Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

To follow on from the last exchange, foster carers are acknowledged as the backbone of our child care services. Foster care is, by far, the main form of alternative care for children in need of care and protection. It is the preferred option in Ireland for children who cannot live with their parents or guardians. At the end of March this year, 92% of children in care were in a foster care placement. More than a quarter of these children are placed with relative foster carers and the rest are with general foster carers. Foster carers receive a number of targeted supports to ensure they continue to function as a recognised and valued part of the alternative care system.

It is vital that all children in care and their carers receive adequate support to ensure a successful placement. Key elements of the support provided to foster carers include a link social worker, access to training and support group meetings and the allocation of a child and family social worker for each child in care. It is important that foster carers have access to specialist services to meet the child's identified needs. In some situations, respite care for children may be arranged, if and when it is part of their care plan.

Pre-assessment and ongoing training is compulsory for all foster carers in order to equip them with the skills and knowledge to provide high-quality care. Tusla addresses the training needs of relatives who are foster carers separately in recognition of the specific dynamics and the personal nature of relative care. In addition to these supports, foster carers are entitled to specific support in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect, or a serious concern being made relating to the quality of care provided or experienced. For foster carers, this may include being supported by the support and mediation service provided by the Irish Foster Care Association. Tusla has initiated a new national policy to guide social workers in how they should deal with allegations about foster carers.

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