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SHOCKING TUSLA CARE SCANDAL: 1,121 Kids Dumped in Filthy, Unregulated 'Emergency' Hellholes More than 1,121 children in the care of Tusla, Ireland's child and family agency, were placed in unregulated Special Emergency Arrangements (SEAs) throughout 2025, according to figures released this week. These SEAs involve accommodating vulnerable children, often in hotels, short-term rentals, or houses run by private companies, for what are intended as brief emergency periods. However, they are not subject to inspections by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), the State's independent watchdog for health and social care services. The number of children in such placements has surged dramatically in recent years, nearly doubling from 635 in 2023 to 1,121 last year. Of these, 350 came from mainstream Irish households, while 771 were unaccompanied minors seeking international protection who arrived from abroad. The rise has particularly affected younger children: 56 under-12s were placed in SEAs in 2025, up from 49 in 2023. Tusla does not centrally track exact durations for all SEA stays, but data for 148 children in such placements in February showed varying lengths, from under one month to, in one extreme case, up to three years. Advocacy groups, several judges, and the Ombudsman for Children’s Office have repeatedly condemned SEAs as unlawful and unsuitable, warning that they expose highly vulnerable children to significant risks, including sexual exploitation, due to inadequate safeguards and often poor living conditions. A former resident, referred to as "Peter" (name changed for confidentiality), described shocking conditions from his time in an SEA at age 14 four years ago: filthy rooms with urine-stained bedding and holes in mattresses, toilets that could not be flushed, no food beyond tap water, staff sleeping until late afternoon with minimal supervision, and no access to schooling. He felt "angry and scared," turned to cannabis to cope, and called the experience "barbaric" and a violation of human rights. Tusla has referred five private providers to the Garda National Vetting Bureau over concerns about staff vetting and has ceased using eight others that failed to meet required standards. Monitoring visits by Tusla's own team have fallen sharply, from 148 in 2023 to just 67 in 2025, though the agency insists it maintains ongoing oversight through its Practice Assurance and Service Monitoring Team. Experts attribute the growing reliance on SEAs to a severe shortage of regulated residential beds and foster carers, exacerbated by a 500% increase in arrivals of separated children seeking international protection since 2022, according to the Department of Children. Over the past three years, Tusla has paid private companies approximately €188 million for these arrangements, more than €70m in 2023 alone.Tusla says it is actively working to reduce dependence on SEAs by expanding public residential capacity, while the Department of Children acknowledges the ongoing challenges posed by high demand and continues to prioritise funding for appropriate care placements. Campaigners from organisations including Epic, Barnardos, and Don Bosco Care insist that SEAs should be banned or restricted to genuine short-term emergencies only, and are calling for urgent, targeted Government investment to address the crisis in Ireland's child care system and better protect vulnerable young people.