many unaccompanied minors in care were sharing rooms, which gave rise to fears about young people abusing others. “Most young people are sharing bedrooms — some rooms have double beds,” notes the internal correspondence.

The high numbers of children living in some properties meant it was difficult to manage “contagious infectious diseases”. There had been instances of young people contracting scabies, “with some cases recurring over extended periods of time”, as well as reports of bed bugs, noted the email.

Not all children had been allocated a dedicated social worker, which the correspondence said was a “significant” breach of legal requirements.

In a statement, Tusla said oversight of emergency accommodation was a priority “at all levels” and it was committed to reducing the number of children placed in the arrangements. “Efforts are made to move the young people from special emergency arrangements to regulated settings as soon as possible, once alternative placements become available,” it said.

Tusla said while it could not comment on individual cases it took “immediate and swift action” in response to concerns reported about children in care.

Jack Power

Jack Power

Jack Power is acting Europe Correspondent of The Irish Times

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