The Government has been warned the care system for vulnerable children is in danger of replicating a “permacrisis” in the homeless sector unless additional supports and funding are provided to Tusla.
Correspondence sent to Simon Harris and Micheál Martin during the government formation talks highlighted how the care sector is in danger of deteriorating into a deepening crisis within the next five years without significant intervention.
Wayne Stanley, the chief executive of Epic — a charity supporting children in care — told Mr Harris and Mr Martin a plan was needed to end the use of unregulated residential care placements.
“The challenges for Tusla are clear: a shortage of suitable care placements, weak inter-agency ­co-operation, critical staffing deficits among social care and social work professionals and a lack of political priority.
These temporary, often unregulated, arrangements house children as young as nine due to insufficient care placements,” Mr Stanley said.

Tusla must be made a ‘political priority’ to avoid crisis in care system for vulnerable children