Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 July 2022
262. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children in State care at present; the extent to which this is sufficient; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37002/22]
View answerThe Child Care Act 1991 (‘the Act’) is the statutory framework for child welfare and protection in Ireland. The legislation places a statutory duty on Tusla to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. It sets the legislative provisions in relation to taking children into care, and the responsibilities of the Sate in that regard, which aim to improve outcomes for looked after children.
There are a number of ways in which a child may come into the care of Tusla. Section 4 of the Act allows for a child to be taken into the care of Tusla on a voluntary basis for a determined period of time without the need for a care order, subject to the agreement and wishes of the parent.
Alternatively, the Act provides Tusla with the legislative basis to remove a child from his or her family environment, following a successful application for a care order to a Court. The Act specifies the different types of care order, which will determine the type and duration of the subsequent alternative care placement. These include Emergency Care Orders, Interim Care Orders, Care Orders and Special Care Orders.
The conditions required for a court to make a Care Order in respect of a child are specified in Part IV of the Act.
There are three types of alternative care operating in Ireland: foster care, residential care, and special care. These arrangements are in place in order to meet the differing needs and circumstances of children in the care of the State. Tusla has advised that at the end of April 2022 there were 5,869 children in the care of the State.
Further, the United Nations Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children, 2009, specified foster care as the most desirable form of alternative care for children. As such it is noteworthy that the vast majority of looked after children in Ireland reside in foster care. Tusla has advised that approximately 90% of children in care, reside in foster care.
