More than 1,100 children in the care of Tusla were placed in unregulated Special Emergency Arrangements (SEAs) during the past year, according to figures obtained by RTÉ News.
These arrangements involve children in care being moved to accommodation such as hotels or short-term rental properties operated by private companies for what are intended to be brief stays, reports RTE.
Tusla has referred five of these providers to the Garda National Vetting Bureau due to concerns relating to the garda vetting of staff after children had already been placed in their care.
In recent years, the child and family agency has increasingly depended on this form of accommodation, which has drawn strong criticism from advocacy organisations and several judges, reports RTE.
These placements are not inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), the State’s independent watchdog for health and social care services.
Tusla’s figures indicate that in 2023 a total of 635 children were placed in these arrangements, reports RTE.
By 2025 the figure had almost doubled, with 1,121 children recorded as living in SEAs.
Among them, 350 children were from mainstream services within the State, while 771 had arrived from abroad seeking international protection, reports RTE.
The number of children under the age of 12 being placed in such arrangements is also increasing.
In 2023, 49 children under 12 were recorded in SEAs, compared with 56 over the course of last year, reports RTE.
Tusla said it does not keep records of the length of time children spend in these placements, but it did outline the timeframe for the 148 children who were living in SEAs nationwide in February.
The agency said those children had been there for periods ranging from less than one month to six months, and in one instance up to three years, reports RTE.
Although these placements are not inspected by HIQA, Tusla said it keeps them under continuous monitoring.
However, figures show that despite the increase in the number of children in SEA placements, the number of monitoring visits by Tusla has declined, reports RTE.
In 2023 there were 148 monitoring visits carried out, compared with only 67 in 2025.
Tusla said the monitoring level in 2023 reflected an early stage when the use of SEAs was rising and required a specific monitoring response, reports RTE.
It said that during 2023 the team’s priority was to visit every provider, and that this approach has since been supported through a shared-services monitoring system across Tusla’s operations.
Tusla figures also show the agency stopped using eight private companies that had been providing special emergency arrangements because they failed to meet required standards, and it referred five providers to the Garda National Vetting Bureau, reports RTE.
These private companies had been paid by the agency to house children who were in the care of the State for what are intended to be short-term placements.
Tusla had placed children with these companies, but later concerns were raised regarding the garda vetting of staff working in those organisations, reports RTE.
The Director of Investigations at the Ombudsman for Children’s Office, Nuala Ward, said the use of special emergency arrangements is unlawful.
“Special Emergency Arrangements have no role in a social care model in any country. These are not placements, these are simply accommodation because there is a lack of placements in Ireland for these highly vulnerable children.
“We have called repeatedly for these to be banned, and they should not be in use. We have spoken to children throughout the country and they have told us how difficult they find SEAs.
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“They have been used multiple times over a short period of time, some of them may only be in a placement for 48 hours but it exposes them to a lot of risk; to the risk of sexual exploitation by people who know these children are not being looked after in a safe environment,” reports RTE.
Advocacy groups say the increase in the use of these placements is linked to a shortage of available beds in regulated residential homes run by Tusla or by private and voluntary providers, as well as a lack of foster carers.
Tusla said that a significant number of children seeking asylum in Ireland has contributed to the rise in the number of children placed in SEAs, reports RTE.
The agency said it receives more than 105,000 referrals annually and is currently facing challenges in balancing the capacity of its services with the level of demand.
Tusla also said it is working to reduce reliance on private residential care while expanding public residential capacity to meet the demand for services, reports RTE.
Wayne Stanley, Chief Executive of Epic, a charity that supports children in care, said SEAs are not suitable care environments for children:
“We would have some concerns about the quality of staff in some SEAs, not in terms of the individuals themselves but rather the training the experience that they have.
“More broadly, the thinking is that SEAs should not be part of the system. They are by their very nature SEA, they should be scarcely used and should only be used in an emergency, but what we are seeing is a growing proliferation of them which only speaks to the crisis that is happening across the care system and the pressure in the system.
“We see that in reports on the need for more beds in special care… SEAs being used to house children who should be in special care. We see it because there is not enough capacity in our residential services and the foster care service itself is under increasing pressure,” reports RTE.
Director of Don Bosco Care, Terry Dignan, who works with children in care, said the system is failing children in Ireland and that the Government needs to intervene.
“We need investment from the Government to address the situation, and this is not like adding money to Tusla’s budget. This is targeted investment to actually address this particular problem which is we do not have capacity – we don’t have the number of beds that these children need.
“This is not Tusla’s solution to solve this, it is the Government’s solution to solve. These children are in the care of the State and Tusla is an agent of the State and is tasked with doing particular things for the Government.
“But this goes back to the Government. This goes back to the Government investing in it and supporting Tusla to plan properly,” reports RTE.
Barnardos Practice Manager and Guardian ad Litem, Claire Brogan, said: “It’s Barnardos position that these placements are unlawful, they are unregulated setups, they are holiday homes at times, they are rented houses, they are totally unsuitable and nothing has changed over the last few years,” reports RTE.
Figures also show that around €188m was paid to private companies to house children in these arrangements over the past three years, including more than €70m in 2023, €60m in 2024 and €57m in 2025.
In a statement, Tusla said it is committed to reducing its reliance on Special Emergency Arrangements, reports RTE.
It added that of the 128 young people recorded as being in SEAs in the most recent figures, 126 were staying in privately leased or Tusla-owned properties, while two were in hotels.
“Tusla’s mission is to support the safety and wellbeing of children, particularly those whose circumstances are complex or who need additional support,” reports RTE.
The Department of Children said in a statement that there has been a 500% increase in the number of separated children arriving in the State seeking international protection since 2022, with most arrivals aged 16 or 17.
As a result, it said Tusla is facing ongoing and significant challenges in securing suitable accommodation, reports RTE.
The department added that it continues to prioritise funding for residential care through engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure.
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