697. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of WTE qualified social workers that joined TUSLA in each of the years of 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; and the number of qualified social workers that left TUSLA during same period, in tabular form. [53736/26]

Thank you Deputy for your question regarding Social Worker joiners and leavers.  You will find the information publicly available in tabular form in the quarterly Performance and Activity Reports published by Tusla, which can be accessed here:

www.tusla.ie/data-figures/2026-performance-data/

For convenience see below figures

2024

• 226 social workers joined Tusla (came onto Tusla’s payroll) in 2024, 9 (4%) more than 2023 (217).

• 164 social workers left Tusla (i.e., resigned, career breaks excluding retirements) in 2024, 66 (29%) fewer than 2023 (230).

2025

• 236 social workers joined Tusla (came onto Tusla’s payroll) in 2025, 10 (4%) more than 2024 (226).

• 169 social workers left Tusla (i.e., resigned, career breaks excluding retirements) in 2025, 4 (2%) more than 2024 (165).

2026 - to the end of Q1 2026

• 38 social workers joined Tusla (came onto Tusla’s payroll)

• 28 social care workers joined Tusla (came onto Tusla’s payroll)

• 50 social workers left Tusla (i.e., resigned, career breaks excluding retirements)

• 35 social care workers left Tusla (i.e., resigned, career breaks excluding retirements)

Overall, staff retention in Tusla continued to improve in 2025, reaching 94.5% across the agency (up from 93.25% in 2024), while social work retention remained consistent at 91.5%.