Anne Rabbitte
Question:270. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount of the Tusla budget that goes directly to aftercare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8968/17]
View answerWednesday, 22 February 2017
Questions (270)
Written answers
I am committed to implementing the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 which entitles eligible young people to a formal aftercare plan, prepared by Tusla in collaboration with the young person leaving care. My Department is working closely with Tusla to ensure that the provisions of the Act can be fully implemented as quickly as possible in the coming months.
In terms of funding, I secured an additional €37m for Tusla in Budget 2017, which will bring its total allocation to over €700m. This included additional funding to support service delivery to implement legislation. Tusla is identifying gaps in the aftercare service nationally and has indicated that this will require an expansion in aftercare management and workers. Tusla is currently finalising arrangements for the publication of its 2017 Business Plan which sets out the priorities for these important services in 2017.
It is important to note that young people leaving care typically receive supports relating to accommodation, further education, employment and training, which are funded by other Government Departments. This means that the part of Tusla’s budget for 2017 which is ultimately allocated to aftercare services under the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 will represent just a small proportion of the total spending by the State on those in receipt of aftercare services.