Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will try to get to it quickly. Sometimes I look at the organisation and I really want it to work. I do not like the idea of private. I know that has had to be done because of the circumstances Tusla is in. Looking at the National Transport Authority, NTA, model, it is organised into six main divisions. Sometimes I look at Tusla and wonder how we could work this better. Could it be split into divisions for family support and reunification such as under five years old, six to 12 years old, 12 to 18 years old, special emergency placements, and disability? Is that a framework that could be looked at long term?

I have mentioned the guardian ad litem service to the Minister and I am mentioning it to the witnesses. That service stops at 18 for a child who is in care. I want that extended to the age of 23 for children who stay with Tusla and in the education programme right up to that age. Kids need someone to be on their side after the age of 18, and very often, the aftercare worker just does not have time to do it with their caseload. The extension of the guardian ad litem to the age of 23 would be important.

Regarding aftercare, some of those children get let down very badly after the system. Some people do not keep the children after the age of 18, which is awful. However, circumstances do happen and kids end up having to leave that family home after the age of 18, which is absolutely terrible. Getting that child on the housing list the minute they turn 18 is really important, as is following up with that child to see where they are in relation to accommodation. Children who should not end up on the streets end up on the streets. Children end up in very bad situations if they do not have somebody after the age of 18. If they are not in education, they fall through the cracks, and they are the people who need further intervention down the line.

What are the witnesses’ views on the framework I have modelled and the guardian ad litem?