Child abuse peaks in emergency accommodation

The number of reports of suspected abuse of children living in emergency accommodation peaked around Christmas and New Year, according to new figures.

Data in relation to mandated reports from managers of homeless/emergency accommodation made to Tusla show 18 were made last December alone, the single highest monthly tally since the Child and Family Agency began collating the information. The figures were in response to a freedom of information request.

Since the mandated reports began to be collected, there have been 127 by managers of homeless or emergency accommodation facilities to Tusla. In the last year to the end of January the rate of reports is about 10 per month, but the month with the highest number of reports was last December, when 18 were lodged. Of those, 10 related to emotional abuse, with five linked to neglect, two to physical abuse and one to sexual abuse.

Of all 127 reports made since January of last year, 48 were linked to neglect, with 40 relating to emotional abuse. Ten cases were cases of sexual abuse and there were 29 cases of suspected physical abuse.

The figures show over 10 reports made in five separate months, including the 14 made in January of this year. The number of reports made each month fluctuate; for example, just three were made last November. Tusla only began collating the data at the start of last year.

The most recent homelessness figures showed there were more than 10,305 people living in emergency accommodation last March which is a new record high. That figure included 3,821 homeless children.

The Government has come in for consistent criticism from organisations including Barnardos and the Children’s Rights Alliance for the potential long-term impact of homelessness on children and their futures, with the latter calling it a national emergency.

Last month the Office of the Ombudsman for Children published a report on family hubs, with comments from children about how they had run away and how they felt their emergency accommodation felt like a prison.

IASW chairwoman Aine McGuirk, previously told the Irish Examiner family homelessness was a “completely unnatural environment” and could be a contributing factor in some of the referrals to Tusla. “It’s impossible to look after your children’s basic needs in that environment”, Ms McGuirk said when this newspaper first highlighted the figures.

This time she said families were effectively “carrying their homes on their backs”.

Focus Ireland, director of advocacy Mike Allen has previously said staff in his organisation were concerned that people running hotels were not submitting these notices in the way NGO emergency accommodation providers might do.