Over 2,000 referrals to Tusla's out of hours service last year, report reveals

A total of 635 children were placed in 2019 — 16 more than 2018 — and a total of 4,025 nights were supplied in 2019 which is an annual increase of 19%.

There was almost a 20% increase in the number of nights’ accommodation supplied to children by Tusla’s out of hours service last year compared with the number for 2018.

The Child and Family Agency’s fourth and final quarterly report for 2019 also shows there was a 59% annual increase in the number of incidents notified to Tusla’s Early Years Inspectorate and a 45% annual rise in unsolicited information submissions made to the Inspectorate.

There were 2,186 referrals to the National Out of Hours Services last year — 13% more than in 2018.

A total of 635 children were placed in 2019 — 16 more than 2018 — and a total of 4,025 nights were supplied in 2019 which is an annual increase of 19%.

The highest number of referrals was reported by Dublin South West/Kildare/West Wicklow, with 79, followed by Dublin North, Louth/Meath and the Midwest areas.

As for early years services, there were 4,310 such services on the register nationally at the end of 2019 — the lowest tally for a two-year period.

While the Early Years Inspectorate carried out 2,308 inspections, that was a decrease in checks compared with those carried out in 2018.

However, possibly influenced by the PrimeTime Investigates programme aired last year, 403 incidents were notified to the Inspectorate — 59% more than 2018. And 597 unsolicited information submissions were received, an increase of 45%.

Four services were removed from the national register in 2019.

The newly-published quarterly report also shows that at least 18,343 children were in receipt of family support services at the end of last year, a slight decrease on the figure for 2018, but at least 37,024 children were referred to family support services in 2019, some 4,000 more than in the previous year.

The sources of those referrals are led by social workers, with 22% of referrals; HSE officers, with 13%; and then schools, responsible for 12% of referrals.

With all schools currently closed as part of the emergency public health response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) has already warned that typical sources of information and referrals, such as school, are no longer in play.

IASW chairwoman, Aine McGuirk, told the Irish Examiner last week: "Many of them [those who make the reports] do not have access to children in the normal way.

"There could be a lot of kids in crisis out there but how does the Tusla social worker know about it if no one tells them?"

Among other figures contained in the latest report is that there were fewer approved foster carers at the end of last year than at any point across 2018 and 2019.

It also showed there were 4,122 (WTE) people employed by the Child and Family Agency at the end of 2019 — 6% more than in 2018 — and that "the financial outturn for the year to date (Dec 2019) is an under-spend of €1.024 million".

That was led by pay costs underspent against budget by €2.718 million and an overspend on non-pay costs against budget of €9.016 million, led by private residential and foster care costs.