A man in his 20s has been charged in connection to an alleged serious assault on a child in Co Dublin.
The attack on the young girl is alleged to have taken place in Saggart over the weekend.
The man is due to appear before a Dublin court this morning.
Gardaí are still trying to establish the facts of what happened and specialist child interviewers are waiting to interview the young girl who is in the care of Tusla.
Tusla confirmed last night that a young girl was involved in a serious incident over the weekend.
The child had been volunteered by her family into the care of the Agency in February of this year due to "significant behavioural issues".
Tusla said she was living in a fully-staffed, registered residential placement when she absconded while on a planned recreational trip with staff in the city centre.
Staff immediately reported her missing to gardaí.
The child was later found to have returned to a relative's home, but absconded again from that house later in the evening.
She remained in phone contact with staff but would not identify her precise location.
She subsequently told staff that she had been involved in a serious incident and they eventually ascertained her location and contacted gardaí who found her.
Two locations near the Citywest complex were sealed off for forensic examination, but both cordons have now been lifted.
CCTV has also been gathered in the area and from the nearby Luas stop.
The child has also received medical attention.
Tusla said its priority is on supporting the young girl and her family and liaising with An Garda Síochána as part of their investigation.
It also said it would not be appropriate to share any further details at this time.
There was a small protest of around 60 people outside the IPAS centre in Citywest last night, where there was a garda presence. The man in custody was not a resident in the centre.
Tánaiste Simon Harris said the alleged indecent raises "very worrying and profound issues" and his immediate thoughts are with the young girl.
Speaking on his way into Cabinet this morning, he also said time is needed to establish the facts.
"This is a deeply distressing horrifying shocking situation," Mr Harris said.
He added that it raises fundamental questions about a child in care.
Gardaí have appealed for information in connection with their investigation.
They said that they would like to speak to anyone who was in the areas of Citywest Drive, Garter Lane, Citywest Luas stop or Saggart Luas stop between 11pm on Sunday and 1.30am on Monday.
The Garda investigation team can be contacted at Clondalkin Garda Station on 01 666 7600, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
