Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

In reply to the Minister of State, I met a young woman recently who had just come out of care and was reunited with their mother. She assured me her social worker, who was very active with her, was excellent and had been of enormous help to her. The difficulty is that is not always the case and in this Bill we are trying to ensure that is always the experience. The only way that can be done is by enshrining in the Bill that after care shall be provided. In some cases it may not be necessary and people are wise enough to know the difference, but in the event that it is necessary it should be available. The experience of the young woman to whom I referred was good and I hope that if we pass the proper legislation the experience of all young people leaving care would be as good. That is all we are asking for.

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