Cavan-Monaghan TD Cathy Bennett Calls on Tusla to Tackle Staffing as Half of Special Care Beds Sit Unused
Sinn Féin TD Cathy Bennett says Tusla must 'pro-actively' deal with staff turnover, saying only about half to two-thirds of the State's 26 special care beds have been available for a decade. RTÉ reported 13 of 26 are in use.
By the Monaghan Brief staff·Edited by Seamus McKenna·Published · 2 min read
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The Diamond, Monaghan town. Archive location photograph; not a photo of the events in this story. Michael Dibb · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and colour-graded; cropped in layout.
Cavan-Monaghan Sinn Féin TD Cathy Bennett has called on Tusla to "pro-actively" address problems in its services, especially high staff turnover. She said that for a decade only about half to two-thirds of the country's 26 special care beds have been available.
Deputy Bennett told Northern Sound there is an "utter, and dire need for public confidence in our child welfare agency".
The special care shortage
Special care units are secure placements for children at serious risk. RTÉ reported on 20 October that 13 of the 26 beds across Tusla's three units are in operation. The issue came to a head in a High Court case involving a 14-year-old girl, and the Taoiseach called it a "very serious situation".
Budget 2026 allocated €26 million to special care, up €6 million, including €4.6 million for step-down places, RTÉ said.
A new Special Care Worker grade introduced in January 2025 pays 20% more, as Tusla tries to recruit and keep staff.
Why it matters locally
Deputy Bennett is one of the five TDs for Cavan-Monaghan, where families depend on the same national system of special care placements. Ms Bennett has also raised the Monaghan Community Special School building with the Public Accounts Committee.
Sources
This article is an original summary based on the following reporting. We encourage readers to visit the original sources for full coverage.
Cavan-Monaghan TD Cathy Bennett says families are at their 'wits end' over hospital parking charges, citing HSE figures showing car park income rose from €7.39 million in 2021 to €17.76 million in 2025.
Cllr Bronagh McAree says the HSE has not answered why Cavan and Monaghan lack the emergency mental health services available at Sligo University Hospital. Monaghan County Council will write back seeking a direct comparison and a timeframe.
HSE Dublin and North East has two places on its Patient and Service User Council, one for a young adult aged 18 to 25 and one for someone from an under-served community. Monaghan residents can apply.
