04/12/2025
About 200 people who claimed to be children were placed by Tusla into childrenโs accommodation, but were later found to be adults.
Ireland currently works off a presumption of minority meaning if someone says theyโre under 18 and has no documents, theyโre treated as a child until proven otherwise.
There are still no proper national age-assessment guidelines, so decisions can be rushed or inconsistent.
this is such a serious problem
Real children were put at risk. Adults should never be placed in accommodation meant for minors.
Thereโs no sign that Garda vetting happened before these adults were placed with children, because the system assumed they were minors.
This isnโt a one-off mistake it shows a systemic failure in both asylum processing and child protection.
Children in state care are supposed to be safeguarded, not exposed to adults pretending to be minors.
The lack of proper age checks or guidelines is inexcusable, especially when vulnerable children are involved.
It damages trust in both the child-protection system and the asylum system.
We need to Introduce proper age-assessment procedures.
Require background checks before anyone is placed with minors.
Almost 200 adult asylum-seekers were placed in Tusla childrenโs accommodation over the last three years before it was learned they were over 18.
