The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) has identified significant safety risks in Tusla’s practice of housing vulnerable children in hotel rooms when alternative accommodations are unavailable. During an inspection of the child and family agency’s national out-of-hours service earlier this year, Hiqa found that Tusla had “very limited access to emergency residential care placements,” leading to the continued use of hotel rooms for children in crisis. This arrangement poses dangers such as inadequate supervision, lack of appropriate facilities, and exposure to potential harm, according to the watchdog.