Tusla reported seven companies that run children’s homes to Gardaí over Garda-vetting concerns

Between 2023 and 2025, Tusla reported seven private companies that run children’s homes to Gardaí, due to suspected issues with Garda vetting, according to a disclosures table released under the Freedom of Information Act. 

While it is a criminal offence to employ a person who is not Garda vetted in a role that requires vetting, those situations, when identified, are not always referred to Gardaí. 

The issues that Tusla referred to Gardaí were described in the disclosures table as either “suspicion of falsification of vetting document” or a “irregularity in Garda vetting received.”

Last year, a staff member at Good People Homecare and a company director of Ideal Care – were convicted of falsifying documents related to Garda vetting, after Tusla referred issues to Gardaí in 2023. 

Garda vetting is a process that allows an employer to check whether a person has certain convictions, such as violent crimes or sexual offences before employing them to work directly with children.

Ideal Care Services admitted submitting false or misleading background checks to Tusla including “altered” Garda vetting documents, false staff references and falsified records of reference checks, according to an Irish Times report.

An employee of Good People was convicted of 55 counts of forging Garda vetting certs, according to the Irish Times.

“Garda vetting is a mandatory statutory mechanism and a foundational pillar of child protection in Irish residential care,” says Terry Dignan, of the Children's Residential and Aftercare Voluntary Association (CRAVA). 

Because residential care environments cater to highly vulnerable children who have often experienced prior trauma, rigorous background screening can provide an initial barrier against the potential risk of abuse, he says. 

Those companies that have failed on vetting should not be allowed to continue to profit from caring for vulnerable children, says Dignan.

“Any organisation that does not rigorously enforce Garda vetting for every adult working with children is failing in its fundamental duty of care and is not, in my opinion, an organisation that should be involved in the care of children,” he says. 

“Vetting is the first line of defence in the protection of children in care,” says Wayne Stanley, CEO of the advocacy organisation Empowering Young People in Care (EPIC).

“If that basic standard is not met or avoided, that would be a breach of trust that EPIC would believe it is difficult to move past,” he said.

Still contracting

As of February this year, Tusla was still contracting – to look after children – at least four of the seven companies which it had referred to Gardaí over suspected vetting issues between 2023 and 2025.

That is according to a list of registered children’s homes providers presented in the Dáil, by the Minister for Children, Norma Foley, in February 2026.

One of the companies that was still running registered homes, was reported for “suspicion of falsification of vetting document” in 2023 and 2024, according to the disclosures table. A spokesperson for Tusla wouldn't comment on the current status of particular cases.

“Where we have significant cause for concern, such as suspected fraud or serious wrongdoing, Tusla will refer it to An Garda Síochána (AGS) without delay,” says a spokesperson. 

“Tusla has identified private companies who have not met the standards we expect in relation to validated staff training, qualifications, references, and vetting,” she says. “As a result, the Agency subsequently ceased using the services they provide.”

But not all of those that Tusla referred to Gardaí were among those the agency stopped using. Also they kept using companies, which they intended to cut off, she said.

“In the case of the eight providers we stopped using, it was, in some instances, necessary to phase out the service before fully ceasing engagement, while alternative placements were identified for the children and young people concerned,” says the spokesperson. 

In some cases, Tusla stopped using companies, but later started working with them again too. 

“Where companies reapply to become a provider, they are required to complete a number of steps to ensure any issues that may have been identified are satisfactorily addressed and any previous risk mitigated against,” says the spokesperson.

A Tusla spokesperson didn’t directly answer questions as to how many of the companies it is in the process of phasing out and how many it reengaged with after agreeing on a compliance plan. 

When are cases referred?

It is not clear what the bar is for a referral to Gardaí, when Garda-vetting issues are identified. 

It is a criminal offence to employ a person to work in a job that requires Garda vetting – such as a social care worker in a children’s home – if that person is not Garda-vetted. 

However, a Tusla audit of emergency providers compiled between 2023 and 2025 showed that some staff on shift in children’s homes didn’t have essential paperwork, including Garda vetting or overseas police clearance.

The companies named in that audit were not the same ones that Tusla referred to Gardaí, in the disclosures log.

“An Garda Síochána has received a number of reports as confirmed by Tusla,” says a spokesperson for an Garda Síochána. “In two cases prosecutions were initiated, resulting in a court conviction.”

“An Garda Síochána has a number of investigations which are ongoing at this time,” he says.