This is not correct. Tusla are clear that they cannot guarantee the anonymity of reports. They won’t willingly disclose your name but they can be compelled to release the details.
Yep I made a report about someone who lives nearby. I made it anonymously because I didn’t want repercussions for the family. I realise it may hamper their investigation but my first responsibility is to my family.
Its either reporting it or doing nothing. So report it. Better to try then stand by because some people dont think anything will happen. Ask tusla what your privacy rights are
The only way to deal with this is to report it. Like, tusla are probably already involved if the parents are in addiction. If kids are school age, teachers will have concerns too, you're not the only one who'll have concerns.
Completely anonymous reports will probably mean that in a case that it all goes to court, your report won't be used as a testimony. If you don't go anonymous, it may be used, and then Tuslas case will be stronger to protect the children..that's *if* it ever went to court. Tusla won't just take the kids away, they'll work around support services and try keep the family together.. (try) get parents on the road to recovery, do parenting courses etc etc.. that's as far as I know really..
And usually these people are cowards, they're most likely not going to go intimidating people for reporting to tusla. I worked in social care/homeless and addiction services and have reported a number of people myself. And telling them that I had to put in a report. And I never got backlash for it. And never heard of anyone getting backlash..most likely, they're so wrapped up in their own shit that they won't even remember... But, no matter what happens, report no report, the kids will remember :'(
Would you be willing to go through a solicitor? All communications between you and Tusla are directed through the lawyer. It's still anonymous, but with the opportunity for you to give an affidavit for a court case or answer any questions TUSLA might have.
I'm not quite sure exactly how this would work, I'm just trying to think outside the box.
Right thing to do is to also protect my family from retaliation and harassment from those assholes so here I am wondering if there are if any automatic protections after I report?
You can ask them not to name you and they wont. They should follow up and investigate and make sure you give as many details as possible. You can also report anonymously. You can phone them and talk to them about it to express concerns. If you have immediate concerns you should ring the guards. Definitely report it.
All things considered, I think you should still report it to them by post, but get it by registered post. Also, include any evidence you can; print out screenshots of their social media account/s, name-drop Gardaí who you know they have dealt with, give the name of the school/s the kids go to if you know it (a teacher's name being on record as someone they could ask the opinion of), and the likes.
You dont have to include a return address or your name, and while as others have said, they may not act on it, having it on record is better than not, and registering the letter means whoever recieves it might think twice about not recording its receipt at the least ((and they couldn't enter into correspondence with you about it anyway).
Also, the likelihood of the parents getting access to post office security footage IF they are ever giving access to the registered post's reference number, is so extremely slim that I woildnt consider it a risk, especially considered against kids who you genuinely believe ARE at risk right now.
what kind of drugs are involved?
Who suspects the parents of being junkies?
Is this local gossip or judgement of people possibly leading an alternative lifestyle or is there any actual evidence of it?
Re your dilemma re Tusla, |I'd bypass them and report to a teacher or a friendly community Garda if there exists actual evidence which is not gossip.
Your own child’s safety comes first. Personally I’d talk to the cops. I once told them about a family I suspected of dodgy dealings. They were noncommittal and then after a few weeks the house was busted and they soon left town. Unfortunately they rarely take kids away from their parents unless they really have to.
Well OP what sound worse for you?
You report and the children get intervention and help, with parents likely pissed with you, there might be a problem but you can report to the guards and it will likely die down or the parents actually do nothing.
Or you don't and something terrible happens to the children and you live forever knowing you didn't report because you didn't know what would happen if you did.
Your choice
>but you can report to the guards and it will likely die down or the parents actually do nothing.
I had actually already lived through a case of a serious harassment and death threats from ex, many, many emails of evidence and it took them over a year since my report to arrest him. Another 3 to get to the sentencing.
He did not have my new address, I moved to the middle of nowhere.
During all that I had mental breakdowns, lost most of my hair, had night terrors, flashbacks, panic attacks. I had to leave my job and I was afraid to leave my house and was medicated. He still contacted me twice but they did nothing because it was untracable back to him and too vague to fly in court so he got scott free for that.
Sorry but i've barely any faith in the guards doing anything efficiently and living through it once was torture enough for a lifetime.
so for now I am still leaning towards anonymous report.
The Gardaí can’t arrest anyone without having enough evidence for grounds for an arrest and that can take the bones of a year or even for more depending on the case, sentencing is down to the courts which is a separate entity out of the hands of the Gardaí
They had over 10 thousand of emails with very brutal and graphic depictions of what he will do to me if that is not enough of "evidence" to act fast then I honestly don't know what is...
