TUSLA SPECIAL CARE CRISIS: BOY WHO VOMITED ALMOST 40 BAGS OF CRACK COCAINE MISSING AS HALF OF SECURE BEDS REMAIN CLOSED
An RTÉ News report published on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, highlights serious concerns about the safety of extremely vulnerable children who cannot access specialist care because of continuing staff shortages within Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.
The High Court heard that a boy who vomited up almost 40 bags of crack cocaine and is also using fentanyl is now missing. Despite the grave risks to his life and welfare, no special care bed is available for him.
The court was also informed that no special care places were available for two teenage girls, including a 14-year-old who was being sexually exploited by multiple men.
Tusla has 26 designated special care beds across its secure facilities, but only 13 are currently operational because of staffing shortages. This means that half of the State’s specialist beds for children facing the most extreme risks remain unavailable.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Julie Ahern, Deputy Chief Executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, expressed serious concern for the missing boy’s safety and welfare.
She said these cases demonstrate wider failures within Ireland’s child protection system, with some of the country’s most vulnerable children repeatedly being let down.
Ahern explained that special care is intended as a final safety net for children with exceptionally complex needs who require intensive therapeutic intervention in a secure environment. Because such placements involve restricting a child’s liberty, they must be authorised by the High Court.
She described the shortage of special care places as a longstanding problem arising from inadequate investment in child protection and welfare services.
According to Ahern, HIQA has repeatedly highlighted the consequences of underinvestment, particularly the shortage of suitably qualified staff. She argued that improved pay, working conditions and staff retention are essential to attracting experienced professionals capable of supporting children who have experienced severe trauma.
She also warned that Tusla’s budget has not kept pace with growing demand, leaving services increasingly overwhelmed by children presenting with more serious and complex needs.
Ahern emphasised that children should ideally receive appropriate support within their communities before their circumstances deteriorate to the point where secure special care becomes necessary.
However, she said insufficient investment in early intervention and prevention has contributed to a system operating in a continuing state of crisis, responding to emergencies rather than preventing them.
The report raises profound questions about the State’s ability to protect children facing immediate dangers from drug misuse, criminal exploitation and sexual abuse.
The central concern is that children whose circumstances are so dangerous that they require the highest level of State protection cannot access that protection because Tusla does not have sufficient staff to operate half of its designated special care beds.