James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their contributions to the Bill during its passage through both Houses. In summary, the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015 provides for an explicit requirement to prepare an aftercare plan in respect of a specified cohort of children and young people as they transition from State care. Following a needs assessment, the Child and Family Agency will prepare a plan in consultation with the young person. I believe this is critically important. It will identify their needs for aftercare supports.

The Bill puts aftercare planning on the same footing as other statutory obligations on the Child and Family Agency. The Bill attempts to take account of the need for a degree of nuance in planning for leaving care for young people at a time which is appropriate and sensitive to the young person's particular needs. Most importantly and as I mentioned previously, the child or young person must and will have a central role in the development of the aftercare plan. The involvement of young people in the planning of services for them is critical and is a positive development of recent years. It is something I wholeheartedly support.

Ireland has a poor record of caring for vulnerable children and we all know of the terrible tragedies involving some children after they left care. I hope our generation will be seen as the one that sought to address and redress this. The Bill is another step in the right direction. It builds on the significant initiatives and reforms that have taken place in recent years, including the development of a national leaving and aftercare policy in 2011, which have been developed with the goal of improving aftercare services for care leavers.

I pay tribute to this House for the manner in which the Bill has been welcomed and the constructive comments and contributions made here. A number of issues were raised, including the need for the Child and Family Agency to have regard to its resources when preparing aftercare plans. Deputies will know that this is nothing new. All State bodies are obliged to have regard to the resources made available to them in providing public services. However, I was pleased that significant extra resources have been allocated to the Child and Family Agency for 2016, which will strengthen its base funding level and give it greater capacity to respond to current risk and anticipated demand.

I also acknowledge Deputies' acceptance of the Bill at short notice, which has facilitated the progression of the Bill through the House as quickly as possible. I thank the Deputies for their contributions to the debate on the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2015, which I hope will deliver better outcomes for young people leaving the care of the State. These people are our future, they deserve the best and we must deliver.

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