Budget constraints forced the Ombudsman for Children to suspend regular visits to hear concerns from asylum seekers living in direct provision centres, new documents show.
Correspondence shows the ombudsman, Dr Niall Muldoon, said his office “cannot continue to fulfil our statutory obligations within existing resourcing”.
Last year he requested additional funding from the Department of Children, warning his office had to “curtail some of our work due to insufficient resources”.
The independent Ombudsman for Children’s Office is tasked with handling complaints made by or for children about the actions of public organisations and promoting the rights and welfare of children.
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Last February, Dr Muldoon told the department his office had “no choice” since July 2023 but to “suspend our regular complaints outreach visits to direct provision centres due to lack of resources” and could now “only visit centres where serious concerns are reported to us”.
Outreach meetings involved staff visits to direct provision centres where detailed discussions take place with asylum seeker residents or families who have issues.
In the correspondence released under Freedom of Information laws, he said his office has been unable to begin the visits to centres accommodating Ukrainians “due to the lack of resources”.
“These are measures we did not wish to take, especially in light of our concerns about these children and families, but we felt we had no option but to introduce a priority approach to visits due to lack of resources to fulfil this role,” he said.
Dr Muldoon said efforts to deliver workshops to children who find his office hard to reach, including many in direct provision and mental health units, were also affected.
“We were unable to complete our full programme of visits due to insufficient staffing and this means that many children who are already at serious disadvantage are once again being let down.”
Dr Muldoon sought funding of just under €650,000 for five new posts. In response, the Department of Children’s secretary general, Kevin McCarthy, said the budget for the ombudsman’s office showed a 10.7 per cent increase over 2023, “well ahead of overall headline expenditure increases”.
“As for all publicly funded bodies, it will be necessary for the office to prioritise demands for new or expanded service delivery in line with available resources in 2024.”
Dr Muldoon later wrote directly to then minister for children Roderic O’Gorman outlining: “We cannot continue to fulfil our statutory obligations within existing resourcing.”
He criticised a “consistent pattern with our budget allocation in recent years which is no longer sustainable”.
He requested a budget allocation of €5.7 million for 2025, arguing the cost of providing existing services would be €5.1 million. Budget 2025 allocated a little more than €5 million.
A spokeswoman for the ombudsman’s office said it has “worked to fully maximise our resources across all of our functions”.
[ Opinion: The direct provision system has reached its limitsOpens in new window ]
She said outreach visits to Oberstown Children Detention Campus and other locations such as direct provision centres are part of the office’s work responding to complaints. “We are committed to continuing to grow our outreach to ensure we are accessible to children who may find us hard to reach.”
It is understood visits taking place primarily respond to complaints received by the ombudsman as opposed to a full programme of site visits.
“The [office] continues to engage with the Department of Children ... to ensure that our budget for 2026 can meet the demands of the office,” she said.
A spokeswoman for the department said it values the office’s work. She said Minister for Children Norma Foley met Dr Muldoon in recent weeks.
She and her department are “committed to working with the [ombudsman’s office] to ensure it continues making a positive contribution”.
[ Opinion: Government has quietly shelved its plan to end direct provisionOpens in new window ]
