Ms Niamh McCarthy:

I wanted to build on that point on the role of the parent as one of the key stakeholders. The role of the advocate is important here because I see the advocate's job as encouraging that parent, seeing him or her as a key stakeholder and as an equal stakeholder at meetings, having a voice, and being empowered to really speak about how he or she feels even if his or her child is not within his or her care and reunification is not a plan. The advocate can also work with Tusla, the foster parent and the parent to have individualised plans that look from a holistic point of view. The child may be unregulated, which is completely normal and an attachment response, but it is a question of how we regulate parents going into those sessions as well and how we prepare them for the sense of loss that people talk about; the sense of isolation; and leaving those things. The role of the advocate is so strong in preparing parents for all those experiences and viewing them in a different light in the fostering relationship as well, in that they are having an important and valued input in their child's life.

In terms of the diversity piece, we totally agree. We are all on a journey and we do not know what we do not know yet. There are things we could be advocating for at this moment that may never have even crossed our minds such as AkiDwA recently advocating for cultural mediators within proceedings to help understand what is happening from different cultural points of view. That can then inform how things are assessed in a more well-rounded, holistic way. I welcome some of the recommendations. Organisations from different cultures are recommending listening to their experiences and we need to look at how we can learn from that as well.