Ms Karen Cahill:

I would also like to say something about the arrangements mentioned by Deputy Costello. Children coming into care in that way are coming into informal care and not formal care. In practice, on the helpline and working with Kinship Care Ireland our experience, and that of the carers, is the children are possibly coming in through voluntary care and then getting the option of pathways. That can go into private arrangement, such as Kinship Care, or to be assessed for a relative foster carer. From the experience of people ringing us, we support families trying to get assessed and approved for that. That can be difficult, especially for grandparents sometimes. They are told they are too old or they do not have sufficient housing. There is then the option of Kinship Care. IFCA has provided advocacy to go down the assessment route for assessment as a relative foster carer. We have also done referrals to Kinship Care Ireland, which does not have an advocacy service at present. It is something it is looking at.