TUSLAprovidingkey supportsduringCOVID
TUSLA - Child and Family Agency are continuing to provide key services in
County Louth and Meath, including visits, assessments and supports to children and families where there are specific concerns, throughout the Covid-19 crisis.
In recent weeks, Tusla staff in Louth and Meath have been providing essential frontline services that cannot be delivered remotely. This has included visits, assessments and supports to children and families where there are specific concerns.
The service reported that referrals to child protection and welfare services were lower than usual during the Coronavirus crisis. However, there has been positive progress in recent weeks with the number of referrals on the rise again.
‘What’s really interesting is the fact that, in the early days of Covid the referrals were down to Tusla in Louth and in Meath and we came out really strongly to communicate the fact that we were worried about this and child protection was everyones business and the eyes of the community were needed,’ says Grainne Sullivan Area Manager for Louth/Meath.
‘In April the numbers came up again, I was really reassured by that and it really gives a sense that people in Louth and Meath care about children and if they were worried about something they would contact us.’
She says that while the numbers aren’t exactly what they were and while there may be children the service still aren’t seeing, the numbers are only slightly down on what they would have been last year. ‘ The schools may be closed but the teachers are working, the schools are working and they have been amazing in terms of if they had a particular concern about a child or if they weren’t linking in with the schools at all since the lockdown.’
The area manager says the community at large have also shown their support for children in care at this time with people dropping in everything from toys and games to food hampers.
‘I think Easter really brought it home for them and they thought what might this be like if you have challenges, be it housing issues, a parent with mental health challenges etc.’
In addition, the service has been involved in creative and often preventative initiatives including providing specific purpose play mats to parents of babies in emergency accommodation, and refuges. They have also undertaken work on baby safety in the home which they are sharing with families.
She says the service is as busy as ever despite the lockdown and are continuing to work in the community, providing support where needed.
‘We’re getting calls every day,’ she explains. ‘We’re still working, no child has been abandoned. We’re talking to them and making sure we’re linked in.’ Anyone with a concern about a child’s safety or welfare should contact their local duty social work office. In counties Louth and Meath. The number is 046 909 8560.’