Children in Need of Care
8th September 2024
Without urgent action, the State will fail its statutory and moral responsibility to provide a safety net for children in need of care.
Last week was ‘End Child Poverty Week’ which brought together critical pillars of the child protection and welfare system to call for an additional 25% investment in Tusla in Budget 2025. The extra funds would enable the Agency to continue to provide existing levels of service and to meet increased demand, which includes €53 million additional funding for frontline core child protection and welfare services to address the deepening crisis they are facing, as well as additional funding to support Separated Children seeking protection.
Without this key investment, Tusla will continue to be challenged to meet the rising tide of demand on its services. The Children’s Rights Alliance was joined by representatives from University College Cork, the Child and Family Agency (Tusla), the Child Law Project and Good Shepherd Cork.
Tanya Ward, Children’s Rights Alliance, Chief Executive said:
“For years now, alarm bells have been raised that the child welfare system is hurtling towards a breaking point. Independent bodies and organisations such as the Child Law Project and HIQA to name a few have been raising concerns about the capacity of the services to respond to increased need. Compounding issues such as the recruitment and retention crisis, the continued inappropriate use of emergency placements for extended periods of time and the inadequate number of Special Care places are major issues.”
“Referrals are already at 55,102 (January – July 2024) and that is only at the half-way point of the year. This increase in referrals is due to the persistence of poverty – homelessness, youth crime and violence, acute mental health and psychological needs. Without urgent action to respond to this, the State will fail in its statutory and moral responsibility to provide a safety net for these children.”
“The workforce that provides the vital and sometimes life-saving interventions and support for young people is worn thin.
We are starting to see a serious lack of foster carers, social workers and experienced and specialised care workers, along with a scarcity of appropriate residential and special care placements. The system cannot stretch any further. When we listen to the experience of young people in impossibly difficult situations who are left without key support workers, appropriate placements or the urgent care they need, there is simply no room for excuses or complacency when it comes to prioritising budget investments. We are talking about some of the most vulnerable, the most marginalised young people in our society – the Government cannot continue to leave them behind.”
Keynote speaker at the event was Clare Murphy, Interim National Director of Services and Integration at Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, who said:
“Research tells us that children living in poverty are at a higher risk of abuse and neglect. Financial stress can also exacerbate parental mental health issues, substance misuse, and domestic abuse. We know that these adverse childhood experiences often have a significant and lasting effect on a child’s life.
“Tusla has childhood poverty firmly on the agenda, and we have developed a series of initiatives across the Agency to look at new ways of providing supports and early interventions to help combat the effects of poverty on children and young people. We also remain committed to attracting new staff and retaining our existing dedicated staff to help ensure that we can meet an increasing demand on our services.
“Addressing child poverty is crucial for improving child protection and welfare outcomes. However, it requires increased funding along with coordinated efforts from policymakers, social services, and community organisations to create a supportive environment for families and children in Ireland.”
Dr Carol Coulter, Executive Director of the Child Law Project was also a Keynote speaker and said:
“Many of the services needed by the most vulnerable children do not fall within the remit of Tusla, but should be provided by other State bodies, including the HSE and the Department of Education, who too often have been summoned to court to explain the lack of provision of appropriate services.
It is essential that there is a whole of government approach to answering the needs of vulnerable children.”
The Children’s Rights Alliance is calling for ‘A Children’s Budget’ to make crucial investments to address the deepening crisis in the child protection system in an impactful way.
“Our child protection system should be the bedrock of support for children and young people in need of urgent or specialised care. These are some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the country. A Budget that does not prioritise them is one left wanting. The very least the Government can do is ensure that the child protection agency has the capacity to provide appropriate placements and specialised support workers, so children are not left alone to fight for a decent and happier childhood.” concluded Tanya Ward.
Pictured at Nano Nagle Place in Cork, Tanya Ward, CEO of the Children’s Rights Alliance, Dr Carol Coulter, Executive Director, Child Law Project, Clare Murphy, Interim National Director of Services and Integration, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and Dr Aisling Parkes, Senior Lecturer in Law, University College Cork (Image: julien behal photography)
