Government must not wash their hands of responsibility of Tusla concerns – Claire Kerrane TD
20 March 2025
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Children, Disability and Equality, Claire Kerrane TD, has said that the government must not wash their hands of responsibility in relation to issues in Tusla.
Deputy Kerrane was responding to the recent judgement of Dublin District Court Judge, Justice Fottrell, which raises serious concerns in relation to Tusla’s ability to effectively execute its duty of care to children and their families.
Teachta Kerrane said:
“This recent judgement raises serious concerns over governance, oversight and communication within Tusla. Worryingly, it also demonstrates a major failure in adherence and compliance with court orders concerning the welfare of vulnerable children.
“We now know that Tusla failed to comply with hundreds of court directions, affecting around 250 children, with additional non-compliance involving 666 further cases.
“Shockingly, despite awareness of the issue by senior Tusla officials since at least 2022, no action was taken to address this.
“While this investigation has led to a public apology from agency officials and the court, this is of cold comfort to the children who have fallen through the cracks.
“Indeed, were it not for the admirable work of one judge to hold them to account, it is not clear these issues would have come to light, much less an apology been issued.
“Nonetheless, the burden of responsibility does not rest on Tusla alone.
“The government cannot and must not continue to wash their hands of their role in this also – for while a shortage of social workers is no excuse for these failures, the fact remains that successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments have turned a blind eye to the sector’s recruitment crisis.
“I am calling on the Minister to step up and take action to ensure this never happens again.
“I have written to Minister Foley to call on her to meet with Tusla as a matter of priority. When the Oireachtas Committees return, I will also be calling for Tusla to appear before us to address this matter in full.
“This must be a moment of institutional change.”
