Ms Nuala Ward:

I understand what the Deputy is saying. It has to be appropriate and what meets the needs of the child. That is what is important. Of course the Deputy is right that there may not be the right kinship carer or relative any more who can take on the care of the child within the family unit. The point is that the opposite is also true. There is a range of relatives, both grannies and uncles, like I say, who are caring for their children without any support from the State and without any help. Many of the people who have contacted us, especially through Kinship Care Ireland, would obviously like additional financial support, but they want emotional support for their children. They want to be assured that there will be aftercare provision for these children and that if they have been in State care, there will be as much in equivalent supports just to help these children to optimise their outcome. I think that is so fair. In a strategic sense, if we are looking at declining foster care families, surely the intelligent approach is to boost kinship care in this country. As the Deputy said, it is as long as it is in the absolute best interests of the child.