TUSLA SAYS THE BOY IN THEIR CARE IS BAKING AND PLAYING CARD GAMES. THE REALITY: ONLINE VIDEOS SHOW HE’S MISSING FROM CARE AND DRIVING AT 200KM/H AGAINST ONCOMING TRAFFIC A report in today’s Irish Times by Kitty Holland highlights serious concerns for the safety of a teenage boy who has been missing from Tusla care for more than two weeks and is reportedly driving stolen cars at speeds approaching 200km/h, including into oncoming traffic. The boy’s father says he fears his son will “kill himself or someone else” unless he is detained and given the intensive intervention he needs. He does not know where his son is or who he is with, and says the teenager is without his ADHD medication and an EpiPen required for a severe nut allergy. The Irish Times says it has seen videos and photographs posted on the teenager’s social media showing him and others breaking into cars, travelling in them and driving at extreme speeds. One video reportedly shows a car speeding through a housing estate before braking violently, while photographs show speedometers approaching 200km/h. The case raises particularly serious questions about the State’s response because the boy is already in voluntary Tusla care and is before the courts on dozens of charges connected with dangerous driving and car theft. He has previously been detained on three occasions at Oberstown Children Detention Campus. At Dublin District Children’s Court last month, Judge Brendan Toale said the case had been “crying out for an application to special care” for a considerable time and referred to the intervention “or lack of” by the State. Despite this, no application for special care has yet been made. The report comes amid an acute shortage of special-care capacity. Ireland has 26 special-care beds, but only 15 are currently open because of staffing shortages. The father says his son’s difficulties escalated after he stopped attending secondary school and became increasingly influenced by social-media content involving cars. He began absconding from home and was at one point found by gardaí 20km away in the company of known drug dealers. The father says he repeatedly sought help as his son’s behaviour deteriorated. He alleges that supports from several agencies — including education welfare intervention, organised daytime activities and counselling — were promised but did not materialise. Eventually, unable to manage the teenager’s increasingly dangerous behaviour, he placed him voluntarily in Tusla care believing this would provide access to the services he needed. Instead, the father says, his son’s situation has deteriorated dramatically. The teenager has moved through several temporary emergency placements around the country and repeatedly absconded. According to his father, he has gone from having no convictions a year ago to 38 convictions now. The report also highlights a striking discrepancy between the father’s account and correspondence from Tusla. While the teenager was missing from care, Tusla wrote that he had “successfully re-engaged with a structured, intentional weekly plan”, was showing “strong motivation to participate” and was taking part in activities including baking, card games and video games. His father described that assessment as “clearly incorrect”. Tusla said it could not comment on an individual child but acknowledged increasing complexity among a small number of vulnerable young people involving mental-health difficulties, substance misuse, disability, exploitation and criminal behaviour. It said these cases require an inter-agency and whole-of-government response. For the boy’s father, however, the immediate issue is safety. After repeated absconding, escalating criminal behaviour and videos apparently showing his son travelling at potentially lethal speeds, he believes special care — or renewed detention in Oberstown — may now be the only way to prevent his son or someone else from being seriously injured or killed.

SHE IS 14. SHE IS IN THE CARE OF TUSLA. ADULT MEN ARE RAPING HER. ANOTHER CHILD IS ALSO BEING RAPED. WHERE ARE THE ARRESTS? A front page report in today’s Irish Times by Kitty Holland reveals that a 14-year-old girl, believed by gardaí to be the victim of “horrifying” sexual exploitation by multiple men, cannot currently be provided with a place in secure State special care. The High Court heard that the girl, who has a mild learning disability and is in Tusla care, believes the men involved “care for her”. She had allegedly been taken by men to a house in another county and given alcohol, cocaine and other drugs to “relax her”. Tusla sought a special-care order because of the extreme risk to the child, but told the court that it could not currently provide her with a bed in any of its three special-care units. Although the system has 26 beds, only 15 are currently open because of staffing shortages. Judge John Jordan described the abuse as “abhorrent” and said the girl should be given a special-care bed “immediately”. He stressed that compliance with the court’s order was “not optional”. In an unusual step, Judge Jordan lifted the in-camera rule to allow details of this case, and a second case involving the extreme sexual exploitation of another teenage girl, to be made public. He also directed that details be sent to Minister for Children Norma Foley, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers. He said the cases provided a “vivid illustration” of the consequences of the State’s continuing failure to open all available special-care beds and emphasised the “absolute urgency” of doing so. The court heard that gardaí were heavily involved in the 14-year-old’s case and that she had experienced significant trauma throughout her childhood, including witnessing the death of a parent. A second teenage girl in Tusla care was also described as being sexually exploited by a large number of adult men. The court heard she had appeared on social media apparently under the influence of drugs and distressed, and had reported pelvic pain following what she described as “very rough sex”. Judge Jordan also ordered that this girl be detained in special care, describing her as “clearly the victim of abhorrent sexual exploitation by adult males”. The two cases expose the potentially devastating consequences of the continuing shortage of operational special-care beds. Children whom the High Court considers to be at extreme and immediate risk can be ordered into secure care, yet Tusla may be unable to provide the places necessary to protect them.

