Tusla spent €2.3m on private residential care abroad for children needing specialist treatment

Ombudsman for Children Niall Muldoon said the huge increase in spend on treatment abroad for children in care was a reflection of the crisis Tusla was facing in this area. Picture: Maxwells

The €2.3m spent on private residential care abroad for specialist treatment in children within the Irish care system last year is “a reflection of the crisis Tusla is facing”, according to the Ombudsman for Children.

Tusla has revealed the provisional spend on private residential care abroad in the last three years for children in care was nearly €3.2m. This included a draft unaudited figure of €2.38m last year, while the costs for 2022 and 2023 respectively were €427,000 and €386,000.