A record number of children were referred to Tusla’s child protection and welfare services last year, even as the Child and Family Agency struggled with a €5.1m budget deficit.

A RECORD number of children required crisis intervention from the HSE last year, with the executive admitting that there is a “significant under-resourcing” of social work departments to meet the challenge.

THE need for an out-of-hours child protection service was highlighted in the south east 10 years ago in a child care report.