I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "welcomes that: — Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, operates as the single dedicated agency with a clear statutory remit; — Tusla is held to account through robust governance and oversight arrangements; — Tusla is served by well qualified staff who are committed to delivering essential child protection and welfare services to vulnerable members of society; — staff in Tusla enjoy statutory independence, necessary for the performance of their duties in assessing and providing essential services to children and families; — Tusla has initiated a significant integrated Reform Programme in 2026, which is: — promoting equity in service availability, through more equitable Regions and Areas, consistent structures and spans of control, and transparent resource allocation; — promoting capacity, through targeting resources where most needed, scaling capacity in line with demand, and using evidence-based data for service planning; and — promoting quality, through more consistent, integrated, digitally enabled services, leaner business processes, multidisciplinary teams, and a focus on face-to-face time with children and families; and — these reforms provide for the creation of a single record for each child and young person, which will support integrated working, including a more streamlined referral and allocation system for residential care, improved communications, accurate data to improve decision making on an individual level, improved resource allocation and enhanced monitoring of performance on a local regional and organisational basis; notes that: — Tusla has experienced a 46 per cent increase in referrals since 2021, and a 500 per cent increase in separated children seeking international protection in Ireland since 2022; — in the almost 12 years since its establishment, Tusla's annual budget has more than doubled, going from €609 million in 2014, to over €1.3 billion for 2026; — Tusla has seen budget increases in most years, with significant investment annually since 2020, including a 14 per cent increase in 2026; — the increased funding for 2026 includes a capital budget allocation of €35 million, which will be directed to increasing Tusla-owned residential care settings, including special care, thereby reducing its requirement for privately operated Special Emergency Arrangements; — investment in recent budgets has allowed Tusla to, amongst other things: — increase supports to foster carers; — hire additional staff including social workers; — begin to increase capacity in residential care and special care; and — improve Internet Technology systems; — notwithstanding the increased demands, the good work of Tusla is evidenced by: — the overwhelming majority of referrals to Tusla resulting in children and parents being supported in their homes; — 99 per cent of children in care are assigned to an allocated key worker; — retention of high levels of children in care who are in foster care, as 87 per cent of all children in care are in foster care; — the increasing number of foster parents signing up to support children; — the Central Statistics Office finding that approximately nine in ten children who left care since April 2018, aged 18-23 years by January 2024, were in substantial employment, enrolled in school, or in Further or Higher Education for each of the years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022; — the staff retention rate is 95 per cent; and — innovative solutions to recruitment challenges, including its work with the Higher Education sector in developing pathways to social work and social care work, and with CORU, in developing an apprenticeship pathway; and — so many community and voluntary groups nationwide carry out great work, funded and overseen by Tusla's Commissioned Services team, in providing essential services to vulnerable people, and this includes Family Resource Centres, counselling services and area-based childhood programmes; and further notes that Tusla, as an organisation of over 5,000 people, was established to have a specialist management team with a deep knowledge, experience and understanding of operational service delivery in the area of social work and social care, as opposed to the Department's more general focus on advancing policy and legislation, which extends to the important areas of Disability Services, Early Learning and Care and School Age Care and Equality.". I welcome the opportunity to speak about the governance of child protection and welfare. I agree with the Deputies' contention that the welfare and protection of children is among the State's most fundamental responsibilities. It is a duty that the Government takes with the utmost seriousness. I strongly welcome and endorse the recognition of the critical role performed by Tusla staff in delivering essential services, often in a very demanding environment, to the most vulnerable children and families. I wish to put on record my gratitude to the staff for their commitment and dedication to families and communities right across the country. I also acknowledge that this Private Members' motion reflects the most understandable public concerns about recent tragic cases involving children who had been in the care of Tusla or at some point were known to Tusla. I absolutely accept that it is right that there should be public concern, scrutiny and questions asked. However, in response to the call in this motion for the dissolution of Tusla and the transfer of its responsibilities to this Department, I