Child (12) seeking international protection was missing for 18 months from State care, Hiqa report
A 12-year-old child missing for 18 months was among 30 unaccounted for during a recent inspection of the
Tusla
welfare service provided to unaccompanied and separated children seeking international protection.
There were no records of strategy meetings with gardaí or contacts with UK or Northern Ireland counterparts to attempt to locate the 12-year-old, the inspection report outlined.
A further 27 children were reported missing at various stages of the inspection and returned to their placements.
The inspection was published on Thursday by the
Health Information and Quality Authority
(Hiqa), and found that in 10 cases where children were reported as missing, the service was not managing these cases in line with the national protocol for children missing in care.
READ MORE
HIQA was informed during the inspection that 35 children were missing from the service. Due to poor governance in the service, it was not possible to determine the precise number of children missing as the service's own tracking system was not up to date and included children who had been found and located. As a result, an approximate figure was used in the inspection report.
The inspection, which was carried out between January 28th and 30th and on February 5th, also found that in multiple cases, children in the service were not allocated a social worker.
A total of 195 children were instead placed with a 'dedicated team' while they were awaiting the allocation of a social worker.
The report notes that two children complained about being unable to enrol in school due to their lack of a social worker.
Another child raised concerns about their social worker not answering their calls and not responding to their needs.
Hiqa stated that not all child-protection concerns were managed in line with Children First, the national guidance for the protection and welfare of children.
It cited gaps in the identification of child-protection concerns by staff newly recruited to the team, gaps in referrals to An Garda Síochána and delays in carrying out safeguarding visits to children once they were accommodated.
In three cases, there were no records of safeguarding visits to children.
The watchdog states that the Separated Children Seeking International Protection service has been affected by high referral rates and continued staff vacancies 'which impacted on the teams' ability to sustain service improvement'.
Hiqa escalated a number of cases to seek assurances about the management of issues identified during the inspection, saying that it received 'satisfactory assurances' that an improvement plan would be put in place.
A compliance plan was also submitted outlining actions that would be taken to address the areas of noncompliance.
In a statement today, Tusla noted 'while the report highlights risks and ongoing challenges, it also recognises meaningful progress made since the previous inspection in November 2023, including improvements in governance, staff training, case management, and oversight structures'.
'The report notes the commitment of the staff to deliver the highest possible care in what is a high-pressure, demand-led and at times a crisis-driven environment.'
Lorna Kavanagh, area manager of National Services and Integration at Tusla, said the agency is 'clear about the range of challenges and risks faced by the service', and is 'deeply committed to addressing the issues raised and ensuring that all children in our care receive a safe, timely and appropriate service'.
She added: 'significant steps have already been taken – including an increase in staff, stronger interagency collaboration and more robust governance – and we are determined to build on this momentum to deliver continuing improvement.'
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Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 14th: On young people in nursing homes, attacks on Iran and Greta Thunberg
Sir, –The recent RTÉ Investigates exposé on Irish nursing homes made for harrowing viewing. But behind the headlines lies an even more invisible reality: the quiet, routine institutionalisation of younger people – including those with conditions like Early Onset Parkinson's – into facilities designed for people decades older. I'm not only the co-founder of Early Onset Parkinson's Disease Ireland, but someone who has lived with Parkinson's for 13 years. I've met too many people in their 30s, 40s and 50s with neurodegenerative conditions who have been placed in nursing homes simply because there is nowhere else for them to go. Today in Ireland, 1,249 people under 65 years live in nursing homes. One of them is a 47-year-old man with Early Onset Parkinson's, surrounded by residents three and four decades older than him. This isn't because he needs round-the-clock care – it's because our system has failed to develop any alternative. READ MORE This practice isn't just inappropriate; it's profoundly damaging. People with conditions like EOPD need tailored supports: physiotherapy, neurological care, and exercise programmes that are critical to slowing disease progression and preserving independence. Most nursing homes are not equipped to offer any of these. Instead, these individuals face isolation, accelerated decline, and the emotional toll of being removed from their peers, their communities, and their sense of self. The Ombudsman's 2021 Wasted Lives report exposed the systemic failures driving this crisis. It found that many younger people were placed in nursing homes without full consultation or understanding of the long-term implications, particularly under the Fair Deal scheme. One young man, Francis, was told his stay would be temporary; he's been there for nine years. Another, Alex, entered a home at 34 after a brain injury. He told investigators: 'If I thought it was for life, I would drive my chair off a bridge.' The 2024 update to Wasted Lives offered no comfort: every month, 32 more people under 65 are admitted to nursing homes – that's more than one person every day. We don't even have accurate data on how many of these people are living with Parkinson's. Without data, we can't quantify the problem, let alone solve it. This must change. We are calling on the Government to act now. It should collect and publish national data on younger people in nursing homes, their diagnoses and needs. It should develop age-appropriate, community-based supported living options; create clear pathways to transition out of inappropriate care and reform the Fair Deal scheme to ensure full, informed consent. In addition, the Government should guarantee access to multidisciplinary care and therapies tailored to younger adults. This is not just a healthcare issue; it is a human rights issue. These are not statistics. They are teachers, artists, musicians, parents – people with lives worth living. We must ask ourselves: what kind of care system do we want to be known for? One that hides people away or one that sees them, values them, and supports them to live with dignity? It's time for Ireland to choose. – Yours, etc, JOE CONDON, Director of Early Onset Parkinson's Disease Ireland, Dublin. Israel's attack on Iran Sir, – The