YOUNG PERSON LEFT ISOLATED IN TUSLA CARE WITH NO EDUCATION, THERAPY OR MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT, HIQA FINDS A HIQA inspection of a Tusla-run emergency residential centre in Cork south-west found serious failings in safeguarding, management, staff supervision and the care of one particularly isolated young person. The centre provides short- to medium-term emergency placements for children up to 17. Its stated capacity is four, but staff shortages cut it to three. Two young people were living there when inspectors visited in July. KEY FINDINGS - No permanent centre manager, leading to poor supervision, limited training, weak communication and insufficient oversight. Staff themselves said they needed more support, direction and training. - No training log, no consistent team meetings and no formal supervision arrangements. - Two similar incidents of young people going missing from care were examined. Significant-event notifications were completed, but the required child protection and welfare report forms were never submitted. The centre's child protection notification log was blank. - No evidence of follow-up, updated risk assessments or revised safety plans to reduce the risk of it happening again. - Of six staff files checked, none showed completion of the third Children First module, "Children First: In Action". THE ISOLATED YOUNG PERSON One resident said they were happy and supported. The other was largely isolated and did not communicate verbally with staff or the inspector. Although they preferred long periods alone, inspectors found little evidence of sustained or creative attempts by staff to build a relationship. Staff seemed unsure how to engage. The young person enjoys art and had been given materials, yet staff had not visited their room to look at their work or used the interest to connect. They were not taking part in structured education, therapy or recreation, there was no clear plan to address their disengagement, and they were not in contact with family, friends or staff. They had also had several changes of social worker and found the frequency of visits frustrating, describing them in records as feeling like "harassment". Social work arranged two professional meetings about the young person's needs. Neither centre staff nor management attended, and the meetings were discontinued. The social-work team leader raised strong concerns about the lack of proactive engagement and coordinated planning. A SECOND CENTRE An unannounced June inspection of a midlands centre (also reported by the Irish Independent) found shortcomings in governance, documentation and oversight, but praised staff care as calm, sensitive and child-centred. Staffing was sufficient. Problems were found in staff files: missing fire-safety training evidence, missing proof of professional registration, an employment reference with no validation date, and incomplete mandatory Children First records. THE BIGGER PICTURE Together, the inspections raise real concerns about governance, safeguarding, training and management oversight in emergency residential care, while showing that the quality of direct care varies widely between services. Children in State care deserve a plan, a relationship and someone who turns up. Who is accountable when they get none?

𝗧𝗨𝗦𝗟𝗔 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗧: 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗦 𝗔 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥? Sinn Féin TD Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh has asked whether Tusla is reducing contact between children in State care and their parents, and whether staffing and resource pressures are behind any changes. The written answers, to Parliamentary Questions 396 and 397, are dated 1 October 2026. WHAT WAS ASKED PQ 396: whether Tusla has directed social work teams to reduce the frequency or duration of access visits between children in care and their parents, and whether access decisions must be based on each child’s assessed needs and care plan. PQ 397: whether Tusla has issued any national, regional or local instruction, policy, guidance or directive to reduce access arrangements between children in care and their parents, wider family or other approved persons; whether any changes have been introduced in 2026 due to staffing, resource or service capacity issues; and details of any such measures. THE MINISTER’S RESPONSE According to the published answers, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality did not give a substantive reply to either question. The same response was given to both: they relate to operational information held by Tusla and have been referred to the Agency to reply directly to the Deputy. The published answers therefore do not show whether Tusla has issued any instruction to reduce family contact, or whether staffing, resources or capacity have led to changes in 2026. IMPORTANT: THESE QUESTIONS DO NOT ESTABLISH THAT ANY REDUCTIONS HAVE OCCURRED. WHY IT MATTERS For many children in care, contact with parents, siblings and wider family is an important way of maintaining relationships, and can matter for reunification. For many parents it is their main opportunity to maintain those bonds. Restrictions on contact can be justified where necessary to protect a child’s welfare. The question is whether any changes are driven by an individual child’s needs or by shortages of staff, funding or services. STILL UNANSWERED IN THE PUBLISHED REPLIES Has Tusla issued any national, regional or local instruction on reducing family contact? Have social work teams been asked to reduce the frequency or duration of visits? Have any changes been made in 2026 because of staffing or resource constraints? Where contact has changed, are decisions documented by reference to the child’s assessed needs? What safeguards ensure children do not lose valuable contact with their families because of operational difficulties? Tusla’s direct replies to the Deputy would be needed to establish what the agency has said. Until then, it would be premature to conclude that Tusla has directed reductions in family contact. Children should not lose opportunities to maintain safe and beneficial relationships with their families simply because the agency responsible for their care lacks the resources to facilitate them. Source: Written Parliamentary Questions 396 and 397, 1 October 2026, Houses of the Oireachtas.

