Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Wall for raising this important topic. Many changes have been made in the after-care area to deal with the precise situation he described. Clearly, it is completely unsatisfactory that the young woman he met had 25 placements. If she has found a stable placement, we should be in a position to support her, even if she has reached the age of 18. I ask the Deputy to bring the details of her case to my attention. While the vast majority of children in care have stable placements, a small cohort of children have the kind of multiple placement experience he described. We need to put a great deal of attention and supports into working with young people in such circumstances.

Young people who leave State care are entitled to advice, guidance and practical support. It should be developed in partnership with those who know them, including social workers, key workers and foster parents. A needs assessment should be carried out before a young person leaves care to identify his or her accommodation, financial support, social networks, training and education needs as he or she is about to leave care. That is in place. Obviously, a vulnerable group of young people leaving care may have had a short-term placement, or may have been in residential care, shortly before reaching the age of 18. Children who come into care in their mid teens or late teens may not have developed the kinds of relationships with staff or after-care workers that help to ensure there are good outcomes.

It is important to realise that the vast majority of children who are in care - 91% of them - are living in foster homes. Many of them continue to live with their foster families, and receive ongoing financial support and advice, when they reach the age of 18. I can advise Deputy Wall that at the end of last year, some 639 young people who had left care were supported financially to remain living with their foster carers. We have changed the policy. I would be very sensitive to that policy. I agree that the State support provided to a young person should not stop just because he or she has reached the age of 18. Young people who do not have to face the transition described by the Deputy do not have to leave their foster carers at the age of 18. Many of them, in addition to having access to an after-care worker, receive their key supports from their foster carers. That is the ideal situation. Young people who do not have such family support should be helped to find accommodation in supported lodgings, sheltered housing or independent accommodation. The core eligible age range - from 18 to 21 - can be extended to 23 if the young person is in education or training.

I have set out the policy as it exists at present. There have been many changes in recent months and years. I agree with Deputy Wall that after-care did not get the kind of attention it needed in previous years. As a result of the efforts of young people and of organisations like Empowering People in Care, there has been a change in Government policy and there is now a greater focus on after-care. Since I was appointed as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I have asked for more information on this group. We did not have statistics at national level about the number of young people who stayed living with their foster parents, for example, or who continued in education. Now that we are getting those figures at national level, we are in a better position to plan how we can do the best for these children.

At the end of December 2012, some 1,457 young people were in receipt of an after-care service. Some 1,073 of them were between the ages of 18 and 21. Some 384 young people over the age of 21 were receiving some aspect of after-care support. Given that young people in care often get stereotyped about their care experiences, it is interesting to note that after the age of 18, some 61.1% of those young people were in some form of education or training and some 55.8% of them were in full-time education. I accept that obviously means almost 40% of them were not in education. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that 55% of those who leave care go on to further education. They should get the range of services outlined by the Deputy. It is understandable that some young people may not want to continue to receive State services and are reluctant to engage with them.

Even if young people leave a particular service, they can come back in and avail of it again even if they drop out for a year. We have made that very clear. With the increasing consultation with young people, they are increasingly aware of their rights and the access they can have to services.

We also have an aftercare implementation group working at national level developing protocols, which are very important, with the Department of Social Protection, mental health services, primary care in the HSE and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government so we are trying to build up an increased awareness. Indeed the Ombudsman for Children in her recent report spoke about the need for the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to be more sensitive to the needs of young people who leave care when dealing with housing. We are developing protocols with those.

I will conclude by saying that I am currently examining legislative options to strengthen the provision of aftercare. I hope to introduce an amendment to the Child and Family Support Agency Bill on Committee Stage to ensure that children who have been in care have a legislative right to an assessment of needs.

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