Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this, as I did when the Minister first signalled it when we were concluding the debate on the Child and Family Agency Bill 2013. A statutory entitlement to aftercare to ensure young people leaving State care on the attainment of their 18th birthday have at least a comparable level of supports and encouragement to face the challenges of young adulthood is critically important. The provision of aftercare services has been highlighted as a key element in achieving positive outcomes for young people leaving care. When the Minister raised this issue - I note comments she has made since - she said consultation would commence when children turned 16 years to prepare a care plan. I am anxious to know with certainty that the legislation that will provide for the preparation of a care plan will also ensure adequate resourcing to follow through on the recommendations that the care plan will highlight. It is all very well preparing a care plan, but these most vulnerable of young people need certainty on the resourcing of the care plan specific to their needs and potential. This is about helping them to reach their potential in young adulthood that we would wish for our own children. It comes back to equality of treatment of children across the board.

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