The Children's Minister has indicated he may have to seek a budget bailout for the Child and Family Agency that has only been up and running for a year.
Túsla, which was established on 1st January 2014, is only at 70% of its staffing level and more than 9,400 children are awaiting a further intervention with a social worker.
The head of the agency has already said that it will need an extra €45m next year just to keep services at current levels.
Minister James Reilly says there may have to be a case made for extra funding this year:
Earlier this month, the Child and Family Agency said there were 3,250 high priority cases over the summer waiting for a response.
The agency's Chief Executive said their funding is 10% below what is required to provide the current level of services.
