Ms Catherine Bond:

Foster carers want the best for the children they have fostered all their lives. They have invested a huge amount of their time in these young adults. They want to support them and see them become fully contributing members of society. We often hear that at the first meeting a child has on leaving aftercare, they will be given the number for Focus Ireland to find alternative types of living accommodation. That can be quite disappointing and devastating for foster carers because they do not want their young people going into homelessness. They want them to get the best in life that they have prepared them for, while also having that safety net under them. We need a system where our young vulnerable people leaving care can have somewhere to come back to, a place of safety. The Deputy said he still has the key to his mother's house. Many of us do. We need a safety net for our young people so we are not just casting them off into the ocean and hoping all the investment and supports they received during childhood will stay the course for them. We need some kind of safety net for our young people to create an environment where they can fulfil their full potential and whatever vision they have for themselves.