Ms Kate Duggan:

It is important to say that every child in care has an allocated social worker, whether they are in a private centre, a community and voluntary centre or a Tusla centre. Every child in care is under the jurisdiction of the courts, no matter what centre they are in. Every child in care has a care plan that is developed with the child, the staff and the social worker within it. Every child in care has a transition plan from 16 to 18 years of age. When it comes to planning for accommodation post-18 years, that is what the plan refers to.

The CSO data, which is published, gives us very clear indications. We are seeing that almost nine out of ten children in care are engaged in education and training. That is across our care system. We are seeing that 55% of children in care are being looked after by a private provider. They are being looked after by professionally qualified social care workers and other professionals. It is at the child in care review and through the care plan that any difficulties or risks are flagged.

Children in care are not a homogenous group. There are children in care who are in education and in residential services, both private and statutory, who have challenges, maybe because of underlying trauma, mental health issues or disability, and they need access to specialist services within the HSE. The CSO data is telling a much better story about the experiences of children in care. We know what the vulnerabilities of children in care are, in terms of the risk of exploitation and homelessness.