The Tusla Oversight Agreement sets out the governance and accountability framework between the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. It provides for structured engagement on matters including corporate governance, performance monitoring, financial management, audit, risk management and service delivery at an organisational level.
The Agreement does not prescribe or set out provisions in respect of specific operational matters, such re-referrals, repeat interventions, emergency removals and reopened social work cases. These matters fall within Tusla’s statutory remit and operational responsibilities in delivering child protection and welfare services. You will appreciate that Tusla has statutory independence in the performance of its child welfare and child protection responsibilities. Accordingly it would be inappropriate for the Department to query decisions or act in a manner that interferes with this statutory independence.
Accordingly, the Oversight Agreement does not contain specific sections addressing these issues in the manner described. However, they may arise, where relevant, in the context of broader discussions on service performance, risk and demand within Tusla’s child protection and welfare system.
