A company trusted to house some of the most vulnerable children in the care of the State supplied false Garda vetting clearances of its care staff and accommodated young people in overcrowded, “unsuitable” conditions.
Despite this, the businessman behind the group has gone on to win a further multimillion euro State contract, to work with asylum seekers, as well as provide housing for Ukrainian refugees.
An investigation by The Irish Times has established that the Co Meath company Good People Homecare submitted forged Garda background checks, which falsely cleared some of its employees to work with at-risk children.
The company was paid several million euros to oversee emergency housing for children in care, before Tusla, the child and family agency, became concerned Garda vetting clearances supplied about some of its workers were fake.
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An employee of Good People was earlier this year convicted of forgery and falsifying Garda vetting documentation of staff who were looking after children in State care. The company is run by Gerard Chimbganda, a businessman and evangelical pastor originally from Zimbabwe.
Good People was one of several private firms Tusla had relied on to manage emergency accommodation for vulnerable children in care, due to a shortage of foster carers and lack of space in regulated group care homes.
Tusla became concerned the company had “falsified” paperwork indicating staff passed criminal background checks in late 2023, reporting the matter to the Garda, who began an investigation.
Internal emails show Tusla flagged more than 20 cases where they had “serious concerns” about vetting being fake.
The State’s child protection agency stopped placing children into accommodation run by Good People, which was typically rented houses or apartments with care staff on site.
One of its now former employees, who is understood to be a younger relative of Mr Chimbganda, was charged with 110 counts of forgery and falsification of Garda vetting disclosures. The 22-year-old woman was convicted in Trim Circuit Court this May and given an 18-month suspended sentence, according to court records.
When contacted, Mr Chimbganda said the case concerned a “former junior employee, who acted entirely alone”, without the knowledge of management.
“Upon discovery, Good People fully co-operated with the authorities, her employment was terminated, and she has never been re-engaged,” he said.
All care staff hold valid Garda vetting clearance and “no director or member of senior management engaged in any wrongdoing”, he said.
Briefing papers show Tusla told the Department of Children about the company supplying falsified Garda vetting checks in April 2024, five months after the agency first uncovered the issue.
[ Tusla expects to be €68m over budget this year as demand for services risesOpens in new window ]
The department awarded another company run by Mr Chimbganda, Minana International, a public contract worth an estimated €6 million late last year, to carry out “vulnerability assessments” of asylum seekers. That company trades under the name Good People and shares the same directors and address.
It was already being paid hundreds of thousands of euros a year to provide accommodation to Ukrainian refugees, including women and children, since late 2022. Good People Homecare continues to provide home care services to older people in Co Meath, on behalf of the Health Service Executive.
In a statement, Tusla said its internal checks spotted “irregularities in Garda vetting documentation” supplied by Good People.
Kate Duggan, Tusla chief executive, said children in its care had to be looked after by qualified, vetted professionals. “This case demonstrates our commitment to strong governance and our willingness to act swiftly when concerns arise,” she said.
Internal Tusla inspections of accommodation run by Good People found children were living in crowded conditions in “unsuitable” properties. The inspection reports were completed in 2023 and released under the Freedom of Information Act.
