** IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
The Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW) again expresses its profound and ongoing concern regarding the systemic reliance on Special Emergency Arrangements (SEAs)—unregulated, ad hoc placements such as hotels, B&Bs, and rental properties used for children in State care. We acknowledge the bravery of the young adults in the documentary to come forward publicly and tell their stories. We owe them a debt of gratitude for highlighting the lived experience of children in the Irish care system.
As RTÉ Investigates prepares to air further evidence of these failings this evening, the IASW reminds the Government that this is not a new crisis; the Association has been sounding the alarm for several years. Our members working in Tusla tell us that despite their long hours and hard work- there are not enough appropriate long-term placements and supports for children and young people.
Social workers have consistently warned that SEAs, originally intended as short-term exceptional measures, have become an embedded feature of a care system under extreme strain. These arrangements are often unregulated, inadequately overseen, and potentially unsafe, placing the State’s most vulnerable children at risk rather than meeting their complex needs. These children need initial assessment of their therapeutic needs and ongoing, consistent, therapeutic supports.
“The RTÉ coverage confirms what social workers, the Courts, and advocates have been raising for years,” said IASW COO Caroline Strong. “Children in many of these arrangements are, at best, not receiving the stable, consistent, therapeutic care they so badly need to develop and, at worst, are at risk of harm and further trauma”.
The IASW’s intensive advocacy on this issue has included:
- As early as 2012, the IASW highlighted the underfunding and understaffing results in the state failing to meet its legal obligations to children in care. In 2012 there was a need for additional training and recruitment of Social Workers.
- In 2020 as part of a review of the Childcare Act in preparation for the Children’s Bill the IASW highlighted the need for interagency collaboration in relation to children in care and children leaving care.
- A 2021 HIQA submission on the National Standards for children’s services the IASW highlighted the need for interagency collaboration and a “joined up” approach to care, as well as a well-resourced, qualified professional workforce and community supports.
- The 2024 Stakeholder Round Table: The IASW convened key partners including EPIC, IFCA, Tusla, the HSE, and the judiciary, concluding that the unregulated nature of SEAs “cannot continue”.
- Detailed reports were submitted to the Department of the Taoiseach (October 2024) and the Department of Children (December 2025), documenting shocking headlines regarding fabricated pre-employment checks, inadequate vetting, and the lack of professional oversight in SEAs.
- Ministerial Briefings: As recently as April 15, 2026, the IASW met with Minister Norma Foley to outline the urgent need to address the placement crisis and the erosion of the statutory social work role.
The use of SEAs is a direct symptom of wider deficits, including a chronic shortage of foster placements, an insufficiency of regulated residential places, and a recruitment crisis for social workers and social care workers. The IASW maintains that children in State care have a constitutional right under Article 42A to protection and the vindication of their welfare, which is currently being compromised by these precarious arrangements.
The IASW calls on the Government to take the following immediate steps:
- Establish a formal timeline for the total elimination of Special Emergency Arrangements.
- Legislate to expand HIQA’s powers to include the mandatory registration and inspection of all emergency and private residential settings.
- Mandate minimum professional staffing levels to ensure every child in an SEA has an allocated social worker and social care staff to care for them day to day.
- Invest significantly in foster care and kinship care to make it a viable, stable option for families, including increased allowances and pensions to reflect modern economic realities.
- Urgent review of the aftercare system to ensure that children leaving care who cannot sustain education are provided with supports.
Social workers stand ready to build a care system that is responsive, trauma-informed, and no longer relies on unsafe emergency measures. Children should not be describing themselves as “Amazon parcels” when they need our care. This evening’s broadcast must serve as a turning point for a whole-of-government approach to the care of children who need our support.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
For further information please contact:
IASW Chief Operations Officer, Caroline Strong
Email: coo@iasw.ie
Tel. 089 4264139
Click here to view our previous Press Release of 16 March 2026 expresses deep concern at the issues highlighted in recent RTÉ reports on Special Emergency Arrangements (SEAs) for children in State care, and calls for urgent, system-wide action to ensure that every child in the care of the State is safe, protected and supported to thrive.
