The High Court has been informed that the Department of Public Expenditure has repeatedly denied Tusla’s appeals for a pay raise in the special care detention sector’s allowance, an area beleaguered by issues of staff retention. Tusla’s CEO, Kate Duggan, reported to the court that requests for an increase in the annual allowance – a €2,622 addendum to usual salaries in acknowledgment of the work’s taxing nature – were made in both 2019 and 2020, with a proposed increase to €5,000.
Duggan went on to disclose that the agency put forth a third request in 2023 for an allowance hike to €10,000 annually, following an assessment of allowances given to comparable employees at the Oberstown youth detention centre. The department, however, has consistently declined these requests.
Departmental approval of allowances and pay rates in the sector would breach public service pay policies if they contravened these rules.
Children aged between 12-17 who are deemed particularly vulnerable can be taken into custody at one of three specialised care centres by the order of the High Court. It was revealed to the court that only 15 out of the total 26 beds are usable owing to a scarcity of personnel.
This was revealed during a review overseen by Mr Justice John Jordan of the High Court concerning the cases of five children in state custody, identified as needing secure placement in the specialist institutes, but where no openings exist.
Mr Justice Jordan expressed concern for these children, saying they are in “exceptionally dangerous situations” while they remain in non-secure communal residential arrangements, after Tusla failed to comply with his detention orders. The judge is keen to determine possible solutions from Tusla and the associated government departments summoned to the court.
One such child is a 14-year-old boy considered at high risk, who has been unaccounted for the past 11 days from his assigned residence.
Tusla has faced possible contempt charges relating to its handling of these special care orders. Subsequent proceedings could result in Kate Duggan, albeit merely emblematic, facing a jail term. Nonetheless, these charges either lose relevance as children find placement, or they are not actively pursued.
From the testimonial stand on Thursday, Ms Duggan relayed that Tusla has brought onboard 168 professionals into the special care field since the year 2021. However, an overwhelming 174 persons have departed during the same time frame.
Recruitment and holding onto staff within the special care sector are challenges that can be attributed to multiple factors, she explained. Wage levels, determined by public service regulations, combined with the regular experiences of violent, rude, and aggressive behaviour from some of the residing children are substantial contributors, she voiced.
The adolescent individuals within these care facilities frequently exhibit complex needs, igniting feelings of inadequacy in some of the staff. Such sentiments have been reported in exit interviews, where some have confessed they felt ill-equipped with the necessary skills, Ms Duggan added. The court was informed of high levels of absenteeism, with a considerable number of working days being forfeited due to staff being incapacitated after severe assaults.
Diverting from the subject of special care, the agency has been compelled to establish nearly 20 residential centres specifically for lone minors seeking asylum in Ireland, distinctively from Ukraine, Ms Duggan declared. This has pragmatically drawn some staff, who regard these children as presenting less intricate needs. The judicial analysis is still ongoing.