Tusla has said that it is responding to a 500% increase in unaccompanied minors coming to Ireland since 2022, which has placed significant pressure on the agency.
The child and family agency said the demand is continuing to grow, resulting in significant strain on both its properties and workforce.
Chief Executive Kate Duggan told the Oireachtas Committee on Children that 550 unaccompanied minors were either in care or accommodated by Tusla.
"We are significantly challenged by the fact that we now have almost as many unaccompanied minors either accommodated or in care of Tusla as we do have children in our mainstream services," she said.
Ms Duggan told the committee of severe pressure on the agency's services due to increase in general referrals and a significant level of vacancies in the workforce.
She said that in the first nine months of this year, there were 78,000 referrals representing an increase of 11% on the same period last year.
This is predicted to rise to 105,000 by the end of the year.
Ms Duggan said the agency could not meet all needs and was challenged by workplace supply issues especially in social work and social care.
The agency now has 1,730 social work staff and 1,524 social care staff but estimates that it needs 400 more frontline staff.
On special emergency accommodation, there were 58 children in mainstream services in special emergency placements and 195 unaccompanied minors.
Ms Duggan said every effort was made to move children to registered settings as soon as possible.
Independent Senator Sharon Keoghan said the agency was facing a child protection crisis, yet the documents supplied to the committee were "saturated with procedural language and passive phrasing".
She said this did not represent safeguards or answers.
"I believe Tusla's governance and oversight - is utterly failing some of our children."
She asked whether more money would fix the problem given that the current budget was €1.336bn.
Ms Duggan said the agency was significantly challenged, but she defended its work saying there were 5,866 children in its care, with 87% of those in foster families where they were thriving.
She said outcomes for the vast majority of young people in care was good but 100-150 had complex needs and very challenging behaviours.
Rise in 'extreme levels' of violence against Tusla staff
Ms Duggan said there has been a "significant" increase in "extreme levels" of violence and harassment against Tusla staff.
She said there is a cohort of children that have "very difficult and challenging behaviours".
This is particularly evident in its residential services, she said.
Ms Duggan said that protective personnel have had to be employed to protect Tusla's staff.
National Director for People and Change Rosarii Mannion said every week this year, it received 59 reportable incidents, in terms of violence and harassment.
"It is an extremely tough place to work," said Ms Mannion.
She said there have been 51 of these incidents so far just this week and over 2,300 this year.
Interim Director of Services and Integration Gerry Hone said Tusla is concerned about the number of children under 12 "who are exhibiting very dysregulated, disturbed behaviour".
"This is presenting more to our service," he said.
Mr Hone also highlighted high levels of aggression and violence towards staff.
Ms Duggan referenced a "changing environment" and said concerns in 2025 are different to previous years. She said online grooming, homelessness, drugs, addiction and a lack of mental health services are presenting as serious risks.
She said that "significant investment" is needed in early support.
Fine Gael TD Keira Keogh said 105,000 Tusla referrals by the end of year is "a huge amount of vulnerable children", comparing it to Croke Park's capacity of over 80,000.
Sinn Féin's Ruairí Ó Murchú also said "there is a huge amount of need out there.
"We all know why we are here," he said, referencing "four very tragic and shocking circumstances".
He asked the committee what it should do to deal with "this mess that is in front of us".
"I wouldn't want to have the list you have in front of you at this point in time," he told Tusla's CEO.
