Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 January 2016
221. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children now in State care and in foster care; the duration of their stay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3665/16]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency, has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection and, if necessary, to receive a child into the care of the State. As of 31 October 2015, there were 6,331 children in the care of the State. Of these 93% were in foster care, with 4,047 in a general foster care and 1,818 in foster care with relatives.
As the majority of children in care are in foster care family settings in the community, indicators of stability of the placement and participation in education are useful in monitoring the performance of Tusla in relation to overall welfare. Provisional figures from Tusla show that at the end of December 2014, 14% of children had been in care less than a year, with 48% in care for between 1 to 5 years and 38% had been in care for longer than 5 years.
