What to do if you have a concern about a child or young person

Everyone has a responsibility to keep children and young people safe from abuse and neglect.

If you are worried about a child but unsure whether you should report it to Tusla, you may find it useful to contact Tusla social work to informally discuss the issue.

If you have a child protection or welfare concern, you should formally report to Tusla.

In cases of emergency, where a child or young person appears to be at immediate and serious risk, contact An Garda Síochána.

Everyone has a responsibility to keep children as safe as possible. We can do this by learning about the different types of child abuse and how to recognise them.

This article on the Tusla website provides an overview of the four main types of child abuse: neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. It also includes information on bullying and other circumstances where children may be more vulnerable to harm.

If you have a concern, or want to discuss a potential child protection and welfare matter, you can contact a social worker in your area.

If you are a Mandated Person, you are obliged to report any knowledge, belief, or reasonable suspicion that a child or young person has been harmed, is being harmed or is at risk of being harmed.

You can find more information on how to make a Mandated Report on the Tusla website.

The Tusla Portal allows professionals to securely submit Child Protection and Welfare Report Forms (CPWRFs) and Retrospective Abuse Report Forms (RARFs) to Tusla online.

If a child or young person needs help or advice, they can contact Tusla by using the Get in Touch form on Changing Futures, a website created by young people for young people.

If you are concerned that your child has seen illegal or harmful content online, you should report this to the online platform where you saw it first.

More information on the role of Coimisiún na Meán in protecting young people online, and how to make a report to various platforms, can be found here.