Ms Catherine Bond:

The Deputy has touched on a very relevant issue at the moment, which is the terminology of aftercare. Legally, within the Child Care Act the legal age of adulthood is 18 years. When a young person in foster care arrives at the age of 18, he or she is no longer deemed to be a child in care.

They then move into the aftercare space. Many young people in foster care find the term "aftercare" does not reflect their status in life. They are defined by their care status as opposed to the achievements in their own lives. Foster carers also find the terminology of aftercare very frustrating and demeaning. In 2021, IFCA held a series of focus groups specifically looking at the aftercare system and how it impacts on children in care and foster carers. Foster carers felt devalued by the system of aftercare because when the child reaches the age of 16, many of them are told by an aftercare worker that they are taking over, the child is moving into aftercare and their job is done. These families are hugely invested in these children, like Ms Corridon, who has had her little boy from two weeks of age. They are investing all their lives into these children. It is the same for Mr. Nolan, who is fostering three children. To be told when the children reach 16 that they have done their job is quite demeaning and belittling for foster carers because they have invested in these children's futures. They see themselves as part of these children's futures and the vast majority of them are, thankfully. They have raised these children and brought them to all their appointments and access visits. They have brought this whole young person out at the other end and want to continue caring for them. The vast majority of foster carers continue to care for these children beyond the end of aftercare, which is at age 23. We know of children of foster carers who are now fostering other children themselves and so it is almost like a family fostering. The whole area of aftercare needs to be reviewed. I am aware that Tusla is reviewing it. The Irish Foster Care Association and Empowering People in Care, EPIC, have entered into a joint endeavour to get the views of foster carers and young people in care. That report will be issued quite soon and we can provide that to the committee.

Within the review of the Child Care Act, we need to look at the legal age of leaving care being 18. Not many parents would tell their child, on reaching 18, that they are on their own. Not many parents would tell them at the age of 16 that they need to spend the next two years preparing them for leaving. It is not natural in family life. While these children may be chronologically 18, developmentally they are not because of the myriad of complex issues they have on coming into care, the early life experiences, loss and separation they have had in their lives. We have a very responsible job in caring for these very vulnerable young people in our society. There is a huge investment by the State for all these children in their foster care placements, as well as by the foster carers, only for it to fail at the last hurdle. We in IFCA often wonder about that. Sending these children out into the big bad world and severing ties with them sets them up for failure. As many parents will know, sometimes when children go to college, they do one year of a course and do not really like it and want to change direction. The system does not facilitate that for our young people in care. There are young people in care who want to go on to do masters' degrees and need the financial means and support to do that. This is also an area for the Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. When we have published our final report, which is imminent, we can share that with the committee if it would help it in those areas.