Ms Kate Duggan:

I will let Mr. Hone come in on the separated children service in a moment. We fund the IFCA and value the work it does. We have seen its submission for budget 2026. It aligns with our views. We have for the first time this year seen an increase in the number of Tusla foster carers recruited because of how we changed our work in promoting fostering. An important initiative in the agency means that some of our foster carers are now employed as mentors to other foster carers. In essence, they are peer support workers. Foster carers tell us that this is a model they want investment in. That is our commitment in budget for next year.

On special care, when a High Court judge makes a court order or grants a special care order, it is one of the most significant and extreme orders he or she can make for the protection of a child who is either a harm to themselves or others. When I came into this role, initially as interim CEO, in 2023, one of the first things I did was get an external group to come in. The group was given access to anything they needed - namely, data and access to all stakeholders, the ombudsman, the Judiciary, Department colleagues across the spectrum - and was tasked with presenting a report to our executive on its assessment of special care provision. That report contains more than 30 recommendations. We are working hard internally to implement them. I gave an example of how we have agreement from the Garda and the HSE to sit with us on a national interagency group to look at the needs of children.

This gives rise to two issues. As the Deputy said, there are a number of young people in our communities who have significant needs. Those needs could be best met through different services by working with colleagues in the HSE in the joint commissioning of services and the expansion of addiction services for children and young people, mental health and disability services and services for children with suicidal ideation and emerging personality disorders. As we sit here today, no young person is awaiting special care. That has been achieved through the investment we received from the Government in respect of more step-down placements. We were seeing young people having to stay in special care for longer because there was not an appropriate step-down placement for them. We have received investment for further residential and step-down placements. However, today there are only 15 beds open. We have the staff to open a 16th, but there is one young person with very complex needs who needs a very high staffing ratio. Right now, there are 15 beds and we have the capacity for 15 beds. We are working extremely hard - Ms Mannion has all the details - and have made major efforts to try to increase staffing. We are grateful to the Department for the work it has done to get a new grade of special care staff into the agency. With all the efforts we have made, we have had just two applicants - Ms Mannion can correct me if I am wrong - for that grade. Until we can recruit more staff in special care, we will not be able to open the beds beyond those that are already open. We are doing everything we can to increase bed capacity in special care and to work with colleagues in terms of other services and step-down facilities. Mr. Hone will speak about separated children.