Tusla 'not fit for purpose' as parents plead for help

A grandfather of one girl who has been placed in a number of emergency units by Tusla said: 'I personally believe Tusla is not fit for purpose anymore.'

A spokeswoman for Tusla said: "In some instances, where a particular therapeutic service is not available in the public service, Tusla will commission a private service for the child."

As one grandfather waits anxiously for the phone call to tell him his grandchild, who is in State care, has been found, he cannot help wondering if the State is doing enough to meet its obligations to children under both Irish and international law.

The teenager, whom he loves dearly, has been one of around 300 children a year who go missing from State care. The pain of having her missing is not a once-off — she has disappeared numerous times in the last 10 months.