Update – Tusla say closure of Letterkenny unit is “temporary”

The Child and Family Agency Tusla has said the closure of a facility in the Knocknamona area of Letterkenny is temporary.
This morning, Deputy Pearse Doherty questioned why the facility had been closed,saying he’d been promised clarification by the agency’s CEO, but that had not been forthcoming.
He claimed children at the facility had been moved to another centre 200 kilometres away, adding it’s extremely concerning to think that some of the most vulnerable children and young people, can be ordered to up sticks and move to a unit several counties away to be housed in strange settings in a strange community.
In a statement to Highland Radio this morning, Tusla say that due to the difficulties identifying a suitable replacement following the departure of a Centre Manager, they took the decision this week to suspend temporarily the service at a children’s residential home in the Donegal area.
This decision, Tusla says, was taken in the best interests of the children who lived there, as it was felt that the quality of the service provided to the children could not be guaranteed in the continued absence of a Centre Manager.
Arrangements for alternative accommodation are being made and the children are being supported through the transition by their social workers and in accordance with their care plan.
Tusla says it will continue in its efforts to identify a suitably qualified Manager to re-establish the service as soon as possible.