Ten kids denied special care due to lack of staff
O’gorman: Every effort being made by Tusla for vulnerable
TEN children subject to court orders requiring them to be accommodated in special care units cannot be transferred there due to staff shortages.
There are three special care units in the country, where children aged between 11 and 17 with “complex psychological and sociological profiles” can be detained.
These orders are granted where the High Court considers a child’s behaviour poses a real and substantial risk of harm to their life, health, safety, development or welfare.
The three units have a total of 26 beds but can currently only accommodate 13 children due to staff shortages, Tusla has admitted.
All of these spaces are occupied at the moment.
As a result, 10 children who the High Court considers to be at risk of substantial harm if they aren’t admitted to a special care unit cannot access the service.
In a Supreme Court appeal last month, Tusla said an acute shortage of specialist staff was preventing it from providing special care to all of the children who require it.
The agency said there was no shortage of money to pay staff, but statutory restrictions were preventing it from changing terms and conditions and it is not permitted to pay salaries that would make positions attractive.
Minister for Children Roderic
O’gorman revealed the current maximum occupancy of the three special care units is 13, “due primarily to challenges in staffing beds”.
He added: “There are 10 young people who are currently the subject of a special care order, in accordance with the Child Care Act 1991, who are not in a special care unit owing to the absence of an available staffed bed.” The minister said “all possible mitigations” were in place to manage
risks to the safety and welfare of the 10 children who cannot be accommodated in special care despite the existence of a High Court order.
Mr O’gorman said: “Every effort is being made to Tusla to support the provision of appropriate care to vulnerable children, including special care where appropriate, and to support access to and egress from the special care services.
“Tusla is progressing a number of initiatives to support the recruitment and retention of staff.”