Volunteers bringing Ukrainian children to Ireland leave them ‘open to risk’

The Irish office of the United Nations refugee agency cautioned that volunteer groups bringing unaccompanied minors from Ukraine to Ireland leave the children open to a “heightened risk of exploitation”.

It is understood UNHCR officials are concerned there could be an increase in volunteer groups seeking to bring unaccompanied children from Ukraine to Ireland without sufficient oversight.

In a statement on Friday, the UN agency said charities or volunteers seeking to help children in Ukraine should work with Tusla “to ensure that the best interests of children are fully protected”.

It added that in “no circumstances should families be separated as a result of relocation or evacuation movements”.

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The comments were echoed by Goal, which said that well-meaning efforts by "untrained or inexperienced volunteers" responding to the Ukrainian crisis are putting women and children at risk.

The warning from the Goal NGO comes as figures from Tusla indicate more than 130 unaccompanied minors have arrived from Ukraine since the start of the war in mid-February. Of these 72 have had to be taken into care.

Of these 72 taken in care, 50 remain in care, of which 22 are in foster care, 16 are in supported lodgings and 12 are in residential care.

A spokeswoman for Tusla said: “Since the onset of the arrival of people from Ukraine to Ireland, there have been 132 referrals to Tusla of unaccompanied minors. This figure is inclusive of children who were subsequently reunified [with family] at the airport.

“However, not all of these referrals translate into cases where a child will require admission to full-time care with Tusla. ”

Mary van Lieshout, complaints response director with Goal, said women and children, who accounted for the majority of the more than 5 million people who have fled Ukraine, were particularly vulnerable to exploitation.

“Well-meaning efforts to meet needs as soon as possible can result in the use of untrained or inexperienced volunteers, who can be unaware to particular risks and inadvertently place women and children at further risk,” said Ms van Lieshout.