Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
89. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently missing from Tusla’s care; and the longest length of time any one child has been missing. [71657/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government recognises that Children reported missing from care are recognised as being some of the most vulnerable in society.
Information on children missing from care are now captured under two categories; children who go missing from mainstream services for children in the care of Tusla and those children who are Separated Children seeking International Protection who go missing. Most Children Missing from Care are 16/17 years of age.
Children missing from care who are unaccounted for is predominantly a phenomenon involving Separated Children Seeking International Protection.
Some of these Separated Children Seeking International Protection indicated that it was never their intention to remain in Ireland, that they intended to travel on to other countries to join family members and left soon after they arrived in the country.
Nonetheless, for those who did not subsequently make us aware of their whereabouts, these young people are counted as missing and An Garda Síochána are notified accordingly. Tusla and An Garda Síochána work together on Children Missing from Care through the An Garda Síochána / Tusla Joint Working Protocol.
Children in mainstream Tusla services also go missing. It is also important to note that most of the young people in mainstream care reported as ‘missing’, return to their placement after a brief period of time and remain in a safe and caring environment.
Any of the children and young people reported missing from mainstream care during 2023 and 2024, returned to the care of Tusla.
As of 4 December 2025, there were eight young people missing from Mainstream and twenty-eight young people missing from Separated Children Seeking International Protection Services.
Of the eight children missing from mainstream care as of 4 December 2025, seven were missing between 1-3 days, and one young person was missing for more than two weeks at that point in time.
Of the twenty-eight young people missing from Separated Children Seeking International Protection Services as of 4 December 2025, one is missing for between 3-7 days. Of the 27 young people missing for more than two weeks; 22 young people went missing in 2025 and five went missing in 2024.
Of those missing from the SCSIP service, from the beginning of this year, 78 young people have been returned or accounted for. Some unaccompanied minors who go missing from care communicate their intention to travel on to other countries to join family members.
The Department is engaging with Tusla about its data collection process around children missing from care to develop more accurate and nuanced reporting of this important matter. It wishes to assess how Tusla records a young person’s intent to stay in the country when first presenting to Tusla’s services and how Tusla record children and young people as missing.
