Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses for attending. Most of my questions about social workers and parents have been answered. In recent weeks, I met a group of foster parents. They raised some challenges in the system. In 2001, the working group on foster care recommended that the fostering allowance should be increased annually in line with social welfare payment increases. This was meant to have happened, but there has been no increase since 2009. Where do we need to call for extra supports? Would the provision of mileage support and allowance to foster parents, especially a further back-to-school allowance for children in care be beneficial?

As we know, foster carers provide an invaluable contribution to the State because they want to bring positive change to the life of a child. That issue came across very strongly in my meeting with them. One lady I spoke to has a child with a disability. She was a full-time foster carer. She had given up a job to do so. She cannot claim PRSI credits because of how the system is. Should foster carers be able to claim some kind of contributory pension?

We know there are many challenges in the alternative care system at the moment. One of the reasons for this is the lack of foster families. Why is there such a struggle to find them? The families told me of the difficulty in trying to get speech and language therapy or access to a special class. There are so many issues. If we do not have foster families, organisation will not exist. Where do the witnesses see the challenges? How can we work with the foster parents, social workers and Tusla? It needs everybody working together. At the end of the day this is about children. We have a duty of care to all children to ensure they get every support they need. I would like to get feedback on that.

As I said, many of my other questions were already asked. The organisations represented here today play a very valuable role and they are really needed. I know that the love that foster parents have for their children is really important. We need everybody working together to try to ensure that we have these services for children.