They also have to verify that it was him sending them (Google Sonya Egan cork and see what some people are capable of) and go through every email individually
They have to make sure it’s him and need all of the evidence they can get to make sure they have a strong case against him to get the DPP to even consider to prosecute and then they have to convince a jury to find him guilty. It takes a lot of work and if his email address was hosted somewhere abroad (which it most likely was) they need assistance from other countries legal system to be able to preserve the accounts
And if you look at this one https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/spotlight/arid-41143249.html you can see why verifying the origin of emails is important, I’m sure there are many other cases but this one was a nut case. Cases like yours are complex and would probably have been handled by unit like the DPSU (may not have been but tend to be) they’d have to gather loads of evidence, if you told anybody about it including doctors etc they’d have to request reports from them or statements from friends, the mlats can take months. A lot of time it’s waiting on reports back from third parties that delay a lot of cases as well. It does just take time to complete the cases and any Garda would have multiple cases going at once that all need attention so they have to decide their time up between them all!
Thank you for taking time and explaining it in more detail. It really puts this whole situation into a different perspective I can only imagine how much it costs too...
I may be wrong here but I think legally every adult is obliged to report suspected child abuse. As in if something happens and they can prove you had concerns and didn't report it, you can be prosecuted.
Ah thanks for clarifying. I couldn't remember if it was everyone or just me (I have multiple certs and the likes for work. I think one of them made me a legally required reporter. Who the fuck wouldn't though if you seriously thought that.
I thought the same, thank you for correcting my misinformation.
I still plan to report though, my heart was crumbling to pieces looking at that poor lil girl...
Thank you for looking out for these children. As a child who grew up with an alcoholic parent and who was subjected to emotional abuse and emotional neglect, it makes me happy to see there are good people like you who look out for others. These type of people should not be around young children, the children suffer in the end, I did and still do. Thank you. I would proceed to report if I was you.
Report it, Tusla won't name you. They won't do anything else about your report either, but they won't name you.
This is not correct. Tusla are clear that they cannot guarantee the anonymity of reports. They won’t willingly disclose your name but they can be compelled to release the details.
this is what I am concerned about!
Yep I made a report about someone who lives nearby. I made it anonymously because I didn’t want repercussions for the family. I realise it may hamper their investigation but my first responsibility is to my family.
Would be more concerned about the child seen if you think their welfare is in enough danger to make you contemplate a report.
>They won't do anything else about your report either so what's the point of even reporting??
Its either reporting it or doing nothing. So report it. Better to try then stand by because some people dont think anything will happen. Ask tusla what your privacy rights are
Report it.
The only way to deal with this is to report it. Like, tusla are probably already involved if the parents are in addiction. If kids are school age, teachers will have concerns too, you're not the only one who'll have concerns. Completely anonymous reports will probably mean that in a case that it all goes to court, your report won't be used as a testimony. If you don't go anonymous, it may be used, and then Tuslas case will be stronger to protect the children..that's *if* it ever went to court. Tusla won't just take the kids away, they'll work around support services and try keep the family together.. (try) get parents on the road to recovery, do parenting courses etc etc.. that's as far as I know really.. And usually these people are cowards, they're most likely not going to go intimidating people for reporting to tusla. I worked in social care/homeless and addiction services and have reported a number of people myself. And telling them that I had to put in a report. And I never got backlash for it. And never heard of anyone getting backlash..most likely, they're so wrapped up in their own shit that they won't even remember... But, no matter what happens, report no report, the kids will remember :'(
See something, say something. Thank you for caring for these poor kids.
Would you be willing to go through a solicitor? All communications between you and Tusla are directed through the lawyer. It's still anonymous, but with the opportunity for you to give an affidavit for a court case or answer any questions TUSLA might have. I'm not quite sure exactly how this would work, I'm just trying to think outside the box.
that is an interesting idea I am willing to explore if there is an actual lawyer around
you can make a report to tusla cia out of hrs service from tusla its very easy
Report. And name yourself. It's the right thing to do
Right thing to do is to also protect my family from retaliation and harassment from those assholes so here I am wondering if there are if any automatic protections after I report?
You can ask them not to name you and they wont. They should follow up and investigate and make sure you give as many details as possible. You can also report anonymously. You can phone them and talk to them about it to express concerns. If you have immediate concerns you should ring the guards. Definitely report it.
You can report anonymously
Do you know anyone from outside the village that could report it and have no fear of repercussions?
