‘I don’t believe anything is going to change’

Independent councillor Brendan Fay surmised “nothing is going to change” after receiving a response from the Department of Children regarding his call for a full and independent review of Tusla, focusing on its operations, governance and accountability.

At a meeting of Cavan County Council last November, the Belturbet representative highlighted concerns about the wider national system.

While acknowledging that Tusla frontline staff are “often doing their best”, Cllr Fay argued that the system is under severe strain.

“The system itself is breaking under pressure. It is under-resourced, under-staffed and over-stretched,” he said at the time.

“The current structure is failing to protect vulnerable children and families effectively.”

In a response received on behalf of Minister for Children Norma Foley almost six months later, the department stated that it engages regularly with the child and family agency to ensure its performance is optimised to “deal with the many challenges” it faces and to “continue to serve” the needs of children, families and wider society.

The reply also noted that Tusla’s new Integrated Reform Programme came into effect on January 1, 2026.

According to the department, the programme will ensure resources are “targeted to where they are most needed” while increasing service capacity in line with demand.

“Tusla works toward ensuring evidence-based data will support service planning in response to the needs of children and families and in turn allow staff to work more effectively,” the response read.

It added that Tusla’s regions and operational areas “will be more equitable under the reform programme”, with more consistent structures, clearer spans of control, and “an open and transparent approach to more equitable resource allocation”.

Reacting at the council meeting, Cllr Fay shook his head glumly.

“I don’t believe anything is going to change,” he said.

* This article was produced with support from the Local Democracy Scheme