Ms Clodagh Carroll:

I thank the Senator for her input and questions. I will talk about what she mentioned regarding the importance of routine, which ties into everything we have talked about, including safety and security. When children are traumatised, they need to know what is happening next, and they need to know what part of that is in their day and what their day will look like. They are always scanning their environment for threats. Any sense of uncertainty, sudden change or things being different each time can be very retriggering for a child who has experienced trauma, especially a child who has fled a war and left his or her home suddenly. A sudden movement, a sudden change or any sense of uncertainty can retrigger that, make children believe it will happen constantly and make it very difficult for them to regulate their nervous systems. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked about when children are able to learn. It is when their nervous systems are regulated and balanced. When they are in balance, children can learn, engage and interact with their peers. Certainty, routine and security are all about achieving that safety the Senator mentioned.

An important part of that are the other elements that then come to the forefront, including choice, control, coming back to accommodation, how and where children live and how going to school works. Being considerate of all those things will be very important in the long term.