𝗧𝗨𝗦𝗟𝗔 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗨𝗡𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗔𝗬 𝗜𝗙 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗗𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 Tusla CEO Ms Kate Duggan could not tell the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee whether private care providers the agency stopped using remain active in the wider market. Sinn Féin TD and committee chair Deputy John Brady questioned senior Tusla officials on Thursday, 1 October 2026, during the examination of Tusla’s 2025 financial statements. SIX PROVIDERS CEASED Deputy Brady asked how many providers had been referred to An Garda Síochána over vetting concerns. Ms Duggan said: “We ceased using six providers, but I will have to check how many referrals were made to An Garda Síochána.” He asked: “Are those providers still active in the wider market?” “I do not know.” Asked whether Tusla had re-engaged any of them: “No.” Asked earlier about the status of the Garda investigations, Ms Duggan said: “Two moved to prosecution.” The hearing did not establish that those two involved any of the six providers Tusla stopped using, or that all six were referred to Gardaí. STAFF DOCUMENTATION Deputy Brady said an audit of staff in special emergency arrangements (SEAs) for vulnerable children indicated about 25% did not have required documentation, with a further 29% missing other records such as first aid or fire safety evidence. These figures concern missing or incomplete documentation. They do not automatically mean workers were unqualified or unvetted. Workers in SEAs are not directly employed by Tusla. Deputy Brady said: “There has to be a governance and oversight there from Tusla.” Ms Duggan said Tusla has set up a central compliance unit and introduced additional checks on private providers. HIGH COURT SPECIAL CARE ORDERS Deputy Brady asked how long children have waited for special care beds after the High Court ordered their admission, and asked Ms Duggan to go back as far as possible “because it is important we get the full picture.” She undertook to provide information for recent years. LITIGATION Tusla said cases brought by families were probably in single figures. Of €8.8 million in legal awards in 2025, none related to special care bed failures, Ms Duggan said. SPECIAL CARE STAFFING Deputy Brady cited a High Court judgment by Ms Justice Egan: between January 2021 and February 2025, 177 staff were recruited into special care and 159 left. In 2025, 29 were recruited and 24 left. About 200 staff are needed to operate all 26 beds. Tusla has 98 directly employed, supplemented by agency workers, about 50% below requirement. Ms Duggan said: “We have significant challenges in special care.” Deputy Brady: “Unfortunately, those most vulnerable in the State have not got time.” WHAT REMAINS UNANSWERED How many of the six providers were referred to Gardaí, and whether any are still operating elsewhere. Source: Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, 1 October 2026.

𝗧𝗨𝗦𝗟𝗔 𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗦: 𝗢𝗡𝗟𝗬 𝟭𝟯 𝗢𝗙 𝟮𝟲 𝗕𝗘𝗗𝗦 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗦 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗨𝗧𝗬 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗚𝗨𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗦 Tusla CEO Ms Kate Duggan reveals that a child waited up to five months for special care, while almost 20 staff in one unit were on sick leave and HIQA restricted bed capacity over safety concerns. Serious questions about the management, staffing and safety of Ireland’s special care facilities were raised at the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee on Thursday, 1 October 2026, during its examination of Tusla’s 2025 financial statements. Fine Gael TD Deputy Grace Boland focused on the shortage of special care beds. Special care is a highly restrictive form of residential care, authorised by the High Court, for children aged 11 to 17 whose circumstances or behaviour place them or others at serious risk. Tusla has physical capacity for 26 beds across three facilities. Only 13 were operational at the time of the hearing. WAITING MONTHS FOR COURT-ORDERED CARE Asked about the longest delay in implementing a High Court order, Ms Duggan said: “In one case it was four to five months.” Deputy Boland asked: “What happens to the child in a case like that?” Ms Duggan said children remain under the High Court’s jurisdiction in placements with therapeutic supports, but acknowledged: “It is a great risk.” NEVER AT FULL CAPACITY Ms Duggan said Tusla has never operated all 26 beds. The highest number was 18, for a short period, and capacity has generally fluctuated between 14 and 16. HIQA AND STAFFING Two additional beds were closed at one facility after HIQA raised concerns about staff absenteeism. Ms Duggan said: “Due to the staffing levels, HIQA was concerned that we could not provide a safe place of care.” Almost 20 staff in that unit were on sick leave at one point. Deputy Boland said: “Something went seriously wrong.” Ms Duggan cited changes to staffing and management structures and dissatisfaction in the unit, but said she could not establish a direct causal link to the absenteeism. ABOUT HALF THE STAFF REQUIRED Tusla’s Ms Rosarii Mannion said about 200 staff are needed to run special care at full capacity, but only about 96 or 97 are directly employed. Agency staff fill the gap. She said that dependence is too high but that all staff are qualified and screened. Deputy Boland said consistency of care is “far from ideal.” Ms Mannion agreed. IMPORTANT CONTEXT Ms Duggan defended care at the unit, Crannóg Nua: “The children are being well supported.” HIQA’s principal concern was staffing levels and safe ratios, not a finding that care for children already admitted was poor. THE QUESTION The hearing took place against the background of High Court proceedings in which Tusla was found in contempt for failing to comply with special care orders. How can the State ensure children the High Court has found need urgent special care actually receive it, when the agency responsible has never operated its full available capacity?

TUSLA CEO TELLS TD TO “CALM DOWN” DURING HEATED EXCHANGE OVER CHILDREN MISSING FROM CARE Sinn Féin TD Deputy Cathy Bennett questioned Tusla CEO Ms Kate Duggan and senior officials at the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee on Thursday, 1 October 2026, during its examination of Tusla’s 2025 financial statements. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE WHEN CHILDREN GO MISSING? Deputy Bennett asked: “Where were the Tusla workers that were in charge and were supposed to be monitoring these children?” The exchange became tense when Ms Duggan asked her to calm down. Deputy Bennett replied: “You calm down, Kate.” 12 CHILDREN MISSING IN ONE WEEK Ms Duggan confirmed that 12 children in Tusla residential services went missing in the previous week. Tusla has approximately 6,000 children in care, plus more than 100,000 children known to the agency annually who live with their families. She explained that a missing episode can include a young person failing to return within 15 or 20 minutes of curfew, that incidents are immediately recorded on Tusla’s system, and: “We immediately notified the Garda.” This does not mean 12 children disappeared for prolonged periods. The committee was not told how long they were missing, their ages, the circumstances, or whether any were exposed to harm. EVERY WEEK Ms Duggan said: “Every week, we have young people who have not returned to their units where they should be.” DISPUTED: WERE ABSENCES RECORDED? Deputy Bennett asked whether children previously in special emergency accommodation had gone missing without it being noted on the system. Ms Duggan said she was not familiar with the example. Deputy Bennett: “I know that Tusla does not know, but it was not reported that they were missing.” Ms Duggan: “But it was, Deputy. We report to the Garda as soon as the child is missing.” National director Gerry Hone added: “Every time.” He said every placement has an address recorded. The exchange did not establish that Tusla failed to record or report any particular child. Officials disputed the assertion. THE QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN A missing episode 15 or 20 minutes past curfew is very different from a child unaccounted for overnight, for days or longer. Still unanswered: How many individual children are reported missing each year? How many episodes involve the same children repeatedly? How many are missing for more than 24 or 48 hours? What happens when a child returns, and what assessment is made of where they have been and whether they were harmed? Children in residential care can leave placements for many reasons, and a missing episode does not automatically show a failure by Tusla or staff. But children in State care are particularly vulnerable, and repeated episodes raise safeguarding questions. What the hearing did establish is that children going missing from Tusla residential services is not an isolated occurrence. According to Tusla’s CEO, it happens every week.

