Tusla to set up review of how it deals with exploitation of children in care

Tusla chief expected to tell committee members that agency is now conducting an internal review of the reporting and process management of concerns regarding child sexual exploitation. File picture

Tusla has established a review of how it deals with concerns regarding the exploitation of children in its care.

In addition, a crisis management team has been established to take immediate action on the increase in special emergency arrangements.

Details of the measures by the embattled child and family agency will be outlined to the Oireachtas committee on children, equality, disability, integration, and youth on Wednesday at a hearing about child protection.

Documents provided to members of the committee ahead of the meeting include a letter from Children's Minister Roderic O’Gorman, which details how he has referred the Protecting Against Predators report, published in June by the Sexual Exploitation Research Project at University College Dublin, to the Working Group on Institutional Abuse. 

He said he would consider what steps were deemed necessary following a response from the working group.

The report highlighted that children and young people, and in particular girls, in residential care or who go missing while in State care, are being targeted for sexual exploitation in an organised manner by coordinated networks, or gangs, of predatory men.

Call for risk audit

The report called for a risk audit of those residential care institutions by the Health Information and Quality Authority. They are currently overseen by Tusla, although some are run by private contractors.

The agency told the Irish Examiner in late August it had received 20 reports of young people in care being at risk of sexual exploitation so far this year.

The child and family agency says it has brought each of the reports to An Garda Síochána.

That number is almost as many as the figure received in the entire 12 months of last year, when 22 such reports were brought to the attention of the agency. Just nine were received in 2021.

Kate Duggan, interim chief executive of Tusla, will tell the committee that following the publication of the report, a meeting was held with the researchers to discuss the issues raised in it. 

She is expected to tell committee members that Tusla is now conducting an internal review of the reporting and process management of concerns regarding child sexual exploitation.

She will also say the agency is challenged in finding suitable placements for a small cohort of young people, often “due to the complex needs of the young person”. 

Emergency arrangements

In such situations, special emergency arrangements are used, including rented accommodation such as hotel rooms or Airbnbs, until more stable placements can be found. Such arrangements are not regulated.

Ms Duggan will say: “We have set up a crisis management team to take immediate action on the ongoing issue of the increase in SEAs [special emergency arrangements], and this is a priority at the highest level within the agency.” 

Tusla is expected to raise issues including an increasing referral rate, an inadequate supply of alternative care placements (emergency, foster care and residential care), an increase in the number of separated children seeking international protection, and difficulties in sourcing staff for social work and social care posts. 

The Irish Examiner recently revealed there are currently more than 850 vacant posts in the agency.

Mr O’Gorman will tell the committee hearing “it is a priority of mine to seek an increase to the foster care allowance in Budget 2024”.