do not agree. Let me outline in the first instance why Tusla was established in 2014. Tusla was established following a key recommendation of the 2012 Report of the Task Force on the Child and Family Support Agency. Its creation responded directly to systemic failures identified in 29 inquiries and reviews, which produced 551 recommendations on improving State responses to child abuse and child protection. Tusla's remit was always much broader than child protection and welfare alone. On its establishment, it took on the full functions of three existing national services - HSE children and family services, the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board - as well as certain psychological services and services responding to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence at that time. The agency was mandated to deliver a coherent, integrated and accountable system, replacing the previously fragmented model spread across many bodies. The structure was designed to strengthen governance by bringing together the previously dispersed functions into a single unified body with its own management, oversight systems and statutory duties. Tusla's establishment represented the most significant reform of child safety in the history of the State. This model ensures that child safety and welfare, family support and educational welfare functions are exercised with professional independence, free from day-to-day departmental direction, while remaining fully accountable to the Minister under statute. Tusla is now an organisation of over 5,000 people, including over 1,700 social workers and over 1,400 social care workers. I know Deputies appreciate the complex and sensitive work Tusla staff do every single day to help children who often have no one else in their corner. I acknowledge the commitment of social workers, social care workers and all professionals who safeguard children every single day. Tusla is at the sharp end of a changing Irish society and confronts the consequences of drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence, mental health difficulties and intergenerational poverty, to name just a few challenges. For the information of the House, I want to put it on record that all referrals to Tusla are screened within 24 hours for risk of immediate harm. Where there is an immediate risk of harm, there is an immediate response. Tusla operates independently of day-to-day departmental control, and that is as it should be. It allows Tusla staff to deliver consistent, regulated and evidence-informed services nationwide for child protection and child welfare. Successive Governments have recognised the need to assign appropriate resources to Tusla. Investment in recent budgets has allowed Tusla, among other things, to increase supports to foster carers, hire additional staff, including social workers, begin to increase capacity in residential care and special care, and improve IT systems. Tusla's budget allocation in 2026 grew by 14% to €1.4 billion. This includes a capital allocation of €35 million, which will allow it to increase State-owned residential services and reduce reliance on special emergency arrangements. Recruitment and retention challenges exist across health, education and other sectors, and indeed across many sectors in the broader economy. Consequently, these staffing challenges are not unique to child protection. However, the Government has supported Tusla in expanding graduate pathways, establishing new apprenticeship routes, investing in specialist grades and improving retention. Year-on-year increases in Tusla staffing demonstrate the impact of these measures. I recognise the solutions Tusla is deploying, including its work with the higher education sector in developing pathways to social work and social care work and with CORU in developing an apprenticeship pathway. Another important development has been the foundation of a new children's residential services training college in Tusla's headquarters in Dublin to increase the number of staff available for special care centres. Tusla's mission is to support the safety and well-being of children, particularly those whose circumstances are complex or who need additional support. Every year, staff engage with tens of thousands of families, and the majority of those interactions are positive and successful. I commend the work of Tusla staff evidenced by the following. The overwhelming majority of over 106,000 referrals annually to Tusla result in children and parents being supported in their homes. Decisions are made based on the best information available at any point in time and include professional assessment, always with the child's welfare and safety at the centre of decisions. Wherever possible, and where it is considered safe to do so, children are supported to remain within their family, with safety plans and wider supports in place. Some 99% of children in care are assigned an allocated key worker. A high level of children in care - 87% - are retained in foster care. An increasing number of foster parents are signing up to support children. Last year, 223 new Tusla foster carers were approved, which is up from 211 in 2024 and is the highest number since 2020. The CSO has found that approximately 90% of children who left care since April 2018 and of all children aged 18-23 years by January 2024 were in substantial employment, enrolled in school, or in further or higher education for each of the years 2019-2022. The staff retention rate is 95% and the number of social workers