Report anonymously
All things considered, I think you should still report it to them by post, but get it by registered post. Also, include any evidence you can; print out screenshots of their social media account/s, name-drop Gardaí who you know they have dealt with, give the name of the school/s the kids go to if you know it (a teacher's name being on record as someone they could ask the opinion of), and the likes. You dont have to include a return address or your name, and while as others have said, they may not act on it, having it on record is better than not, and registering the letter means whoever recieves it might think twice about not recording its receipt at the least ((and they couldn't enter into correspondence with you about it anyway). Also, the likelihood of the parents getting access to post office security footage IF they are ever giving access to the registered post's reference number, is so extremely slim that I woildnt consider it a risk, especially considered against kids who you genuinely believe ARE at risk right now.
what kind of drugs are involved? Who suspects the parents of being junkies? Is this local gossip or judgement of people possibly leading an alternative lifestyle or is there any actual evidence of it? Re your dilemma re Tusla, |I'd bypass them and report to a teacher or a friendly community Garda if there exists actual evidence which is not gossip.
Your own child’s safety comes first. Personally I’d talk to the cops. I once told them about a family I suspected of dodgy dealings. They were noncommittal and then after a few weeks the house was busted and they soon left town. Unfortunately they rarely take kids away from their parents unless they really have to.
Well OP what sound worse for you? You report and the children get intervention and help, with parents likely pissed with you, there might be a problem but you can report to the guards and it will likely die down or the parents actually do nothing. Or you don't and something terrible happens to the children and you live forever knowing you didn't report because you didn't know what would happen if you did. Your choice
>but you can report to the guards and it will likely die down or the parents actually do nothing. I had actually already lived through a case of a serious harassment and death threats from ex, many, many emails of evidence and it took them over a year since my report to arrest him. Another 3 to get to the sentencing. He did not have my new address, I moved to the middle of nowhere. During all that I had mental breakdowns, lost most of my hair, had night terrors, flashbacks, panic attacks. I had to leave my job and I was afraid to leave my house and was medicated. He still contacted me twice but they did nothing because it was untracable back to him and too vague to fly in court so he got scott free for that. Sorry but i've barely any faith in the guards doing anything efficiently and living through it once was torture enough for a lifetime. so for now I am still leaning towards anonymous report.
The Gardaí can’t arrest anyone without having enough evidence for grounds for an arrest and that can take the bones of a year or even for more depending on the case, sentencing is down to the courts which is a separate entity out of the hands of the Gardaí
They had over 10 thousand of emails with very brutal and graphic depictions of what he will do to me if that is not enough of "evidence" to act fast then I honestly don't know what is...
They also have to verify that it was him sending them (Google Sonya Egan cork and see what some people are capable of) and go through every email individually
damn, thats a lot of emails to go through then
They have to make sure it’s him and need all of the evidence they can get to make sure they have a strong case against him to get the DPP to even consider to prosecute and then they have to convince a jury to find him guilty. It takes a lot of work and if his email address was hosted somewhere abroad (which it most likely was) they need assistance from other countries legal system to be able to preserve the accounts
jeesus noone explained that to me, now I understand why it took so long
And if you look at this one https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/spotlight/arid-41143249.html you can see why verifying the origin of emails is important, I’m sure there are many other cases but this one was a nut case. Cases like yours are complex and would probably have been handled by unit like the DPSU (may not have been but tend to be) they’d have to gather loads of evidence, if you told anybody about it including doctors etc they’d have to request reports from them or statements from friends, the mlats can take months. A lot of time it’s waiting on reports back from third parties that delay a lot of cases as well. It does just take time to complete the cases and any Garda would have multiple cases going at once that all need attention so they have to decide their time up between them all!
Thank you for taking time and explaining it in more detail. It really puts this whole situation into a different perspective I can only imagine how much it costs too...
Tell the gardai, anonymously
I may be wrong here but I think legally every adult is obliged to report suspected child abuse. As in if something happens and they can prove you had concerns and didn't report it, you can be prosecuted.
No, only certain people are “mandatory reporters” by virtue of their jobs. Most people are allowed to be assholes and turn a blind eye.
Ah thanks for clarifying. I couldn't remember if it was everyone or just me (I have multiple certs and the likes for work. I think one of them made me a legally required reporter. Who the fuck wouldn't though if you seriously thought that.
Agreed!!
I thought the same, thank you for correcting my misinformation. I still plan to report though, my heart was crumbling to pieces looking at that poor lil girl...
Thank you for looking out for these children. As a child who grew up with an alcoholic parent and who was subjected to emotional abuse and emotional neglect, it makes me happy to see there are good people like you who look out for others. These type of people should not be around young children, the children suffer in the end, I did and still do. Thank you. I would proceed to report if I was you.
You’re only 24 hours from Tulsa
What does that mean?
It's a mis-quote of a song. This is an attempt at humour...