I𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥’𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤. An internal Tusla review has revealed serious delays in assessing reports of possible abuse, Neglect, or mistreatment of children in Co Donegal due to chronic staff shortages and burnout among social workers. While concerns were initially screened within 24 hours, follow-up assessments were often delayed, leaving a significant backlog of cases. The review found three out of five senior social worker posts vacant in one team, with staff reporting exhaustion, low morale, and constant fear of further resignations. Many described feeling overwhelmed, “useless,” and “incompetent,” as emergencies routinely pulled them away from lower-priority cases. By November 2023, 79 cases had been passed between different parts of Tusla’s service before ending up on waiting lists, with no interim safety planning for the children involved. A subsequent review in May 2024 highlighted a “high priority” abuse case that was left to drift for 10 months, with no evidence that risks to the child had been properly assessed or managed. Reviewers concluded that children in Donegal were not being seen in a timely manner to ensure their protection, and they called for urgent management oversight and improved staff retention and recruitment. The findings were released to The Irish Times under Freedom of Information.

Posted by Fred Bassett