Crisis facing system for children in care ‘very sobering’, says Harris

Comments from Tusla, the child and family agency, about the current crisis facing the system for children in State care were “very sobering”, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has said.

In a letter to the Government and Tusla, former Dublin metropolitan District Court judge Dermot Simms said there was an “unprecedented crisis” in services for the most at-risk children in State care.

The May 17th letter, published today along with several reports from the Child Law Project (CLP), which tracks child law proceedings, criticised the increased reliance on emergency accommodation for children in care.

The former judge said up to 130 highly vulnerable children are in these “unsuitable” and “unapproved” placements, such as holiday centres, hotels and B&Bs because there is nowhere else to put them.

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In response, Kate Duggan, interim chief executive of Tusla, said the agency was facing “unprecedented challenges” at present.

These included an increase in the numbers being referred to social workers, an “inadequate supply of emergency and alternative care placements”, staff shortages, and an increase in unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the Republic.

[ Up to 130 vulnerable children at risk due to ‘unprecedented crisis’ in State care services, says retired judge ]

Speaking on Monday, Mr Harris said the warning about the current situation from the State agency was “very sobering”.

“That should stop everyone in their tracks, including those of us in Government, when they talk about the fact that they find themselves in crisis,” he said.

The Minister said part of the reason for the pressure on Tusla was a “surge” in domestic violence, as well as poverty, homelessness, and pressures related to the housing crisis.

“Tusla have issued a statement very clearly saying that their system finds itself in crisis,” he said.

Mr Harris said he admired the fact that rather than attempting to resort to overly defensive “waffle”, Tusla had been honest in their assessment of the challenges facing the agency.

[ Teenage girl with ‘troubled history’ left in hotel after abrupt eviction from care placement, report finds ]

“It really drives home to me the point that the next Budget absolutely has to be a Budget about children, about child welfare and about tackling child poverty,” he said.

“We can’t just ask ourselves, how do we build a bigger system to deal with children in crisis? We have to ask ourselves, how do we reduce the number of children in crisis?” he said.

Mr Harris was speaking in Finglas, north-west Dublin, where he announced funding of €1 million, allocated across 51 education projects to help adults learn literacy and numeracy skills.