and social care workers has grown from 2,830 whole-time equivalents in 2022 to 3,152 today. I have already made reference to innovative solutions to recruitment challenges. There are now 340 social work course places across eight colleges each year and an additional 25 places from two new colleges will be in place by January next year. Tusla’s workload is increasing all the time, with a 46% increase in the number of referrals received since 2021. Last year, as I said, Tusla received in excess of 106,000 referrals. In addition to this, there has been a 500% increase in separated children seeking international protection arriving in Ireland since 2022. I also wish to recognise the work of the community and voluntary sector, which plays a central role for Tusla in delivering early intervention, prevention and family support services at local level. Last year, Tusla provided approximately €231 million in funding to community, voluntary and charitable organisations delivering services for children and families on the ground on behalf of Tusla. These services include youth work programmes, counselling supports, parenting programmes, community-based family supports and family resource centres. As the House is aware, I have increased the number of family resource centres across the country by 15, to 136. Community, voluntary and charitable organisations delivering services for children and families with Tusla funding provide accessible supports that assist families on the ground. I want to assure Deputies that Tusla is held to account through robust governance and oversight arrangements. There are no blurred lines of accountability. While Tusla staff, quite correctly, have statutory independence necessary for the performance of their duties in assessing and providing essential services to children and families, Tusla’s actions as described in its annual business plan must align with the goals and priorities set for it in the annual performance statement. Tusla’s finances are closely monitored so that the Department is assured that Tusla is spending its budget only as approved at budget 2026. Tusla is subject to internal controls overseen by the audit and risk committee. It is audited annually by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Tusla has established policies, procedures and guidelines across all functions and service delivery areas. This suite of policies and procedures is the fundamental basis for good governance and control, and there is an onus on the Tusla board and subcommittees of the board to regularly review and update these as required. As Deputies are aware, a new chair, Ms Madeleine Clarke, has been appointed to Tusla. I have met with Ms Clarke and will continue to have regular engagement with her and the board to advance the work of Tusla. I also regularly engage with Ms Kate Duggan, the CEO of Tusla, to discuss matters of concern in Tusla’s ongoing reform programme. Tusla is accountable to the Oireachtas, particularly through the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children and Equality and the Committee of Public Accounts. Tusla’s work is also subject to external review by bodies including HIQA, the Ombudsman for Children, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Health and Safety Authority, the Comptroller and Auditor General and the national review panel. One of these oversight bodies, HIQA, in its most recent annual review of Tusla from 2024 stated, "children living in statutory residential care, foster care, special care and detention were receiving good quality safe care." I note that there are concerns expressed in the motion about Tusla’s engagement with elected representatives. I recognise the importance of keeping elected representatives informed and, indeed, Tusla is aware of that. Tusla is also conscious, as the Deputies will appreciate, of the importance of GDPR. Time is running against me but I want to also draw attention to the manner in which a significant programme of reform has been recently implemented in Tusla, which is a key part of its response to addressing any of the pressures it faces. Tusla's integrated reform programme has been in place since January 2026 and aims to promote equity in service availability, promote capacity and promote equality. I know the Deputies have been briefed on this reform measure. Regarding the response to high-profile tragic cases, I would like to address the steps we are taking with Tusla and others. Deputies will be aware that the national review panel carries out independent reviews of deaths of, and serious incidents involving, children in the care of Tusla. The Government is already progressing major legislative reform through the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2025, which will strengthen co-operation across State agencies, enhance the statutory framework and place the national review panel on a statutory footing. These reforms will address many of the issues raised in this motion without risking disruption to front-line services. I acknowledge the concerns motivating this motion but the Government cannot support the proposal to dissolve Tusla. It is an organisation of more than 5,000 people dedicated to the welfare and protection of children. The Government remains firmly committed to building a child protection system that is safe, robust, transparent and centred at all times on the best interests of the child. For that reason, I ask the House to support the Government's amendment to the motion, tabled to reflect this.

Sentiment score: 0.33