Tusla Chief Executive Issues Apology Over Statement Following Alleged Assault of 10-Year-Old Girl

The chief executive of Tusla, Kate Duggan, has apologised for the wording of a statement issued after the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in west Dublin, acknowledging widespread public concern over recent “significant” incidents involving young people who had been in State care.

Addressing the Oireachtas committee, Ms Duggan conceded that the statement — which described the child as having “absconded” while on a supervised recreational trip — had caused distress and “verged on victim blaming,” as previously highlighted in the Dáil.

“We do apologise for that statement, the way it was released, its impact, and the wording around it,” Ms Duggan said. She added that the agency had taken the criticism seriously and was reviewing its communications approach.

Ms Duggan also confirmed that several children in care go missing daily — either during school hours or while on supervised outings. “On any particular day, two or three young people may leave school or a trip unexpectedly. They may not return within the expected time frame, whether that is a curfew or the end of an activity,” she said, adding that Tusla works closely with gardaí to locate such children promptly.

Heightened Scrutiny Following Multiple Incidents

Tusla has faced mounting criticism following a series of troubling cases involving children linked to State care:

Daniel Aruebose, a young boy last seen several years ago, was reported missing in Dublin earlier this year. His case prompted a rapid review of his file and triggered nationwide “wellbeing checks” on thousands of cases closed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kyran Durnin, missing from Co Louth, had also drawn nationwide concern.

In October, Ukrainian teenager Vadym Davydenko died and two others were hospitalised after a serious incident at Tusla emergency accommodation.

These incidents have intensified calls for greater oversight of the agency.

Minister Seeks Clarity on Reporting of Missing Children

Minister for Education Norma Foley said she has asked Tusla to provide a clearer, more transparent definition of what constitutes a missing child in care. She noted that current practice considers a child absent for just 15 minutes as “missing.”

“To ensure clarity for the public, I have requested a clearer explanation of how the reporting system works and what is meant by a child being ‘not present’,” she said.

Ms Foley also confirmed plans to bring forward legislation before the Christmas recess to place the National Review Panel (NRP) on a statutory footing and to introduce a formal duty of cooperation among State agencies when dealing with children in care.

Tusla Outlines Challenges and Ongoing Oversight

When asked whether the agency should undergo an external review, Ms Duggan stressed that Tusla is already subject to regular independent assessments by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), whose reports are publicly available.

She acknowledged, however, that the organisation faces “very significant” challenges, particularly regarding High Court special care orders and insufficient capacity to meet growing demand.

“Some areas of our services are working extremely well and are fully compliant. But in areas where staffing does not meet the level of need, compliance is more difficult,” she said.

Tusla currently has 5,866 children in its care, with 87% placed in foster care. According to Ms Duggan, the vast majority are “thriving,” with nine in ten of them in education. However, she highlighted a smaller cohort — around 100 to 150 children — with highly complex needs requiring extensive support from multiple agencies.

Tusla’s national director for services and integration, Gerry Hone, added that all high-priority cases are allocated a social worker first. Caseloads generally range from five to twenty cases per worker, depending on complexity. “We are very conscious of ensuring that workloads do not compromise the quality of care,” he said.