Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 April 2025
93. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children in State care who have reported being sexually abused in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2025. [20961/25]
View answerA series of documents and emails that were exchanged between the Minister and the CEO of Tusla have been released to me under freedom of information legislation. They paint a very bleak picture of what is happening with the welfare of children in State care. How many children in care have been reported to have been sexually abused in recent years?
As the Deputy is aware, Tusla responds to all reports of sexual abuse promptly to ensure children are safeguarded. A child abuse notification is reported to An Garda Síochána in line with the joint working protocol between An Garda Síochána and Tusla. An Garda Síochána will deal with any criminal aspects of cases alleging abuse under the relevant criminal justice legislation. All allegations of child abuse are responded to, ensuring the safety and welfare needs of identified children who may be at risk of potential harm are protected. Where applicable, a child abuse substantiation procedure investigation will be undertaken to determine whether an allegation of child abuse is founded or unfounded.
More broadly, Children First provides national guidance for professionals, organisations and individuals to help keep all children safe and protected from harm, including sexual abuse. The Children First Act 2015 provides in detail a number of key child protection measures, including raising awareness of child abuse and neglect, providing for mandated reporting of child protection concerns, and improving child protection arrangements in organisations providing services to children.
When children in care disclose sexual abuse and their immediate safety has been secured, the child will be referred to the most appropriate service where their need can be met. Tusla has provided data on the number of children who have been admitted to care in the past ten years, as per the Deputy's question, where the report type, as assessed by a social worker, was sexual abuse. Over the ten-year period in question, sexual abuse has been reported in 221 admissions to care out of a total of 11,183. Regarding this figure, there may be incidences where a child has been admitted to care more than once. The Department can provide a table containing the full year-by-year breakdown. Other reasons for admitting a child into care can relate to neglect, ill-treatment or other types of abuse, such as physical abuse. Separately, since 2021, 115 referrals have been made by Tusla to An Garda Síochána under Operation Cosnaim, an operation set up by An Garda Síochána for the investigation of child sexual exploitation.
There have been 221 reported cases of sexual abuse of children in State care in the past ten years. That is a very dark figure. The other information I have received shows that, at the moment, there are 37 children missing from Tusla care, which is disastrous. Since 2021, Tusla has made referrals to the Garda of 161 children who are suspected of being victims of child sexual exploitation, 115 of which children were in care and 46 of whom were known to Tusla. Since 2014, 235 children have died who were either in State care or were known to State care. Ten of these children were murdered and 51 of them died because of suicide or drug overdoses. Again, these are shocking figures.
The reliance of Tusla on special emergency accommodation is incredible and we know that companies, to which Tusla has paid millions of euro, have actually falsified documents relating to verification. At present, is the Minister sure that 100% of people working in special emergency accommodation are Garda vetted?
Just to be clear, over the ten-year period that was part of the Deputy's question, there have been 221 admissions to care, as he has said and I have confirmed, out of a total of 11,183, where sexual abuse has been reported. These were admissions to care, and out of a total of 11,183 such admissions, there were 221 admissions to care where sexual abuse was reported. Regarding the figure, there may have been instances where a child had been admitted to care more than once and, as I said, the Department is happy to provide the Deputy with a table containing the full year-by-year breakdown.
On the children missing from care, these can fall under two categories: children who go missing from mainstream services for children in the care of Tusla and separated children seeking international protection. Missing children are predominantly a phenomenon involving separated children seeking international protection and, in particular, in relation to the children who remain unaccounted for, with 99% of-----
Thank you, Minister.
It is a pity we have so little time because there actually are so many important things here for both of us to discuss. I will quickly refer to the story on RTÉ today on the Grace report. That particular story on RTÉ reported that legal officials responsible for the affairs of the woman known as Grace claim that extensive submissions made to the commission by lawyers representing the woman were not included or referred to in any way in the commission's final report. The Minister must be deeply frustrated, like everybody else, if that is the case. How can it be justified that solicitors, who were the voice of Grace, were silenced by the commission in its final report?
There are other cases the national independent review panel is looking at. There are five other cases, such as the Brandon report in Donegal and the report of a 17-year-old girl who died by suicide. When will these reports be published? We need to get to grips with what is happening in our care system in this country.
Specifically on the question the Deputy raised about Grace and the commission of investigation, the commission, which was into certain matters relating to disability services in the south east and other related matters and is known as the Farrelly commission, is an entirely independent statutory commission of investigation empowered to investigate matters of significant public concern. It possesses robust investigative powers and, by design and by law, exercises its functions and powers independently of the Government, of me as Minister and of my Department. That is as was set out.
The General Solicitor for Minors and Wards of Court, who is the High Court appointed committee for Grace, made information available into the public domain today, as the Deputy referred to. I can confirm that I am meeting with the General Solicitor for Minors and Wards of Court. We need to hear what she has to say. There is no doubt it is hugely concerning.
