Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 26 April 2023
Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs
Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Further Revised)
Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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I will go on to the next question. The issue of residential care has been raised previously by a number of Deputies. We have our own issues in Cork. To my knowledge, four children have been left in school with a note in their bag over the last couple of months. People are at breaking point. One family I am aware of were offered residential care in Dublin for their 13-year-old daughter. It is a big enough decision for any family from Cork to ask for their child to be put into a residential setting but asking them to accept a place three hours from their home is a very big ask, no matter how desperate the family is. Where are we with regard to residential care in Cork? Are there any plans to expand provision?