HSE and Tusla ‘falling short on care for children’
It is “incomprehensible” that the HSE and Tusla have still not identified hundreds of children with disabilities in state care two years after a critical report by the Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) highlighted inadequacies in one particular case.
Although significant progress has been made to improve supports available to children with moderate to profound disabilities in the care of the State, the HSE and Tusla are still falling short when it comes to adequately planning for their care.
That is according to the Children’s Ombudsman, Dr Niall Muldoon, whose office in 2018 looked at the case of Molly, a girl born with Down syndrome and severe autism who was abandoned at birth by her biological parents.
Her foster family, who have cared for her since she was four months old, complained to the Ombudsman about the level of supports and services being provided by Tusla and the HSE to meet Molly’s needs and support her placement.
The report outlined a series of deficiencies, which meant services and supports provided by both organisations were insufficient.
“When Molly’s foster carer came to us we found that neither the HSE nor Tusla saw Molly as a child in care and also a child with a disability,” Dr Muldoon said.
There was a lack of co-ordination which meant that services and supports provided by both organisations were insufficient. We also found that, according to Tusla, there were 471 other children like Molly, yet neither Tusla nor the HSE had a good enough system in place to ensure adequate supports were being provided.
"It is now 2020 and two years after Molly’s case was first published we are pleased to see that Tusla, in particular, has been extremely proactive in addressing the issues raised by Molly’s foster carers, and identifying other children who are in a similar position.
“Molly, who at one time was in danger of being transferred to institutional care, is still at home in a loving family environment, resulting in a saving of at least €90,000 per year for the exchequer. Both Tusla and Molly’s carers must be commended for this.”
However, while the two agencies are working much more closely at a local level, it is “incomprehensible” that the HSE has still not come to an agreement with Tusla to identify the children in state care nationally with moderate to profound disabilities, he added.
“The HSE and Tusla have worked together to identify the children in this cohort who will turn 18 in 2019/2020 but cannot do the same for younger children. This suggests a focus on the financial implications to their budget, rather than a drive to plan for and provide the best care.”
“Molly Two Years On”, a report by the OCO will be published today.
Molly’s case has been extremely important in shining a light on a small and extremely vulnerable cohort of children who were unrecognised within the system.
"However, as Ombudsman for Children, I do not believe that I can close this case satisfied that the situation has sufficiently improved for children with moderate to severe disabilities in the care of the State.”
The Oireachtas Committee on Health and the Committee on Children and Youth Affairs are urged to meet to discuss the issues raised, he added.
