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Yes—one Tusla review found more special-care departures than hires, though a later court judgment recorded the reverse for a different period and using a separate count. The figures are not directly comparable, and neither gives a precise current-2026 net staffing change. The evidence nevertheless shows that staffing shortages have constrained special-care capacity.
What do the recruitment and departure figures show?
Tusla’s External Review Group on Special Care reported in April 2025 that 168 people had been hired and 174 had departed from special care since 2021. The report says the departure total comprises 134 people who left the agency, 37 who transferred to other Child and Family Agency posts, and three retirements or exits due to ill health. It is therefore broader than a count of staff leaving Tusla altogether. The review’s report does not make this a current 2026 staffing balance. [c001]
A later figure in the High Court’s 31 July 2026 judgment covers January 2021 to February 2025: 177 recruited and 159 left. The judgment records the phrase “staff are leaving almost as quickly as they are recruited.” These figures use a different period and formulation from the external review’s summary, so they should not be combined or treated as a like-for-like correction. The High Court judgment, LN (A Minor…) v Child and Family Agency and Ors [2026] IEHC 561, is the source for that count. [c002]
How did vacancies and absence affect staffing?
The April 2025 review cites Tusla figures showing a requirement for 200 whole-time equivalents (WTE) in special care and 91 WTE vacancies among social care workers and leaders as of April 2024. That is a dated vacancy snapshot, not a current count. [c001]
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Vacancies alone do not show how many staff were available to work. The review cites absenteeism of 25% in 2021 and more than 20% in both 2022 and 2023, which it says amounted to the loss of 8–11 WTE staff through each year. It also identifies reliance on overtime and agency staff. The review describes violence, harassment and aggression as factors affecting workers who left or could not continue in special care; it does not establish that these explain every departure. [c001]
What does this mean for special-care beds?
In the High Court case, staffing was identified as the principal reason beds remained unused at the time of testimony: 15 of a possible 26 beds were occupied. That is evidence about the situation described in that case, not a present-day occupancy figure. The judgment also connects recruitment and retention difficulties with reduced operational capacity and delays admitting young people. [c002]
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A separate, more recent regulatory example concerns Crannóg Nua. HIQA said its unannounced, risk-based inspection on 5 May 2026 followed the provider’s failure to give assurances about staffing. In an August 2026 statement, HIQA said the provider had not ensured enough suitably qualified and experienced staff to care safely and effectively for six young people—the unit’s maximum under its statement of purpose. This finding relates to that inspection and unit, not every special-care service. HIQA’s statement describes the inspection. [c003]
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteDoes Tusla’s wider retention rate answer the special-care question?
No. Tusla’s 2024 Annual Report gives a social-care retention rate of 93.2% in January 2025, compared with 92.4% in January 2024, across the wider workforce. Those agency-wide figures are not special-care-specific and cannot show whether special-care recruitment has caught up with departures. Tusla’s Annual Report 2024 reports the broader measure. [c005]
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What measures have been announced?
The measures below are responses and targets, not proof that staffing or bed capacity has already improved.
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- Additional funding: A written answer in the Houses of the Oireachtas on 27 March 2025 said Budget 2025 provided an additional €1 million for special-care staffing. The answer also described recruitment and retention as significant difficulties linked to reduced operational capacity and admission delays. Read the written answer. [c004]
- Recruitment measures: Tusla’s 2024 Annual Report says its Swift Hire initiative began in 2024 to support residential and special-care capacity. It also notes sanction for a new Special Care Worker grade with enhanced remuneration intended to attract staff. The report describes these as initiatives, not measured outcomes. [c005]
- Budget 2026 and bed target: The Department of Children, Disability and Equality announced €26 million for special-care staff grades, wellbeing and therapeutic supports, with the stated aim of making all 26 beds available by the end of 2026. This is a government expectation, not evidence that all beds are currently open or staffed. See the Budget 2026 announcement. [c007]
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