In The News Inside the State’s latest care scandal: The at-risk children on Tusla’s ‘no beds list’
Apr 2, 2026
Kitty Holland, Social Affairs correspondent at The Irish Times known for deep reporting on Ireland's care system, unpacks the national crisis over scarce specialist care beds. She highlights judges' growing alarm, the use of private hotel and B&B placements, legal and funding gaps, staffing shortages, and the high cost of emergency arrangements. The discussion traces why the system is strained and what might change.
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Private SEAs Filled A National Placements Gap
- Ireland is relying on unregulated special emergency arrangements (SEAs) because the registered care system is at full capacity.
- SEAs are run by private operators in hotels, B&Bs and apartments and emerged from the placements crisis as urgent stopgaps.
Special Care Is For Children In Immediate Life Risk
- Special care is the state's highest secure care for 11-to-17-year-olds whose lives or others' lives are at risk due to behaviour.
- Cases include repeated absconding, involvement in drug distribution, sexual exploitation and self-harm requiring detention by High Court order.
Distressing Child Cases On The No Beds List
- Kitty Holland recounts a child in an SEA who repeatedly tries to kill themself and another who was missing and travelling in stolen cars while distributing hard drugs.
- She also describes a young boy taken into special care asking for bedtime stories and hugs, showing the units' stabilising role.