In Tusla’s April 2025 external review, more special-care staff had departed than been hired since 2021: 174 departures against 168 hires. A later High Court judgment recorded a different result for a different period—177 recruited and 159 left between January 2021 and February 2025. Those figures use different periods and accounting descriptions, so they cannot be combined into a single current staffing balance. Both records, however, describe persistent staffing pressure, with consequences for how many special-care beds can operate.
What the recruitment and departure figures say
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 review’s departure total included 134 people who left the agency, 37 who transferred to other Child and Family Agency posts, and three who retired or exited because of ill health. The review therefore counted more departures than hires, but not every departure represented someone leaving Tusla altogether. Tusla External Review Group on Special Care, April 2025.
A High Court judgment dated 31 July 2026 recorded that 177 staff were recruited and 159 left between January 2021 and February 2025. It also recorded the phrase “staff are leaving almost as quickly as they are recruited.” This is a separate account with a later end date and a different formulation; it does not cancel out or update the external review’s figures on a like-for-like basis. Neither set of counts establishes Tusla’s net special-care staffing change in 2026. High Court of Ireland, LN (A Minor…) v Child and Family Agency and Ors [2026] IEHC 561.
Why staff numbers do not tell the whole capacity story
Vacancies, recruitment and departures are not the same as the number of staff available to work on a given day. The April 2025 external review reproduced 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 2026 count.
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The review also cited absenteeism of 25% in 2021 and more than 20% in both 2022 and 2023, based on a Tusla business case. It said the absences amounted to a loss of 8–11 WTE staff through each of those years. The review identified reliance on overtime and agency staff alongside high short- and long-term absence, illustrating how a service can face operational gaps even while hiring continues.
In the High Court evidence, staffing was identified as the principal reason beds remained unused; 15 of a possible 26 beds were occupied at the time of testimony. That figure belongs to the evidence recorded in the 31 July 2026 judgment, not to a live occupancy count. The judgment links staffing to capacity in that account, but it should not be read as a current bed count. High Court judgment [2026] IEHC 561.
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What the evidence identifies about retention pressures
The external review describes several pressures rather than one proven cause for every departure. It points to high absenteeism, overtime and agency reliance, and exposure to violence, harassment and aggression. The review says these experiences have affected staff who leave special care or are unable to continue working there. The evidence supports treating working conditions as part of the retention problem, but does not establish that any single factor explains all exits.
A broader Tusla retention figure should not be mistaken for a special-care measure. Tusla’s 2024 annual report put social care retention across the wider agency at 93.2% in January 2025, compared with 92.4% in January 2024. Those figures concern the broader social-care workforce, not special-care-only retention. Tusla Annual Report 2024.
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Recent evidence from Crannóg Nua
HIQA’s August 2026 statement describes an unannounced, risk-based inspection at Crannóg Nua on 5 May 2026. HIQA said the inspection followed the provider’s failure to give assurances about staffing. Its findings were that the provider had not ensured enough suitably qualified and experienced staff to care for six young people safely and effectively—the unit’s maximum under its statement of purpose. This is a specific regulatory finding about Crannóg Nua, not a finding about every special-care unit. HIQA statement, August 2026.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Tusla and the Government have said they are doing
In a written parliamentary answer on 27 March 2025, the Government described recruitment and retention as a significant difficulty associated with reduced operational capacity and delays admitting young people. It cited €1 million in additional Budget 2025 support for special-care staffing and outlined actions being taken by Tusla. Houses of the Oireachtas written answer, 27 March 2025.
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Tusla’s annual report says its Swift Hire initiative began in 2024 to support residential and special-care capacity. It also notes approval of a new Special Care Worker grade with enhanced remuneration intended to attract staff. These are recruitment measures, not evidence by themselves that vacancies or capacity have improved. Tusla Annual Report 2024.
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality announced €26 million in Budget 2026 for special-care staff grades, wellbeing and therapeutic supports. The announcement set out an aim of making all 26 beds available by the end of 2026. That is a government target, not confirmation that all beds are currently open or staffed. Department of Children, Disability and Equality, Budget 2026 announcement.
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