TUSLA CEO KATE DUGGAN UNABLE TO SAY IF UNREGULATED FOR-PROFIT COMPANIES ARE STILL SUPERVISING CONTACT BETWEEN CHILDREN IN TUSLA CARE AND THEIR FAMILIES Solidarity TD Deputy Murphy questioned Tusla CEO Kate Duggan and national director Gerry Hone about the agency’s previous use of private company Supervised Access Ireland and safeguards introduced after concerns emerged. The questioning took place at the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Sinn Féin TD John Brady, on Thursday, 1 October 2026, during its examination of Tusla’s 2025 financial statements. Deputy Murphy asked whether Tusla was still using Supervised Access Ireland. Gerry Hone said he was not aware that it was, while Ms Duggan confirmed that, to her understanding, Tusla no longer uses its services. Deputy Murphy referred to a parliamentary question he submitted in October 2024 indicating that Tusla had stopped using the company and asked why. Ms Duggan replied that concerns had been raised about staff qualifications and vetting. Deputy Murphy described what had emerged as “quite incredible”. He said whistleblowers had contacted him and that he had raised the matter in the Dáil. He said people appeared in some cases to have been deployed to supervise access visits without even being interviewed face to face, never mind Garda vetted. Deputy Murphy asked whether other State bodies had been warned about Supervised Access Ireland. Ms Duggan said she did not recall this happening. She said Tusla had notified the HSE about concerns involving some special emergency arrangements providers, but did not recall a similar notification regarding Supervised Access Ireland. Deputy Murphy pointed out that the company continued to advertise family law services and asked what lessons Tusla had learned, stating that children had potentially been exposed to dangerous situations. Ms Duggan said Tusla recognised it could not simply take organisations and companies “at their word” on Garda vetting and references. She said Tusla established a central compliance unit and, since July 2025, new providers must go through a national system checking vetting, qualifications and other requirements. While this caused delays for frontline staff, she said it was safer. Tusla has also increased resources for oversight of third-party providers. Deputy Murphy then turned to current supervised access between children and their families. Tusla confirmed that supervised access continues. However, when Deputy Murphy asked whether private companies currently provide these services and which companies, Tusla officials could not provide a list. Ms Duggan said supervised access was provided through commissioned community and voluntary organisations, including family resource centres and organisations such as Barnardos. She undertook to establish whether private providers were also being used and provide the committee with a list. Hone said supervised access generally involves a social care worker or social worker and stressed that supervising access is a professional task involving both facilitating contact and assessing the quality of interactions. Deputy Murphy pressed the issue one final time, asking whether Tusla believed for-profit companies were no longer being used to provide supervised access. Tusla was unable to give a definitive answer. Hone said: “We will check that.” Ms Duggan committed to providing the information to the committee. The exchange established that Tusla stopped using Supervised Access Ireland following concerns about staff qualifications and vetting and subsequently strengthened its compliance procedures. However, an important question remained unanswered: Tusla’s most senior officials could not say whether for-profit private companies are currently being used to supervise contact between children in care and their families.

JUDGE JORDAN SAYS TUSLA’S FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH COURT ORDERS IS “WHOLLY UNACCEPTABLE” A report in The Irish Times by Kitty Holland reveals that the High Court issued “search and deliver” orders for two children considered to be at “extreme” high risk, despite objections raised by Tusla about immediately allocating them newly available special-care beds. Judge John Jordan said it was “wholly unacceptable” that Tusla was not moving to immediately comply with existing High Court orders for the two teenagers, whom he had ordered to be detained in special care several weeks earlier. Two special-care beds became available during Monday’s hearing after the judge issued discharge orders for children considered ready to leave. Judge Jordan indicated that he expected the two children who had already been waiting since the previous month to be admitted immediately. However, counsel for Tusla, Sarah McKechnie, told the court that the agency intended to hold a prioritisation meeting the following morning. Tusla said there were as many as seven children urgently requiring special care and raised concerns that other children might require the available beds even more urgently. The cases described to the court illustrate the extraordinary level of risk involved. Among the other children requiring special care was a young teenage boy who, the court was told, was manufacturing, selling and using crack cocaine and swallowing packages of the drug to avoid detection by gardaí. A new special-care order was granted for him. The court was also told of a child lying in a hospital bed “close to death after a suspected overdose”, while another child was reportedly being subjected to ongoing and repeated sexual assaults in her community. Special care is the State’s most secure form of care for children aged 11 to 17 whose behaviour places their own lives or the lives of others at risk. Yet only 15 of Ireland’s 26 special-care beds are currently open, due to severe difficulties recruiting and retaining staff. Faced with Tusla’s position that the available beds should first be considered through its prioritisation process, Judge Jordan issued “search and deliver” orders empowering An Garda Síochána to locate the two teenagers already awaiting admission and bring them into special care. Following the hearing, Tusla confirmed that the two children would be located by gardaí and taken into special care. The case once again exposes the extraordinary pressure on Ireland’s special-care system: children assessed as being at extreme risk, High Court detention orders already granted, several other children facing potentially life-threatening circumstances — but only 15 of the State’s 26 special-care beds actually operational.

