Dr. Angie Skuce

But that has improved really hugely over the last few years.

as Ireland has learned how to best manage protection applicants and we rarely see it now.

And if we do, TUSLA respond immediately.

We contact TUSLA, we ask for an immediate reassessment and they will almost always respond the same day.

No, I think it's possibly a good thing.

I think it's hopefully an indication that we're a caring, well-functioning society that looks after its vulnerable young people.

And my impression is, though I'm open to correction, my impression is that these people are

being accommodated in shared accommodation with other people of the same approximate level of maturity.

So when we see these young people in the care of Tusla, it seems that if they're 16, 17, 18, they're in accommodation with other people of that age.

They're not accommodated with much younger children who are 14 or 15.

So my impression is that

Toothla have taken a very caring, pragmatic approach to it, that it doesn't matter what your actual date of birth is, what matters is how mature you seem to be and what your behaviour is like.

And then you cannot assess somebody on the spot, but with the experience of staff living with these kids 24-7, they get a much more accurate impression.

When the person settles, they're relaxed into the country,

And and staff can make a much more accurate determination of their level of maturity.

Absolutely.

It doesn't matter how old somebody is.

They need the care that they need.

And these are young people who've come from horrific circumstances.

A lot of them have had horrific journeys.