654. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 693 of 30 June 2026, if she is satisfied that Tusla is adequately resourced and capable of dealing with 106,000 referrals each year; the way in which she assesses this capability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52789/26]

Tusla is the statutory agency with responsibility for assessing and responding to child protection and welfare concerns. As referenced in my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 693 of 30 June 2026, Tusla received more than 106,000 child protection and welfare referrals in 2025. All referrals received are screened and assessed in accordance with Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children.

The Department is satisfied that Tusla has in place robust systems for managing referrals and prioritising cases on the basis of risk and need. The Agency’s capacity and performance are monitored through a comprehensive governance framework involving regular engagement between my Department and Tusla, including oversight of service performance, workforce capacity, demand trends, and compliance with statutory obligations.

In assessing Tusla’s capability to respond to demand, the Department considers a range of indicators, including referral volumes, timeliness of screening and preliminary enquiries, social work staffing levels, allocation rates, outcomes for children and families, and reports provided through Tusla’s performance and governance arrangements. The Agency is also subject to external oversight and inspection by HIQA and other regulatory bodies where relevant.

The Government continues to provide substantial investment in Tusla to support the delivery of child protection, welfare and family support services. This commitment is evidenced by the year on year increase in the funding provided to Tusla. Its budget allocation has increased by more than 50% since 2020. Tusla’s allocation increased by 14% in Budget 2026 and its annual budget is now in excess of €1.4 billion. Through the annual Estimates process, funding and workforce requirements are considered in light of service demand, policy priorities and emerging pressures.

Since the start of this year, Tusla has been implementing its Integrated Reform Programme with the introduction of revised structures and systems. The aims/benefits of the reform programme are to promote equity in service availability, promote capacity and promote quality of services.

• Tusla will have “one single front door” in each Area/Network, ensuring all referrals are screened by a multidisciplinary team and offered the right support from the first point of contact.

• Tusla is improving its case management system. Key to this is the creation of a single record for each child and young person which will support integrated working including more streamlined referral and allocation system for residential care, improved communications, accurate data to improve decision making on an individual level and resource allocation.

• Tusla is simplifying its standard business processes to reduce inefficiencies and maximise time with children and families facilitating more focus on direct contact and relationship building.

• Tusla is scaling up its alternative care placement capacity across emergency, mainstream and specialist services across the country to ensure more timely access to residential care for those that need it.

• Tusla is improving its engagement with community and voluntary services to ensure resources are being allocated in the most effective way to respond to the needs of the population in each Area.The Department recognises the significant demand experienced by Tusla services and the essential work undertaken by its staff. The Department will continue to engage closely with the Agency to ensure that the resources available are directed towards protecting children and supporting families, while monitoring the Agency’s capacity to respond effectively to increasing levels of referrals.