GARDA WHISTLEBLOWER CONFIDENTIALITY BREACHED: JUSTICE DEPARTMENT UNDER HELEN McENTEE PROMISED SAFEGUARDS — 13 DAYS LATER, ANOTHER WHISTLEBLOWER’S DISCLOSURE WAS SENT TO GARDAÍ A front page report in today’s Irish Examiner by Paul Hosford reveals that the Department of Justice apologised to a Garda whistleblower after breaching his confidentiality — but just 13 days after telling him that additional safeguards had been introduced to prevent such a breach happening again, the Department sent another Garda whistleblower’s protected disclosure to An Garda Síochána. The first Garda, who has asked to remain anonymous, made a protected disclosure concerning the handling of a child abuse case. He had specifically requested that his details should not be shared with Tusla. Despite that request, in early 2023 he received a telephone call from a Tusla staff member who informed him that his details had been passed on. In March 2023, a senior Department of Justice civil servant acknowledged what had happened, describing the inclusion of an email attachment as a “regrettable oversight” and “an unfortunate case of human error”. Outside agencies were asked to delete the information. The Garda subsequently complained to the Data Protection Commissioner. On 8 December 2023, the Department wrote to him again. It said the relevant unit had been given guidance on redacting documents and had been instructed that a second person should check outgoing correspondence where confidentiality had been assured, specifically to prevent another breach of this nature. Then, just 13 days later, on 21 December 2023, the Department sent the protected disclosure of Detective Superintendent Brian O’Reilly to An Garda Síochána. Helen McEntee was Justice Minister at the time of these events. She has insisted that she always followed whistleblower legislation. The Department has declined to comment on the circumstances of individual protected disclosures, saying it does not “comment on, confirm the existence of, or give details of any specific protected disclosure”. It also maintains that there are robust structures, policies and procedures across the criminal justice sector for managing protected disclosures and that protecting people who make them, including Garda members, is a priority. But the chronology raises serious questions about how those protections were operating in practice. The first Garda had specifically requested confidentiality. His information nevertheless reached Tusla. The Department acknowledged the breach, attributed it to human error and subsequently told him that additional checking procedures had been introduced. Thirteen days after that assurance, Brian O’Reilly’s protected disclosure was sent to An Garda Síochána. Aontú TD Paul Lawless has described the matter as “a very serious issue”. Aontú has threatened to table a motion of no confidence in former Justice Minister Helen McEntee if she does not answer questions in the Dáil about the controversy. Lawless has also challenged the Government’s proposal for statements rather than a question-and-answer session in the Dáil, arguing that statements alone are insufficient. But perhaps the most important question he has raised goes beyond these two cases: How many other Gardaí may have had their identities disclosed by the Department of Justice or the Minister’s office?

TUSLA CAN'T SAY HOW MANY OF ITS 106,000 REFERRALS LED TO AN INTERVENTION Tusla also confirms private security personnel in residential centres do not receive trauma-informed training Tusla officials did not provide a clear answer when questioned at the Public Accounts Committee about what proportion of approximately 106,000 referrals received by the agency in 2025 resulted in intervention. The issue arose during examination of Tusla’s 2025 financial statements on October 1st, when Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly questioned CEO Kate Duggan about the referral figure. Mr Farrelly, a former youth worker, recalled the frustration of making referrals concerning children and subsequently receiving letters stating that, following initial review, no further intervention was required. He asked what percentage of the 106,000 referrals received such an outcome. Ms Duggan outlined changes introduced under Tusla’s new integrated service model but did not provide a percentage for 2025. National director Gerry Hone subsequently told the committee that 50,755 children received a family-support service last year. “That is a marked difference from the 106,000 figure, which is often the headline,” Mr Farrelly responded. Ms Duggan then said approx 20,000 children were opened to social work and that Tusla was “probably looking at about 25,000 children who got that response”. However, these were figures relating to children rather than a breakdown of the 106,000 referrals. When asked whether one in four referrals did not receive a response, Ms Duggan instead cited Tusla’s re-referral rate: approximately one in five, or 22 per cent, falling to 18 per cent following changes introduced this year. “Re-referral is usually the best indicator of a child who came in, did not get a response and came back again,” she said. The exchange did not establish how many individual children were represented by the 106,000 referrals, nor what proportion of those referrals resulted in no intervention Mr Hone acknowledged that families receiving letters saying they did not meet the threshold under the previous system had been “a real problem”. The committee separately examined Tusla’s spending on private security. Tusla said approximately €3 million was spent during 2025 on close personal protection personnel supplied by one company, SRMI, in six centres nationally. Tusla said the policy governing their deployment had been agreed with HIQA. Mr Farrelly, a qualified social care worker, questioned what vetting and training such personnel received. Ms Duggan stressed that close-protection personnel were not substitutes for social care workers and were never on-site without Tusla staff. Asked whether the personnel received child-protection, safeguarding and trauma-informed training, Ms Duggan said relevant training was specified in the contract but confirmed trauma-informed training was not required. “They are not receiving trauma-informed training because that is not a standard training that is required as part of the commissioning of a service or a private provider,” she said. Mr Farrelly argued that interaction was inevitable in residential settings and that, if millions of euro were being spent on private security around vulnerable children, personnel should be equipped to interact appropriately and contribute to de-escalation. Ms Duggan said their use must be understood in the context of rising aggression towards Tusla staff, with 894 incidents recorded in 2022 compared with 1,574 so far this year, 37 of which resulted in staff being absent for more than three days. Mr Farrelly made clear he was not challenging the need to protect staff. His concern was whether everything possible was being done to determine the suitability of private security personnel working in these environments. The hearing nevertheless left Deputy Farrelly’s original question unanswered: of the 106,000 referrals in 2025 what proportion resulted in no intervention provided?

