Ned O'Keeffe
Question:120 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will arrange to investigate the withdrawal of an allowance by the Southern Health Board from persons (details supplied) in County Cork. [11130/01]
Written Answers - Health Board Allowances.
The Deputy's question relates to a foster care allowance in respect of a child placed with relatives.
The issue of taking children into care, and their discharge from care, is a matter for each health board under the Child Care Act, 1991. Section 41 of the Act, together with the Child Care (Placement of Children with Relatives) Regulations, 1995, gives a health board the option of placing a child coming into, or in the case of, the health board with relatives who receive the same allowances and are entitled to apply for the same discretionary payments from a health board as foster carers who are not relatives.
The issue of continuing a foster care placement with relatives is a matter for the local health board and this case has been referred to the Southern Health Board, which has been asked to reply to the Deputy directly.