Media Statement | EPIC shares the concerns raised by Child Law Project

Speaking in response to the Child Law Project’s latest report, Wayne Stanley CEO at EPIC, said: 

“The Child Law Project court reports should serve as a stark reminder that some of the most vulnerable children in our society are being left without the care, stability and specialist supports they urgently need because of a chronic lack of appropriate care placements.

“At EPIC, we encounter cases where timely intervention and access to the right supports could have prevented situations from escalating to crisis point. Children and families must be able to access flexible, appropriate supports as soon as the need emerges. Achieving this requires sustained investment in special care as a therapeutic, trauma-informed intervention that can effectively meet the needs of children with complex and high-risk needs.

“The court reports highlight the urgent need for Government action and underscores why this cannot be postponed. Immediate measures should include:

• Increased funding for Tusla, with ring-fenced funding dedicated to implementing the recommendations of the External Review on Special Care;
• Immediate investment in additional onward and high support care placements so that time spent in special care, which is meant to be a short-term intervention, does not become protracted;
• Enhanced funding to support the recruitment and retention of specialised frontline Tusla staff and foster carers.

“No child should be left waiting for an appropriate placement or forced to rely on emergency arrangements because the State has failed to invest in the specialist care and support they require. 

“EPIC is in full agreement with the Child Law Project, that addressing this issue must become a priority for the entire Government, not solely Tusla, with coordinated action urgently needed so that children with complex and high-risk needs can access the care and support they need in a timely manner.”

ENDS