TUSLA’S PROJECTED €65M EMERGENCY PLACEMENT BILL, ABOUT €750,000 A YEAR PER PLACEMENT, AND REPORTED €2.5M CONTRACT APPROVED AGAINST PANEL ADVICE Labour TD Eoghan Kenny questioned senior Tusla officials at the Public Accounts Committee on October 1st during its examination of Tusla’s 2025 financial statements, focusing on a residential contract, procurement and rising emergency placement costs. Kenny referred to an Irish Times report that Tusla’s internal assessment panel had recommended against awarding Dunlicky View Residential Holdings Limited a contract to accommodate 15 vulnerable children. Reported concerns included potential undisclosed conflicts of interest involving former Tusla employees, pricing significantly above normal limits and failure to demonstrate value for money. Senior management subsequently approved the centre at a reported annual cost of €2.5 million. Tusla national director Gerry Hone said the agency was under severe pressure to find placements, particularly for separated children seeking international protection, and confirmed conflicts of interest had been examined before the accommodation was provided. Tusla CEO Kate Duggan described the panel’s assessment as a “desktop exercise” based on the information presented and said it did not consider the number of children needing placements. She confirmed Hone had authority to make exceptions or “derogations” after considering risks and mitigations. Duggan acknowledged one concern involved a senior former Tusla employee working for the organisation. Tusla concluded the risk and mitigations did not justify refusing the service. Alternatives could have left children in unregistered special emergency arrangements or separated children’s centres for months. Kenny said: “I struggle to understand the point of having an internal assessment panel if the senior management team is just going to overrule it anyway.” PROCUREMENT Kenny questioned €45,345 paid to Paul Gaffney Psychological Consulting for trauma-informed, postvention and other support for Tusla staff. The expenditure was recorded as non-compliant. Tusla national director Rosarii Mannion said 48 employees had benefited and the service was continuing. When Kenny pointed out that the arrangement was classified as non-compliant, Mannion replied: “That is a fact.” However, three quotations had originally been obtained. Mannion said the service was commissioned urgently as a short-term intervention but continued longer than anticipated, exceeding the €25,000 threshold. She estimated it had operated for about 12 months and confirmed she had approved the contract. Board approval was not required at that expenditure level. EMERGENCY PLACEMENTS Kenny highlighted that spending on special emergency arrangements and their successor temporary emergency placements reached €57.7 million by the end of August 2026, already exceeding the €52.7 million spent in all of 2025. Tusla finance director Pat Smyth projected approximately €65 million expenditure by year end. The average number of children involved increased from about 60 per week to about 80. Smyth said these were single-child placements requiring an average of 10 staff to cover 168 hours each week. Asked about the normal rate paid to private providers, Smyth said “about €750,000 per annum” in the context of these single-child placements. About 90 per cent was staffing costs. Tusla operates a standard “rate card”. Tusla said its central compliance unit checks providers’ staffing, including CVs, qualifications, references and Garda vetting. Duggan said some providers had failed the registration process because they were “just never going to achieve registration – the standards we would expect”. Tusla had taken over services from such providers, allowing HIQA to inspect and monitor them. Kenny’s questioning focused on governance, procurement, oversight and value for money. Tusla emphasised severe pressure to secure placements

