Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 July 2012
677 Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide a detailed timeframe as to when the 630 unvetted foster care workers will be vetted; if she will provide a comprehensive report on the way this happened; and the action that will be taken to ensure that it never happens again. [36433/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Child Care Act 1991 the Health Service Executive has a statutory duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. The majority of children in care are in foster care, one third of whom are placed with relatives.
General foster care applicants undergo an assessment and training process to establish their suitability and competence. This process has six stages:
Application.
Assessment by a social worker.
Garda vetting, medical and referenced checks (including garda checks of adult children of the foster carers living at home).
Approval by the Fostering Committee — specific age/type of foster care.
Approval of the ‘match' between the foster carers with the Care Plan of the prospective child.
Placement of a child with the foster carers.
When a child is being placed in foster care, the suitability of a placement with relatives is explored in the first instance. Where the HSE is satisfied that an immediate placement with relatives is in the interests of the child, such placement frequently occurs before full approval of the committee is in place. Such emergency placements are provided for in Child Care (Placement of Children in Foster Care) regulations, 1995. Prior to and during the early stages of a placement, the relative is assessed by a principal social worker, including early Garda vetting. This is followed by a full assessment and approval by the foster care committee as outlined above.
The Deputy refers to a figure of 630 foster carers. This figure relates to December 2011 and refers to the number of foster carers that had not yet been fully approved by the Foster Care Committee. It should be noted that 540 of these were relatives of the child in care.
The Deputy should note that a child being placed in a placement awaiting final approval does not necessarily equate with a child being placed with a family that has not been vetted.
I am happy to advise the Deputy that progress has been made in recent months in reducing the numbers of foster careers awaiting final approval. This follows the Government's decision to make an additional budgeting provision of €19m for child welfare and protection services in 2012.
At the end of March 2012, I am advised by the HSE that 505 foster carers were awaiting final approval by the foster care panel, 417 of whom, were relatives of the child in care.
Foster care assessments can take a number of months to complete, due to their comprehensive nature.
