'Serious questions must be asked' as 42 children in State care die in a decade

A further 164 children who were known to Tusla but had not been taken into care also died over the period

Peadar Toibin of Aontu says quesions need to be asked about the number of children dying in state care. File Picture: Collins

Eighteen children in state care died by suicide or drug overdose over a nine-year period, new figures have shown.

Figures obtained by Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín in a parliamentary question show that over the space of a decade, 206 children died while either in State care or while known to child protection services. Of the 42 children who died while they were in State care, twelve died by suicide, six died by drug overdoses, 17 died from natural causes, and one was murdered.

164 children who died in the same period had been known to Tusla but had not been taken into care.

Meanwhile, 46 adults who had been in previous care of the state or were identified as at risk have died by suicide since 2014.

Peadar Tóibín said the figures are cause for concern.

"It is phenomenal to think that over a nine-year period, 42 children died in the care of the state. Every single death in State care warrants discussion in the Dáil chamber. The minister and both houses of Oireachtas should be notified of each death and offered an opportunity to question Tusla on the matter," he said.

"I genuinely cannot get my head around the fact that 18 children have died by suicide or drug overdose in the care of the State.

"164 deaths were notified in the same period for children both in State care and children living at home who were known to child protection services. Serious questions must be asked here - there is no breakdown available on the causes of death for those children, and I have asked the Minister to disclose the causes of death to me.

"The idea that 164 children who had been known to Tusla but had not been taken into care, actually died in the past decade is extremely tragic and extremely concerning.

"Are vulnerable children slipping through the cracks in the system and dying as a result? We rightly seek accountability for what has happened to children in state care historically, but this is happening on our watch and there is little transparency and accountability when it could actually make a real difference in a child's life."

Mr Tóibín says he has written to Tusla seeking an urgent meeting regarding the deaths.

There have been 430 admissions to care in the first six months of 2021, and there has been a steady decrease of children entering care from 2016.

In 2016, 1,047 children went into state care, with the number reducing year on year to 837 in 2020.