McENTEE UNDER PRESSURE OVER HANDLING OF GARDA WHISTLEBLOWER DISCLOSURES The Irish Mail on Sunday (John Lee) reports mounting pressure on Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Helen McEntee over how she handled protected disclosures from Garda whistleblowers while Minister for Justice. THE DISCLOSURE CONCERNING DREW HARRIS
▪ A senior Garda made a protected disclosure in late 2023 alleging serious wrongdoing within An Garda Síochána, including allegations concerning then Commissioner Drew Harris.
▪ McEntee directed Gardaí to investigate, as the allegations did not meet the threshold for an external investigation.
▪ That decision was reportedly based only on bullet-pointed summaries, and McEntee herself only had a summary.
▪ Neither she nor her officials reportedly sought further information or corroboration from the whistleblower.
▪ She then directed the disclosure to Garda HQ and the Office of the Garda Commissioner, which, according to the paper, revealed the contents of the disclosure and the whistleblower's identity.
▪ Lawyers for Garda whistleblowers have written to her demanding she correct the Dáil record. WHAT SHE SAID
Asked at a press conference how the whistleblower's identity was exposed, McEntee said she believed she had answered "quite a few times". She repeatedly said: "I've always followed advice provided to me."
The report says she could not specify who gave the advice or which legislative advice was involved. Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan told the Dáil his predecessor "behaved in an entirely appropriate manner and followed departmental advice". He said he referred issues in the disclosure to Fiosrú on 27 February last year. THE POLITICAL STRATEGY
▪ McEntee is expected to make a lengthy statement to the Dáil but will not take part in Q&A.
▪ Ministers reportedly said the Coalition's strategy is to blame officials. One Cabinet source: "it is hoped that a civil servant or a lawyer can be thrown under a bus and blamed."
▪ The concern about Q&A: the paper draws a comparison with Frances Fitzgerald in 2017.
▪ Fine Gael colleagues are reportedly worried McEntee herself could take the blame.
▪ Labour's Alan Kelly and Michael McDowell are demanding she answer questions, and the Opposition plans a no-confidence motion. A SEPARATE CASE: 28 ADJOURNMENTS
A Garda whistleblower arrested in 2019 on firearms charges has seen his case adjourned 28 times. The State wants another postponement, which could push proceedings past seven years. The defence will oppose it. The DPP cites publicity around an RTÉ Investigates documentary, which included an on-screen interview with the accused. The Gardaí and the DPP reportedly warned RTÉ beforehand about the duty to ensure a fair trial. It aired anyway, and was later removed from the RTÉ Player. The accused had previously raised concerns about defective gun holsters. THE BIGGER QUESTION
How are protected disclosures involving senior Garda figures handled at ministerial and departmental level, and who is really protected when whistleblowers come forward? Source: Irish Mail on Sunday, 11 October 2026

IF THE REVELATION THAT A CHILD WAS HANDED INTO THE CUSTODY OF A CONVICTED RAPIST AFTER A BRIEF HEARING A YEAR AGO DOESN’T TRIGGER URGENT FAMILY COURT REFORM — WHAT WILL? A report in the Mail on Sunday by Debbie McCann reveals that a convicted rapist who served a lengthy prison sentence for a horrific attack on a woman was granted custody of his child following what the mother describes as a brief family court hearing. According to the report, the child was removed from the mother and ordered to live with the father, despite his criminal record. More than a year later, the child remains living with him while the case continues through the family court system. The mother told the newspaper that she has endured a year of “heartbreak” since her child was removed. She said: “My child is my everything and for more than a year, they have been living with him.” The report outlines the father’s criminal history. It states that he was convicted eight years ago of the rape of a woman in a case which attracted national attention. The mother said she had initially been unaware of the full circumstances of the offence and later learned more about his history. She subsequently obtained a protection order against her former partner after their relationship ended, telling the newspaper that he had become violent towards her. The mother said the situation dramatically escalated while she and the child were on holiday in another EU country. Police arrived at a restaurant where the family was eating after receiving a report that the child had been taken without permission. The mother said she was shocked and embarrassed but was allowed to leave. She returned to Ireland the following day and said Gardaí informed her that the matter was one for the family court. The case came before the family courts a few days later. According to the mother’s account, she expected the child would be returned to her care. Instead, she says the judge ordered that the child remain with the father pending a full hearing. She claims the hearing lasted approximately two hours, that the judge heard no evidence from Gardaí and that the decision was made after the father alleged she was mentally abusive or controlling towards him. The mother told the newspaper that she was granted two hours of access on a Saturday and said she was devastated by the outcome. The case has now prompted political criticism. Independent TD Paul Gogarty told the Mail on Sunday that it raises serious questions about how Ireland’s family court system operates. Deputy Gogarty said: “The system is deeply flawed.” He told the Mail on Sunday that the case raises serious questions about how the family court system operates. He described the system as “deeply flawed” and called for greater transparency. He pointed to England and Wales, where he said the in-camera rule can be loosened while still protecting anonymity, and argued that reform is needed to allow greater scrutiny of judicial decisions and court-appointed experts. The case therefore raises much wider questions than the circumstances of one family. At its centre are concerns about how risk is assessed in custody proceedings, how a parent’s history of serious violence is weighed by the courts, the adequacy of evidence available when major decisions about children are made, and whether Ireland’s strict family court secrecy prevents proper public scrutiny and accountability.

New Voice of the Child Report Guidelines and Templates have been published, and every parent in private family law proceedings should know what is in them. There is a lot to welcome: the child's actual words recorded, no pressure to speak, the child seen alone, and the child checking what is written down. But there are serious unanswered questions about complaints, accreditation, specialist training, costs, delays and enforcement. Who investigates the investigator? Why should parents pay for a child's constitutional right to be heard? Read the full thread below and share it with anyone who needs to see it. 👇

