The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today published an inspection report on the child protection and welfare service operated by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) in the Dublin North City service area.

HIQA conducted this monitoring inspection between 24 and 30 June 2025 to assess the progress the service had made to address non-compliances since the previous inspection in May 2024. HIQA assessed the service against five national standards during this inspection, and found that the service was non-compliant with all five standards.

In 2024, Tusla submitted a national compliance plan to HIQA which outlined how it would improve services where there were significant numbers of children waiting for a service. Overall, significant concerns remained about the oversight and governance of the Dublin North City service and its capacity to fulfil its statutory obligations. The quality and safety of the child protection and welfare service required significant improvement to ensure that it met the needs of all children, in line with the National Standards for Child Protection and Welfare (2012) and Children First: National Guidance for Child Protection and Welfare (2017).

HIQA found that a significant number of child protection and welfare referrals for children were not screened, including referrals for children in care. HIQA escalated a number of risks and concerns about the service to Tusla’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO). These were concerns about: governance and oversight of the service; the safeguarding of children, including those on the Child Protection Notification System; the significant number of child protection and welfare referrals for children in care; and the lack of the service’s capacity to effectively manage referrals and assessments in a timely manner.  

Appropriate assurances were provided by the CEO and HIQA will continue to monitor the service to support improvements.

Staff working in the service were committed to keeping children safe, and inspectors found examples of good quality work where individual children were appropriately safeguarded. However, the service continued to operate with a significantly reduced workforce and continued to be met with challenges to replace critical roles. The area had progressed some workforce actions since the last inspection; however, these were not adequate to address the significant risks identified. 

Following the inspection, Tusla submitted a satisfactory compliance plan. 

Notes:

• HIQA is authorised by the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality under Section 8(1) (c) of the Health Act 2007 to monitor the quality of services provided by the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) to protect children and promote their welfare. HIQA monitors Tusla’s performance against the National Standards for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2012) and advises the Minister and Tusla.
• The Child Protection Notification System (CPNS) refers to a secure database that contains a national record of all children who have reached the threshold of being at ongoing risk of significant harm and where there are ongoing child protection concerns.