During an inspection by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), it was discovered that approximately 30 unaccompanied children seeking asylum in Ireland were missing from a special welfare service. The inspection took place in January and focused on the service provided by Tusla to respond to the immediate needs of these children.

Inspectors found that not only were 30 children reported as missing at the time of the inspection, but an additional 27 children were unaccounted for at various stages and were eventually returned to the center. In a sample of ten cases where children were reported missing, concerns were raised about the service not managing them in accordance with established protocols.

Of particular concern were cases involving potential trafficking and exploitation, with one child missing for eighteen months without any documented strategy meetings with law enforcement or contact with agencies in the UK and Northern Ireland to aid in locating the child. Some cases were classified as 'medium priority' due to flight risks and indicators of trafficking.

Hiqa described the Separated Children Seeking International Protection service as a critical response for unaccompanied minors and separated children seeking asylum in Ireland. The recent monitoring inspection, conducted between January 28-20 and February 5, aimed to evaluate the service's progress in addressing previous non-compliances.

While some improvements were noted, the inspection revealed that out of eight standards assessed, seven were found to be non-compliant. Concerns were raised about the service's ability to sustain service improvement initiatives due to a significant increase in referral rates and ongoing resource deficits.

Despite responding promptly to children's immediate needs and ensuring emergency accommodation upon arrival, safety planning for children at risk of trafficking was not consistently carried out. Additionally, not all children were assigned a social worker, leading to the establishment of a dedicated team to oversee cases awaiting transfer to alternative care services.

Communication gaps with children in placements were identified, prompting Hiqa to escalate certain cases to the area manager for further review and assurance.