DÁIL CELEBRATES BREASTFEEDING — BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TUSLA TAKES A BABY BEING BREASTFED BY HIS MOTHER INTO CARE? There is a bitter irony in what happened in Ireland this week. On Thursday, Dáil Éireann devoted 90 minutes to statements marking National Breastfeeding Week. Minister of State Jennifer Murnane O'Connor said breastfeeding "contributes to giving children the best possible start in life." That sits uneasily beside a case reported last month by Dr Carol Coulter's Child Law Project. A baby spent his first two weeks with his mother in a maternity hospital, being breastfed. Then an interim care order was granted and he was taken into care. He was placed with two male foster carers who, the mother's barrister told the court, had no previous experience of caring for a newborn. Breastfeeding stopped. The mother kept expressing milk, but the court heard it was not being given to her baby. The court heard he was vomiting formula, missing weight targets and receiving Gaviscon up to six times a day. He then became seriously ill, was admitted to hospital with a high temperature, and underwent a lumbar puncture to exclude meningitis. He was diagnosed with Influenza A. His mother was not initially told which hospital he was in. She was then told she couldn't visit because Tusla had no access worker available. Only after her barrister threatened a High Court application was she allowed access to her sick baby. Confidentiality means the public can't know everything about this family's case. But these events raise profound questions: What protections exist for breastfeeding when a newborn enters State care? What assessment happens before it is abruptly interrupted? What consideration is given to expressed milk? Who monitors the consequences of separation? Then there's the most troubling detail. Back in the District Court, the Tusla social worker was asked what had been done in the previous month towards reunifying mother and baby. The reported answer: "Nothing, as far as I am aware." Those six words should trouble us. Taking a newborn into care is one of the most profound interventions the State can make. Sometimes it is necessary. But separation should never mean the mother-baby relationship becomes an afterthought, and where reunification is possible and consistent with the child's welfare, work towards it should begin from the outset. The issue isn't whether children should ever be taken into care. It's how the State behaves after it exercises that extraordinary power. Does it protect the baby's health? Preserve attachment? Support breastfeeding where appropriate? Facilitate meaningful contact? Work actively towards reunification? National Breastfeeding Week should be about more than encouraging women to breastfeed. It should require the State to examine its own practices. Support for breastfeeding cannot stop at the door of the family court. If breastfeeding matters, it must matter for every baby — including a baby in State care.

VULNERABLE IRISH CHILDREN RISK BEING CRIMINALISED RATHER THAN PROTECTED — TUSLA STILL NOT EMPOWERED TO IDENTIFY TRAFFICKING VICTIMS A report in today’s Irish Times by Kitty Holland highlights serious failures by the Irish State to identify and protect Irish children who are victims of human trafficking, with some children being punished for criminal activities they have been forced to carry out. The findings come from the US State Department’s latest Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, which concludes that Ireland does not fully meet the minimum international standards for eliminating human trafficking. Although Gardaí identified 114 trafficking victims in 2025, compared with 67 in 2024, not a single Irish national was officially identified as a trafficking victim. The report also found that authorities rarely identify children who have been trafficked. Crucially, child trafficking does not necessarily involve transporting children across borders. Children exploited through forced criminal activity, drug dealing, begging, forced labour or sexual exploitation can be victims of trafficking within Ireland itself. The report identifies serious systemic deficiencies in how victims are recognised, referred for assistance and protected. Despite legislation introduced in 2024, the Government has failed to fully implement a revised National Referral Mechanism that would allow agencies such as Tusla and the HSE to identify trafficking victims, rather than relying primarily on Gardaí. The report also highlights increasing investigations, prosecutions and convictions but warns that significant gaps remain in victim protection. These findings follow recent comments by Circuit Court President Judge Keenan Johnson, who condemned drug gangs exploiting vulnerable children as criminal foot soldiers. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has warned that progress in combating human trafficking has stalled. A separate report found disturbing levels of victim-blaming, with children exploited by criminal gangs at serious risk of being treated as offenders rather than victims. The central concern is that vulnerable Irish children may be criminalised for activities they have been coerced into carrying out, while the State fails to recognise them as victims of trafficking and provide the protection they need.

SERIOUS QUESTIONS RAISED OVER TUSLA’S TREATMENT OF WHISTLEBLOWERS A report in today’s Irish Times by Orla Ryan says a former Tusla employee has asked Gardaí to investigate allegations that criminal offences may have been committed following a protected disclosure he made about procurement and financial practices within a Tusla aftercare service in Cork. Ciarán Kenneally, who worked at Liberty Street House in Cork city, resigned in January 2019 shortly after making the protected disclosure. Through his solicitor, Kevin Winters of KRW Law, he lodged a complaint with Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly on 5 October. The complaint alleges that Kenneally was subjected to “retaliation and unlawful conduct” after raising his concerns. Among the potential offences identified are alleged retaliation or penalisation for making a protected disclosure and the alleged unlawful obtaining, processing or misuse of personal data. His solicitor claims that following the disclosure, Kenneally experienced severe workplace bullying and work-related stress, ultimately losing his employment and being left without income for a prolonged period. It is also alleged that Tusla management conducted unauthorised inquiries into his previous employment and attempted to undermine his credibility, despite him having already completed Garda vetting and reference checks. Significantly, the Data Protection Commission earlier this year found that Tusla had failed to demonstrate a lawful basis under GDPR for processing Kenneally’s personal data in relation to a background check carried out on him. Kenneally had previously settled an unfair dismissal case against Tusla at the Workplace Relations Commission in November 2019. The concerns underlying his original protected disclosure also received some independent support. An internal review conducted in late 2018 identified problems with financial management at Liberty Street House, including an absence of staff guidelines, inconsistent record-keeping and practices around withdrawing cash without reference to known requirements and contingency funds. Kenneally made a second protected disclosure in November 2025, after another former Tusla employee contacted him with information which he says supported his original disclosure. His solicitor has now written to Tusla seeking discussions and compensation for the losses allegedly suffered. If a satisfactory response is not received within two to three weeks, he says court proceedings will be initiated. Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn has also asked Minister for Children Norma Foley to examine the case. Kenneally has worked for O’Flynn since last year. Tusla said it could not comment on an individual case and stressed that allegations against the agency or its employees must be subject to due process. Gardaí said they are legally prevented from commenting on matters that may relate to a protected disclosure. The case raises serious questions about the treatment and protection of whistleblowers within Tusla, the handling of personal information, and accountability when employees raise concerns about financial and administrative practices.