Anyone who suspects that a child is being abused, or is at risk of abuse, has a duty to report their suspicions to Tusla. You should report your concerns to the Tusla Children and Family Services local social work duty service in the area the child lives.
You can report your concerns in person, by writing or by phone. While you can report your concerns anonymously, Tusla does not normally reveal the names of people who report suspicions of child abuse unless they have permission to do so. If you are unsure about your concerns, you can discuss your suspicions with the social worker before deciding to make a formal report.
Tusla will consider your report and decide whether it needs following up. If it does, Tusla will look for information from other sources and will contact the child and the child’s parents in order to establish what is going on. It will then take whatever action is required to protect the child.
If you need to report your concerns outside normal office hours (weekends and at night) you should report your concerns to the Garda Síochána.
Under the Protection for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act 1998, so long as you report what you believe to be true and you do it in good faith you cannot be sued for making a false or malicious report.