An umbrella group representing children’s NGOs has said it is “extremely disappointed and deeply concerned” with the company selected to represent unaccompanied children seeking asylum.
The Children’s Rights Alliance (CRA) wrote to the Oireachtas justice committee on Tuesday criticising the appointment of Galway firm Allpro Services for the role.
The company, which also houses refugees and asylum seekers, will provide staff to respond to the arrival of unaccompanied minors at the State’s ports and airports as new European Union migration and asylum rules come into effect.
Under the pact, which came into effect last month, a State representative will be at a port of entry in the Republic within one hour of an unaccompanied minor being reported.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said AllPro was identified as the strongest applicant for the role.
“AllPro confirmed previous relevant experience in a number of locations, including responding to emergency welfare presentations involving underage homeless individuals and vulnerable young people. Child representatives are CORU (the multi-profession health and social care regulator) registered, provide cover across the country and are available to attend airport or port as necessary with a very short time frame.”
Unaccompanied minors will be referred to Tusla for support and accommodation.
However, the CRA said they were disappointed and concerned with the selection of the company, describing it as a “facilities management services company, with apparently weak track record in provided childcare services to vulnerable children and young people”.
Tanya Ward, the chief executive of the CRA, argued the firm had not “demonstrated expertise of the legal processes involved in international protection or child care systems to the role of the representative service for unaccompanied children”.
Social Democrats justice spokesman Gary Gannon said it was “astonishing” the company had been appointed.
“[Minister for Justice] Jim O’Callaghan must explain how he could possibly believe this appointment is in the best interests of some of the most vulnerable children in the care of the State,” he said.
“They deserve care, expertise and trust, not an approach that reduces their protection to another procurement exercise.”
The CRA said the representative must assist and act on behalf of the unaccompanied child, support them to understand the international protection process and all the procedures involved including the screening procedure and providing biometric data.
They must also assist the child with their application and appeals and support them in engaging with family tracing, she said, arguing it is a “critical role that can determine how effectively unaccompanied children understand and engage with a complex legal and administrative system”.
Ward said the firm states on its website it works in security, cleaning, pest control, sanitary services and landscaping.
“We expected that an organisation with a proven track record of working with children and young people would have been appointed to provide the representative service particularly given the vulnerability of unaccompanied children,” she wrote to the committee.
She warned unaccompanied children are “extremely vulnerable to hyper mobility, exploitation, trafficking and disappearing”. She said the initial contract for the representative service will be a six month pilot, and called for an independent evaluation after this period.
AllPro Services had not responded to a request for comment at time of publication.