Child sexual abuse counselling service warns of closure unless further funding provided

A service for children who have been sexually abused has warned it will close down by the end of the year if it does not secure further State funding.

Children At Risk Ireland (Cari) said the €337,000 being offered by Tusla for next year is not adequate and represents a decrease of 55 per cent since 2021. It called for its funding to be more than doubled to €763,000 so it can sustain services.

Cari has been operating for 35 years, providing long-term therapeutic supports to children aged between three and 18 affected by child sexual abuse and their families. It is based in Limerick, has a secondary office in Dublin, an outreach centre in Wexford and a national helpline.

The organisation said it provided 3,175 hours of support to 339 people last year and has 134 others on its waiting list. It says it is dependent on Tusla for support and has not been able to secure funds from the HSE.

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Cari described the level of funding provided as “shameful and disgrace that our support for these [children] faces closure in this day and age when we are all too aware of the horror of child sexual abuse”.

It said if extra funding for its services is not secured by Friday, a decision on closing down by the end of the year would have to be made at an AGM.

Cari chief executive Emer O’Neill said that if the organisation ceases to exist “who is going to support these children?” She acknowledged that Cari is struggling to get alternative public funds because of the absence of a long-term funding model.

It has also received financial help from the JP McManus Benevolent Fund, but further philanthropic support will be dependent on it first receiving core public funding. Cari said it would commit to a five-year plan if it secures the funding it needs this year.

A spokesman for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, said it will have provided €700,000 in funding by the end of the year to Cari.

He said it provided a once-off €250,000 payment to alleviate Cari’s financial difficulties this year and to allow it to finalise its service model for next year in line with its allocated budget.

Cari has advised Tusla that it will be unable to operate within its budget for next year and has now notified Tusla of its intention to cease operations. Tusla chief executive Kate Duggan said the agency was surprised by Cari’s stance.

“We respect the decision of the board to cease operations if that’s what they deem necessary, I would continue to encourage the Cari board to review their service model to ensure they can continue to operate within the allocated funding level,” she added.

“Tusla is currently looking at alternative options to deliver these important services to the children and families who require them if Cari make the decision to cease operations.”