Israeli government knows no limits in flouting international law . By attacking Iran's nuclear plants and facilities it has brought the Middle East to the brink of an all-out war in the region. It has shattered and undermined the ongoing diplomatic US-Iranian talks to end the Iranian nuclear build-up impasse and by its illegal actions has invited retaliatory action by Iran. This time the international community must act swiftly to bring the Israeli government to justice . – Yours, etc, BRENDAN BUTLER, Drumcondra, Dublin. Sir, – I wonder, now that the Dáil defeated the motion to end the Central Bank's facilitation of the sale of Israeli war bonds (85 to 71), if the Israeli government will restaff its embassy in Dublin, and if perhaps the government of Iran will ask its staff to leave for the time being? – Yours, etc, MYRIAM ROMMERS- MAC CIONNAITH, Letterkenny, Co Donegal. Riots in the North Sir, – Recent events in Ballymena can be seen in a wider historical context. Members of my generation from the Belfast nationalist community will note that burning people out of their homes is not a new thing in Northern Ireland. The details of the present situation of course reveal new and complex motivations but the mindset of the individuals who indulge in such reprehensible behaviour is not new. It speaks of a siege mentality that fears the 'other', it reveals a narrow interpretation of community and it feeds off misinformation. It is sectarian and racist in nature and it is fed by certain politicians who gain leverage from simplistic sloganeering. It targets the vulnerable in the name of perverted jingoistic politics and it gains traction by defining unacceptable rituals as 'culture' where, for example, the burning of effigies is seen as a festive activity. This, for many of us, has always been unacceptable – the step from burning flags and posters to burning houses with people inside, is not a huge one – but in the present context of global politics with the growing influence of neo-fascistic elements on the far right, it is disturbing indeed. We need to call it out for what it is in essence – part of a continuum in a certain strand of the politics of Northern Ireland which is exclusive, uninterested in compromise and dependent on 19th-century notions of supremacy, privilege and power. 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Rather than belittle the efforts of Thunberg to bring attention to the climate and biodiversity crises, which are real things despite Ms McRedmond's delusions, she might be better placed using her journalistic nous to explore further the underlying motivations for Greta's pessimism. On that point Ms McRedmond might like to know that rate of extinction of species in the last 100 years, which has rapidly accelerated in recent decades as we destroy ecosystems for economic growth, is higher than those in most of the previous mass extinction events. Climate activists such as Just stop Oil see that lack of urgency and the lip service being paid to this crisis by governments and vested interests. They also see how the general population has been rendered apathetic by a tech-induced stupor so feel compelled to create impactful 'publicity stunts' in order to grab their attention. Ultimately, we are the consumers and the voters, and we can drive change but only if we are motivated. People like Greta Thunberg are prepared to take the vitriol of our online world to bring attention to existential crises and global injustice, while many commentators prefer to judge them based on their own prejudices. I know where my admiration lies. – Yours, etc, BARRY WALSH, Blackrock, Cork. Sir, –Would Finn McRedmond be commenting on Greta Thunberg using terms such as 'little to like, ghoulish, the enviable self-assurance', if Greta were of the male gender? Is this article not evidence that gender bias and stereotypes around female likeableness and confidence are still in practice in 2025. To my mind, Greta Thunberg demonstrates great courage in the face of unwarranted criticism based solely on her age and gender. – Yours, etc, MAUREEN O'SULLIVAN, Bantry, Co Cork. Sir, – Finn McRedmond's flippant article does your newspaper no service. With supporters like McRedmond, Thunberg doesn't need enemies. – Yours, etc, SHEA CARROLL, Dublin 8. Paediatric consultants Sir, –Dr Tom O'Dowd's letter (June 11th) raises important issues about the culture and future of paediatric care in Ireland. While we see aspects of the situation differently, we share a common goal: ensuring the best possible care and outcomes for children and their families. Paediatricians across the country are driven by a deep commitment to their young patients, often going above and beyond in complex and challenging environments. The care we provide is grounded in compassion, teamwork and the highest clinical standards. Where concerns about culture or governance have arisen, many paediatric consultants have been proactive in raising issues and seeking improvements to protect patients and uphold professional standards. With the opening of the new national children's hospital on the horizon, there is a strong and shared desire among consultants to work collaboratively across teams and disciplines. 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Dr Sirr would do well to heed the words of Swedish economist (and socialist) Assar Lindbeck who asserted in his book The Political Economy of the New Left: An Outsider's View (1971) '… rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city-except for bombing'. Nine years of rent controls in Ireland have self-evidently failed to do anything other than decimate the availability of housing. Government is to be commended, not criticised, for belatedly facing reality. – Yours, etc, NEIL MCDONNELL, Isme chief executive, Dublin. Sir, – Neville Scargill (Letters, June 12th) feels, as a property investor, hard done by. Was/is he not aware that such investments are always risky? – Yours, etc, TOM KELLY, Dublin 7. Courtesy on public transport Sir, – I was particularly interested in the issue raised by your correspondents, that of 'the lack of courtesy on public transport (Letters, June 13th). I live in London, am in my 70s and retired. Courtesy still reigns on the transport network. Though on occasion I think I look pretty fit (as in healthy!), passengers here on tubes and trains aren't taken in. I'm offered seats and while I'm grateful to people much younger than I, I often feel they need the rest far more than I do given the daily slog they have to suffer. On the free travel pass, my wife and I think it's terrific. Why ? As we're now in the care business (looking after our grandchildren!), it defrays the additional cost of increased travel and we're much indebted to Ken Livingstone, a former London mayor, whose idea it was. – Yours, etc, ALASTAIR CONAN, Coulsdon, England.
Irish Examiner
6 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Does the latest nursing home scandal show that Hiqa is a regulator with no bite?
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Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
Children making Confirmation asked to include vaping in their abstinence pledge
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