Child (12) missing for 18 months from international protection centre, 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 ten 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.
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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 impacted 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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