A new Children in Care report published by the Children’s Ombudsman on Tuesday claims that the State agency for children, Tusla, is consistently underfunded and in a state of crisis.
The report urges the Government to make a once-in-a-generation change for the almost 6,000 children in State care, the Ombudsman for Children’s Office said today.
From children staying in unregulated accommodation to the struggle for stability, too many children are being let down by a system that’s meant to protect them, the report said.
Documenting the ‘reality every day’ through the complaints that the Children’s Ombudsman’s Office receives, it said it was sharing the stories of some children in State care “because things have to change.”
The publication of the report, ‘Let’s Get it Right – A Rights-Based Vision for Children in Care’ is based on complaints made to its office and comes ahead of the Government’s first national alternative care plan, which is to be published this year.
The office said that for many children, the care system in Ireland is broken.
Last year, some 19% of all complaints to the OCO related to Tusla which led the Ombudsman for Children to examine the care system.
The experiences of children carried in the report evidence several cases where young people were placed in unsafe environments or denied basic supports.
Other children said they struggled to maintain family connections or were left in inappropriate placements for years due to a lack of other alternatives.
CHILD EXPLOITED BY TWO MEN
One anonymised case featured in the report is that of Jasmine, who had been placed in a special emergency arrangement, but went missing several times. Jasmine, along with her mother, said she had been exposed to violence, drug use and other criminal behaviour.
The report said: “They also said that on one occasion, Jasmine was in the company of a man who we understand was exploiting her.”
The child complained that she had been assaulted by another man, and according to the report, the concerns regarding both men are being investigated by the gardai.
The report underlines how some of the most serious breaches of children’s rights in Ireland happen within the care system.
“When the state takes a child into care, it’s saying that we can do better for that child. But somewhere along the way, and despite the hard work and dedication of staff in the sector, children are being left down. Some are placed in situations that put them at even greater risk, and the consequences of that can last a lifetime. This is not an easy problem to solve, but it is one that we can no longer ignore,” the Office for the Children’s Ombudsman states.
The report details children in care “fighting for contact with their siblings” and having heard from children directly, the office notes that some have ended up in inappropriate, unstable and insecure placements.
Children, it said, are not having their needs met and sometimes “find themselves at serious risk.”
Another anonymised testimony from a child in care states:
“I didn’t know how to feel safe where I was living. Some places just didn’t feel right. And there were things happening around me that really scared me. There were times I had to keep begging for the basic toilet stuff. I had no change of clothes for ages. What I hated the most was being away from my brothers and sisters.
“Visits were either cancelled or cut without any explanation. I felt the weight of not getting to know my sisters in the most formative years.”
The Office for the Ombudsman said it was finding that safeguards that should be in place to protect a child’s wellbeing and safety “are not always in place.” It further said that very young children are being placed in residential care in Ireland as there are no foster placements available.
Some young people, the report said, are being detained in special care for up to three years, whilst other children seek contact with siblings.
The report outlines that change is not just needed, but that it is urgent – and that children in care must have their rights upheld in a system that puts them first and protects the rights of every child to grow up safe and loved.
The report further details that this involves keeping families together where possible and properly funding needed supports, as well as ending the use of unregulated placements so that “no child slips through the cracks.”
It also highlights the need for more support for social workers.