Tusla saved €1m last year on child placements abroad

The Child and Family Agency chopped €1m off its bill for sending Irish children to secure care placements in other countries last year.

Tusla paid €1.8m last year for out-of-state placements, down from €2.8m in 2016, according to freedom of information figures. In each year, 17 Irish children were facilitated.

Out-of-state placements, which can only be made by order of the High Court, have been criticised by child law experts, including by the special rapporteur on child protection, Geoffrey Shannon.