A study of Tusla - Child and Family Agencys actions and decision-making process following An Garda Síochánas application of Section 12 of the Child Care Act 1991

The research commission request arose after the publication of Audit of the exercise by An Garda Síochána of the provisions of Section 12 of the Child Care Act 1991 prepared by Dr Geoffrey Shannon for the Garda Commissioner in 2017. The Shannon Report did not audit Tuslas actions after invoking Section 12, however, a number of the recommendations within the Shannon Report related to Tusla policies and procedures in relation to Section 12 and Section 13 of the Child Care Act 1991. The main objectives of the research were: To identify the pathways for children who have been subject to Section 12 of the Child Care Act 1991 between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017 To explore the rationale and decision-making process of social workers in the aftermath of Section 12 To describe the characteristics of communications between Tusla and An Garda Síochána in relation to Section 12 notifications and follow-ups from the perspective of Tusla social work and Tusla management To ascertain the role of the Out-of-Hours Service in Tuslas response to Section 12 To examine and determine the circumstances relating to children being removed more than once.