Gordon Deegan
A Tusla Child and Family Agency care worker has told a court that a teenager in interim care has alleged that her mother tried to sell her to a man in Germany.
The care worker reported the allegation at the Family Law Court in Ennis as Judge Sandra Murphy extended the interim care order in place for the 17-year-old in response to an application by Tusla.
The care worker told the court: “The teenager is happy in her emergency placement, and she is very clearly saying that she doesn’t want to return to her mother."
She stated: “She is afraid to go home because of repercussions of what could happen.”
The care worker stated that the teenage girl “previously told us that her mother tried to sell her to a man, so we are not clear if this is a different man or the same man.”
Interim care order
As part of the Tusla application seeking an extension to the interim care order for the teen, the care worker stated: “We have talked to the mother about these things, and she is denying these things, and she is denying that she would sell her daughter to any man.”
The care worker told Judge Murphy: “I don’t know if we will ever know the truth about all of this, but we can only listen to what the child tells us, and she is a 17-year-old."
Solicitor for Tusla, Kevin Sherry told the court that the mother was objecting to the interim care order application, but was unable to come to court as she is self-isolating due to a Covid-19 contact.
The care worker for Tusla told Judge Murphy that the teenager “is doing very, very well in the residential unit - she is not causing any trouble”.
She stated: “In general, she is doing really well, and we are looking for something long term and this is still ongoing but unfortunately because of the cyberattack, some applications are stuck in the system.”
The care worker stated that she was satisfied that the grounds are there for the extension of the interim care order.
Another Tusla care worker previously told the court that she has never witnessed any harm being caused during her time in the family home.
Judge Murphy extended the interim care order to next month.
