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Children in Care

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 July 2021

Tuesday, 6 July 2021

Questions (73)

Bríd Smith

Question:

73. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if children taken into care are being accommodated in hotels in recent months; if this is a regular situation; the steps he plans to take to ensure children in such situations are provided with appropriate care and accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36226/21]

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Written answers

Tusla, The Child and Family Agency, has responsibility to provide alternative care services for children who are in need of care and protection. Where a child needs emergency or long term care Tusla’s first priority is to find a family placement and 91% of children in care are in foster care placements. The majority of emergency placements are also provided by specialist foster carers.

Tusla's has an Out of Hours Emergency Social Work Service and its role is to ensure the safety and welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection outside of normal office hours. The service provides emergency care placements for children as required.

There were no young people placed by Out of Hours Services in hotel accommodation in 2019. In 2020 eight young people stayed in temporary hotel accommodation accompanied by two care workers. The total number of hotel nights was 11 at a cost of €4,290. To date in 2021 ten young people have been placed in hotel accommodation.

These situations arise where there is no residential vacancy in the immediate area, and older teenager is not suitable for a foster care placement. As it is not appropriate for a young person in this situation to be placed in a hospital or a Garda station, Tusla provides safe overnight accommodation under the supervision of trained staff. The short length of stay indicates that the young person either goes home, with supports, or is accommodated in a suitable community setting as soon as possible.

Section 12 of the Child Care Act 1991 empowers An Garda Síochána (AGS), without a court order, to remove a child urgently from a situation for his or her safety and welfare where the Garda believes there is an immediate or serious risk to the child. Once the child is removed custody of the child is transferred to Tusla.

A 2017 National University of Ireland, Galway research project reviewed 452 cases, over a year, where AGS transferred children to Tusla’s care in such an emergency situation. The biggest cohort of the children were aged 15 to 17 years, slightly more boys than girls and the most common reported reasons for invoking Section 12 were:

- Severe parenting Difficulties (103)

- Parental Alcohol/Drug Abuse (88)

- Child Behaviour Difficulties (72).

As the data was collected in 2016/2017 many of the findings of the report, and subsequent recommendations, have been addressed through ongoing service development and improvements in Tusla. The findings of the report are being considered as part of the review of the Child Care Act 1991.

There are strategic plans to increase Tusla capacity in Children’s residential services.

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