Tusla

Tusla and the opw are the two biggest wasters of money an manpower in the state ,

tusla particularly are over staffed if anything but the standards and protocols that they use are so poorly though out and enforced that it is often nearly laughable.

Its always some one else's job or the person your need to speak to or need to make the call on something is away for weeks or months

they spend most of their time tryin to drop their responsibilities on other state agency's and heading off for a conference some where .

of course this is just my professional experience with them since they were established

I have a lot of respect for TUSLA, they have a thankless job and are overloaded due to Childrens First referrals. I was reported by someone because I said a 15 year old who was acting the bollix needed "a kick in the hole and needed to cop on". That is a threat to a child.

The investigation lasted 90 seconds and was by telephone. They have a massive work load and their numbers are dropping due to this. They are under staffed and struggling. Until the system is revamped (again), it will not improve.

It is the same with the Gardai. A sergeant friend of mine mentioned that policy is "call the guards", they have no way of getting to incidents in a reasonable time frame and get crap because of it.

I was at a BBQ at the weekend with another garda and he is one of 2 drivers trained in a station. He cannot come off the road as he is trained, but his paperwork is just mounting.

They lost huge credibility when they were involved in the smear campaign against Sgt Maurice McCabe. Very dodgy antics and we never really got accountability.

Friends of mine recently had the opposite experience. Their kid told a teacher in passing that his dad slapped him on the hand when he was hitting his brother. The teacher reported it to TUSLA. Weeks of harassment by TUSLA followed. Repeated phone calls, meetings with social workers, being made go to parenting classes, being made take anger management courses, having to deal with a pr!ck of a social worker smirking at them and asking them when their started beating their child and did they beat their other children........and then having to deal with the Garda as TUSLA passed on the complaint of assault to them. It got to the stage where the Dad became suicidal. If only they put that much effort into following up on genuine cases of child neglect and abuse.

You have a friend who hits his kid, and you think it's not genuine child abuse?

Thank you - I'm taking that as a compliment.

Beating kids is not OK, and there are far too few people in this country willing to say so.

One single slap on the hand doesn't get someone reported to Tulsa. The teacher will have had suspicions based on the child's behaviour or development, and the comment about the slap (sic) will have been a moment that tipped the balance towards a report.

Tusla staff don't have time to waste on families that don't need intervention.

With respect, would it not have to be investigated at some level to determine if it is ongoing and persistent.

I work in a job where I need 'children first' training. So if, under those guidelines, I report that a child was slapped as I'm required to do, would you tell me to come back when I know it's ongoing and persistent?

Ah the old no smoke without fire argument. Wasn't that what TUSLA used to try and destroy Maurice McCabe?

In the case I am referring to I can tell you there were categorically no other incidents or issues. This came completely out of the blue for a family with 4 kids who had never had any issues before. The social worker involved was very green and this seems to have been used as a training exercise for her. I am told there was a more senior social worker on the telephone calls coaching her on what to say, how to respond to the parents and in particular how to goad the Dad (the tell me when you started to beat your children type questions). The level of excessive pressure placed on the family was unbelievable, as I mentioned in my earlier post the Dad became suicidal and was off work for three months. TUSLA nearly destroyed this family. It was obvious that they were seen as an easier target / training case for the junior staff member, nice middle class respectable people who wouldn't fight back and who could be labelled as a successful intervention and closed case making the numbers look good. When you look at what some kids in this country have to endure without any intervention bu TUSLA it does make you wonder about them as an organisation.

Like every single state run body in this country.

A few years ago I had to move one of my daughters to another school at short notice due to unwanred inappropriate attention from a staff member in the school (primary school). Reported it to TUSLA. Response from TUSLA was.....".......sure you solved the problem yourself by moving your child away from the danger....." No investigation, no concern for other children in the school receiving similar unwanted contact. Frustrating.

The children that beat the American tourist into a coma last week were up in front of the judge to have their bail conditions set.

one of the stipulations was that they’d have a 9pm to 7am curfew.

Up jumps one of the “mammies” immediately anxious to know if her child could still have his “sleepovers”.

Her only comment.

So in Ireland in 50 years we went from kids of 8 being sent to the industrial school for 4 years to be beaten starved and sexually abused by a Christian Brother for stealing apples, to 16 year olds who have tried to murder a man and their mothers objecting to their bail conditions.

This mother is what TUSLA are dealing with. If you all are so clever, you have a go.

ABSOLUTELY

So we agree to disagree then. I got a clip multiple times and it did me no harm and I was not abused. It is is the politically correct lobby who have swallowed the child protection handbook have the issue.

A clip around the ear is not abuse. Abuse is something very different. P.S. I was part of a foster family which used to get calls at 11pm at night seeking emergency help. I have seen abuse. This aint it. How about a female toddler with a cig burn to the face. Or a child that absolutely SCREAMS when their nappy is changed by a fella. Think about that one. Sadly, I saw it.