Special Report

Fifteen separated children have gone missing from state’s care

Damning report into Tusla’s care of separated children seeking asylum in Ireland has identified critical failings by the state to adhere to national child welfare standards

Kate Duggan, interim chief executive, Tusla, admitted that the agency was at a ‘crisis point’, while Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Children, said he would be looking for more resources in Budget 2024

A total of 15 separated children have gone missing from state care in the last year and are still unaccounted for, the Business Post can reveal.

The number of separated children being cared for by the state has nearly tripled in the last 18 months, from 90 at the end of 2021 to 260 today, with the system at breaking point.

The Business Post has obtained details from a damning unpublished report into Tusla’s care ...