Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the report and the recommendations contained therein. The work on it had been largely completed before I joined the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs, but I express my thanks to those members who worked on the report. It does a very good job in reflecting the concerns representatives from all parties and none have about the state of the foster care system. I strongly support the recommendation that a value for money review be carried out of the use of the six private foster care companies and that Tusla focus more on recruiting foster carers directly. As mentioned, concerns have been raised in the latest HIQA report about two of the aforementioned foster care companies. We all know that there is a shortage of foster parents. This shortage means that children are often placed with foster parents who live very long distances away from where they were based originally. This creates huge problems when it comes to going to school and retaining links with friends and relatives. This issue needs more attention.

The issue of data collection is one that concerns me greatly because, as I said to the Minister earlier this week, we need all of the facts when making decisions on funding and resources.

If we lack data, it is difficult for us to make informed decisions on issues. I, therefore, welcome the recommendation calling for Tusla to be more transparent when it comes to precise breakdowns on the types of care settings in which children are placed and the circumstances surrounding them. Unfortunately, when I have looked for data on some of these issues, I have been told that Tusla does not have it, which is concerning.

Tusla, in its response to the committee on the report, said some data are collected quarterly but not published, while other data will be published when the national childcare information system is fully implemented. The Minister said the agency would put the information on its website. The most recent annual review of adequacy report was published online in 2015. The Minister receives a copy of the report every year under section 8 of the Child Care Act 1991. This highlights the problem. In some cases, there seems to be a closed loop when it comes to Tusla data. The information is forwarded by Tusla to the Department and, in turn, to the Minister but those of us outside the loop are left in the dark. Hopefully, that will be addressed.

I refer to the issue raised in recommendation No. 7, which calls on Tusla to be "creative" when it comes to the recruitment and retention of staff. We all recognise that this is not just about funding. According to the recent business plan published by Tusla, it expects an underspend of €11.4 million in respect of pay this year. There are major difficulties retaining and recruiting staff. This issue is raised with the Minister on a regular basis and she is doing her best to address it. Creative thinking is needed because Tusla staff are under immense pressure, and it is not surprising that many are leaving their roles. Pay and conditions need to be examined as a matter of urgency, because we cannot continue to lose staff. This is not just a matter of cases piling up. Social workers and link workers build fantastic relationships with children in care and with foster families but all that is lost when one of them leaves and everyone has to start over again. It can take a long time for a child to build a similar relationship again. We need to focus on recruitment and retention of staff because these children need continuity. I understand Tusla established a workforce planning unit to examine this issue, and it would be a great help if we could be given information on how that process is going and if more supports are needed.

There is a major issue with the casual use of voluntary care agreements for long periods. It is deeply unfair on children to be placed with families on such an agreement for the duration of their childhood and to be told at the age of seven or eight that they will be removed from the family they have known all their lives. It is a difficult issue but I urge the Minister to discuss it with some of the groups that represent young people in care. While most of these agreements are only supposed to be used for a short period, there are instances where they are used when another care order would have been more appropriate. This is partly down to Tusla trying to avoid legal costs and the increased workload that securing those care orders can involve.

Overall, I welcome this report. The recommendations are workable, and I recognise that some are being implemented. It must be remembered that children in foster care are some of the most vulnerable in society. Everything needs to be done to ensure they are safe and to provide them with safety and certainty. The report predated the disclosure regarding the foster home in Galway. Everybody was disgusted when they watched the recent "RTE Investigates" programme into the failures of the HSE when it came to the abuse of children in foster care in Galway. We need to hold people accountable for leaving children in a foster home where abuse was taking place. The public are sick and tired of the lack of accountability in respect of this issue. We need clear answers, transparency and accountability in order that we can protect children in care.

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