DUBLIN – The Chief Executive of Tusla, Kate Duggan, has issued an apology for the “wording” of a statement released following the alleged sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in west Dublin last month.
Appearing before the Joint Committee on Children and Equality on Thursday, Ms. Duggan addressed the widespread criticism that the original Tusla statement, which mentioned the girl had “absconded” while on a recreational trip with staff, “verged on victim blaming.”
“We do apologise for that statement and the way it was released, and the impact of it, and the wording around it,” Ms. Duggan told the committee, adding that the agency has taken the feedback on board.
Crisis of Confidence
The apology comes amid severe scrutiny of the child and family agency following a series of tragic and “significant” incidents involving young people who were either in State care or had engaged with the agency:
- Missing Children: The cases of young boys Daniel Aruebose (reported missing after not being seen for several years) and Kyran Durnin (reported missing from Co Louth a year prior) prompted thousands of “wellbeing checks” on closed Tusla cases.
- Recent Death: In October, Ukrainian teenager Vadym Davydenko died following an incident at Tusla emergency accommodation in Dublin.
- The Alleged Assault: The most recent incident involved a 10-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted shortly after being in State care.
Ms. Duggan assured the committee that Tusla is cooperating with An Garda Síochána on ongoing investigations, and all these cases are being reviewed by the National Review Panel.
Daily Challenges and Successes
Ms. Duggan provided context on the daily challenges faced by the agency, noting that several children “abscond” from care every day.
“On any particular day, we may have two or three young people who have absconded; they have gotten out… they left school, they were on a trip, and they bolted and ran.”
However, she emphasized that the majority of children in care are “thriving”:
- Children in Care: The latest figures show 5,866 children are in Tusla’s care.
- Foster Care: 87 per cent of these children are in foster care and are reported to be “thriving.”
- Education: Nine in ten children in State care are in education.
- Social Workers: 99 per cent of children in care have been allocated a social worker.
Ms. Duggan identified a specific cohort of 100 to 150 young people with “very complex needs and very challenging behaviour” that the agency is struggling to accommodate due to capacity issues, particularly regarding special care orders from the High Court.
She defended the agency against calls for external review, noting that their work is already extensively examined by the health watchdog, Hiqa, whose reports are publicly available.
