Tusla reliance on ‘inappropriate’ accommodation part of mounting care system ‘crisis’

Housing children in State care in “very inappropriate” accommodations such as hotels and bed and breakfasts forms part of a wider “crisis” afflicting the system, a child law solicitor warned the Government recently.

Pól Ó Murchú, a solicitor whose work has focused on childcare court proceedings for decades, said one problem was the “chronic lack of social workers” in Tusla, the child and family agency.

In an August 4th letter to Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman, seen by The Irish Times, Mr Ó Murchú said it was clear there was a shortage of residential placements for children in State care.

This had led to children and young people with “complex” needs being housed in “inappropriate” accommodation, he said.

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The Irish Times reported last week that an internal Tusla review had raised serious concerns about companies and organisations running “special emergency arrangements” for children in care.

There are 171 children being housed in these unregulated placements, such as bed and breakfasts, hotels or rented apartments, due to a shortage of spaces in residential group care homes or with foster carers.

[ Company housing children in care engaged in ‘deceitful’ practices ]

[ Court to hear appeals from Tusla over special care orders for vulnerable teenagers ]

Tusla has increasingly had to rely on emergency placements, which have been widely criticised as unsuitable by judges, voluntary organisations and Opposition politicians.

In his recent correspondence to the Government, Mr Ó Murchú said the unregulated accommodation, which included young people being accommodated at a “gastro pub” in one instance, was “very inappropriate”. He called for an “independent review of the current residential care system”, adding that there was “an urgent need” for all State bodies to co-ordinate in response to the crisis.

The solicitor said there had been a “failure to plan and resource” a coherent strategy for residential care for young people in State care.

There are 5,560 children in State care, with 400 living in group care homes run by either Tusla or contracted providers.

There had been a growing dependence on private companies, who run the majority of group care homes, wrote Mr Ó Murchú.

“The privatisation of residential social care for children is highly unsatisfactory, Tusla urgently needs to develop their own service and support the voluntary sector,” he said.

He added that new social workers were often dealing with “the most challenging cases”, leading to burnout and a high turnover of staff.

A shortage of foster carers, in part due to the low level of the State foster carer allowance, meant there was more pressure on limited spaces in group care homes, he said.

[ Rights of vulnerable teenagers breached by Tusla’s failure to comply with obligations, judge rules ]

There was also a “chronic” lack of special care beds, for young people who need to be detained in secure units for their safety, he said. “Tusla now incurs extensive legal costs in defending High Court proceedings in relation to lack of sufficient places for children at very high risk urgently requiring special care placements,” he wrote.

A Tusla spokeswoman said reducing the number of young people in care in special emergency arrangements was being treated as “a priority at the highest level within the agency”.

A Department of Children spokeswoman said there were plans to increase the number of group care homes run by Tusla. Towards this effort the department had “provided additional funding to Tusla in 2023 and has allocated close to a further €60 million in 2024”, she said.