Tusla audit: 13% of suspected abuse cases not referred to gardaí
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A national audit by Tusla has found that 13% of cases of suspected abuse had not been referred to gardaí as required.
Tusla's CEO, Bernard Gloster, told the that the audit had been sparked by initial concerns in late 2019 in Kerry which identified low numbers of notifications made to gardaí on referrals identified under the category of abuse.
In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Gloster said the issue had now been addressed and also said for Tusla to take the next steps in its development it needed between €80m and €100m in extra money in the next budget. He said such a sum was required if there was to be a "serious conversation" about where Tusla was going.
Mr Gloster said an initial reporting issue was identified in Kerry and this acted as a springboard to conduct a national review.
"We looked at that then and said 'what caused that?' And a lot of it in parts of the country was down to interpretation of when to do it. What does suspected mean? How do you know you've arrived at the point of suspicion? And we gave a very clear practice direction to the entire system that was developed by social workers, developed at a national level, and now the clarity factor has been brought to it."
Sligo/Leitrim/West Cavan had the highest percentage of notifications not passed on (56%), but from a much lower caseload, unlike high referral areas such as Dublin SW/Kildare/West Wicklow (32%) and Cork (29%).
The audit also referred to "some concerns in Cork", attributed to factors such as increased workload generated by more complex cases and "a lack of clarity in relation to the definition of the thresholds for emotional abuse and neglect".
Mr Gloster said another audit will be conducted in the coming months to check on progress.
The national audit, covering an 18-month period, involved a sample size of 1,535 cases, of which 527 were assessed as being in the category of suspected abuse. The 13% that had not been reported to gardaí related to 69 cases.
A Tusla spokesperson said all of these cases have been followed up and appropriate action taken.
Mr Gloster also said Tusla would require between €80m and €100m in additional funding in the next Budget to get to a point where Tusla is dealing with "normal demand".
“If we are to fundamentally reform the agency in all of the ways we know is required and address unmet need then this is what is needed.”