Child protection agency says it's changed garda referrals policy following Kerry review

Tusla has changed its policy on referring cases of suspected child abuse to gardaí following an internal review in Kerry.

It found the child and family agency failed to refer 365 cases of suspected child abuse in Kerry to gardaí for investigation.

Tusla says all cases have now been referred to gardaí.

The agency’s new Director of Services and Integration, Kate Duggan, says the organisation has since changed its structure regarding when staff notify gardaí about suspected child abuse.

She says they’ve since hired nine more staff in Kerry, and converted four agency staff into full-time staff members.