Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 2 December 2015
102. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children in residential care and in foster care; if adequate resources are available to meet these demands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43153/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraTusla, the Child and Family Agency, has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection and, if necessary, to receive a child into the care of the State. I am satisfied that Tusla takes its responsibility very seriously regarding the welfare of children in care and that there is a robust framework of regulations and standards, to ensure that children are placed in safe and caring settings.
The following table shows the total number of children in care broken down by the number in foster care and the number in residential care at the end 2014 and as at September 2015.
|
- |
No. of Children in Care |
No. of Children in Foster Care |
No. of Children in Residential Care |
|
2014 |
6,463 |
6,011 |
325 |
|
2015 (31/09/2015) |
6,373 |
5,914 |
337 |
All children in care should have an allocated social worker but it is important to note that if a child has not been allocated a social worker, the cases are reviewed regularly by the principal social worker and are managed by duty social work teams to ensure the necessary needs of the children are being met. Currently, 92% of children in care have an allocated social worker (5,880/6,373). The additional funding of €38 million which I have allocated to Tusla for 2016, will give the Agency greater capacity to respond to ongoing demand. These additional resources are intended to alleviate pressures being faced in the areas of unallocated cases, private residential and foster care, and domestic sexual and gender based violence services.
As the majority of children in care are in foster care family settings in the community, indicators of stability of the placement and participation in education are useful in monitoring the performance of Tusla in relation to overall welfare. I am happy to say that Tusla has reported that the results for these indicators are positive and show that placement stability is very high and participation in education is on a par with the national participation rates.
