Tusla marks its 10-Year anniversary providing Child Protection, Early Intervention, and Family Support services in Ireland.
Tusla - Child and Family Agency today marks its 10-year anniversary at an event in Dublin Castle.
Tusla marks this milestone with contributions from An Taoiseach, Minister O’Gorman, Chair of the Tusla Board Mr Pat Rabbitte, and Guest Speakers. Also attending the event are a diverse range of representatives from government departments, state agencies, community and voluntary organisations, partner agencies, regulators, foster carers, staff, children and young people, and people accessing its services .
Since it was established on January 1, 2014, Tusla has been working to promote and enhance the safety, wellbeing, and outcomes for children in Ireland. Over the past 10 years, the Agency has grown significantly. It has adapted to meet increasing demand for its services, with a 100% increase in child protection and welfare referrals. Tusla has also implemented new services in line with changing policy and legislation, such as the Birth Information & Tracing Service. Additionally, the Agency has developed innovative programmes to meet emerging challenges, like the one to address the 500% increase in Separated Children Seeking International Protection/Unaccompanied Minors. Throughout this period, Tusla's corporate functions have also matured and developed to support the Agency's mission and enable reform.
Opening the event, Roderic O’Gorman, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, says, “Tusla has shown itself to be committed to putting the needs of children first by keeping children safe from harm, supporting children and families, and helping children to engage in education. Since coming into office, I have seen how they have risen to challenges of Covid-19, a cyber-attack, and supporting those fleeing the war in Ukraine. I am confident that Tusla will continue to move forward, in tandem with my Department, in vindicating the rights of children and young people to have a say in decisions that impact their lives, especially when their lives include additional challenges to overcome.
Reflecting on the past decade, the CEO of Tusla, Kate Duggan says, “As we mark our 10-year anniversary, we are proud of the progress we have made and the direct impact that this has had on the lives of children and families right across Ireland. This progress has been made possible because of the dedication of our workforce, the collaboration of state and funded agencies, the support of our partners, and the vital role played by our foster carers. To all of these people, we offer a heartfelt thanks.
“Throughout this journey, we have faced challenges, and have worked hard to improve our services to better meet the needs of the children, individuals, and families who need them. We are confident that we are enabling better outcomes, but we also recognise that challenges remain. In response, we are steadfastly committed to implementing our comprehensive Reform Programme, to further improve our services, to better support our workforce, and to ensure that children, individuals, and families receive timely and appropriate support”.
Pat Rabbitte, Chairperson, Tusla, says, “This celebration of Tusla work over ten years highlights the primacy given today to child protection and welfare. The establishment of a new statutory Agency dedicated to service delivery in such a sensitive sector has meant a steep learning curve but the progress being made is perhaps best recognised by the families who engage with our services. “