Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 July 2016
40. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to address concerns over private residential care homes, specifically that many such homes provide less quality care to children in their care than voluntary and State care homes; the reason Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, relies so heavily on private residential homes rather than State-provided care homes. [23058/16]
View answerI reject the characterisation put forward by the Deputy regarding the quality of provision across the range of residential services provided by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. In the case of private residential centres, Tusla carries out a robust process of registration, monitoring and inspection. This process ensures that the quality of provision is put in place from the start and maintained as part of the service agreement with the provider. The inspection reports are published on the Tusla website.
A child is placed in a residential setting only where they have an identified need that can be met by this service. This is often where an alternative arrangement, such as a fostering placement, is not considered suitable. Approximately 5% of children in care across the country use residential services. The availability of these services need to be responsive and flexible enough to meet existing demand as well as specialist needs of children, availability in emergency cases, or areas where there is an emerging demand for residential services. Whether operated by Tusla, managed by voluntary groups or run by private companies, the mix of different types of provision provides Tusla with the operational flexibility to meet demand for residential services as it arises.
