A court-ordered youth fled care due to Tusla’s failure to secure a bed, worsening her condition amid self-harm and substance use.

A vulnerable minor, ordered by a High Court to be placed in secure care, has fled a private accommodation due to Tusla’s failure to comply, citing a lack of available beds in Ireland’s three secure units. Judge John Jordan criticized Tusla for not following the mandatory order, noting the girl’s worsening condition, including self-harm, violence, substance use, and contact with an adult man. Her former foster family has agreed to take her in, while Tusla faces a contempt of court proceeding. A separate child now in secure care is reported to be improving, and a related issue involving a drug debt transferred to the child’s sibling is under garda investigation.