Tusla staff honoured at annual awards for excellence

Tusla’s commitment to building an inclusive, empowered, and forward-thinking workforce was celebrated at this year’s Excellence and Innovation Awards, held at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin.

In its third year, the annual ceremony shines a spotlight on the inspiring initiatives developed by staff across the agency to deliver better outcomes for children and families throughout Ireland.

Among the standout winners this year was Barnahus Project — West and South, the leading European model of a child-friendly multidisciplinary interagency response for children and young people when there is a concern or disclosure of child sexual abuse.

Barnahus, which translates as ‘children’s house’, has locations in Cork and Galway, and offers a coordinated response by professionals from Tusla, the HSE/Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, and the gardaí to child sexual abuse victims under the age of 18.

Barnahus South serves Cork, Kerry, South Tipperary, and Waterford, and is working from locations in Cork city and Clonmel until a new state-of-the-art building is completed at St Mary’s Campus in Gurranabraher, which will allow all the services to be co-located in a child-friendly property.

Barnahus South manager Fiona Geraghty said research shows children must overcome substantial barriers to tell their story of sexual abuse. She added: “For some children, the professional and criminal justice experience is often protracted, confusing, and potentially a retraumatising experience, especially when there is a lack of interagency cooperation and collaboration.”

The Barnahus model is based on the principle that interagency collaboration at the earliest opportunity will improve outcomes for children who may have experienced sexual abuse.