The Child and Family Agency Tusla has said it is currently unable to fulfill its legal duty to provide secure special care for three at-risk children.
Special care is considered a last-resort intervention, involving the placement of young people in a secure setting and restricting their liberty, as a temporary therapeutic measure, reports RTE.
Such care only occurs following a High Court order and when the young person meets specific eligibility requirements.
Earlier this week, the High Court heard that the State cannot offer a special care place for a teenage girl who has been threatened with being shot if she fails to comply with a drug gang seeking to exploit her, reports RTE.
Tusla informed RTÉ’s This Week that the agency has experienced a significant rise in the number of children with extremely complex needs, including mental health issues, substance abuse, disabilities, exploitation, and criminal behaviour.
It stated: “As of the 25th of April 2025, three young people are the subject of a High Court Order and are awaiting a placement in Special Care. For these young people, we are currently unable to fully meet our statutory obligations regarding Special Care, and we share the concerns this causes for the High Court, for professionals involved in the care of these young people, and most importantly for the young people themselves and their families,” reports RTE.
Tusla said that the affected children are currently placed in alternative care arrangements, each assigned a key worker and an active care plan, reports RTE.
There is staffing capacity for only 15 places in Special Care units at present; if fully staffed, the units could accommodate 26 young people.
Tusla explained it has encountered difficulties in hiring and retaining staff, reports RTE.
Child protection specialists argue that the pay rates for Special Care staff have been insufficient.
Dr Conor O’Mahony, former special rapporteur for child protection at University College Cork, stated that the existing pay grade “was not attractive enough to keep staff working in that area”, reports RTE.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform said it has now approved a new higher pay grade for Special Care.
Tusla indicated that this updated pay scale, combined with a focused recruitment drive, would enable an additional Special Care place to open next month, reports RTE.
However, Dr O’Mahony remarked that it remains uncertain whether the revised pay will fully restore system capacity.
“The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform had to be dragged kicking and screaming into consenting to this after resisting it for quite some time… I very much hope it will prove to be successful but it is early days… whether it is going to be enough, or too little too late remains to be seen,” reports RTE.
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