Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am wondering if the Minister has ever considered establishing a young people's foster care panel to advise the Department and Tusla. Young people are living this experience and they are the best people to describe it. The Minister is right. Not everybody will require the assistance of a social care worker. However, these children should all be entitled to an aftercare plan. The Minister has heard me say before that every child needs a second chance. I talk about that where education is concerned. We know that a lot of these young people's peers might go into first year in college and find the course is not for them. Children in aftercare should also be given a second chance. However, if the course does not suit them the funding stops and they are left to the wide world without any supports. This is a huge reason for the Minister to consider bringing the children to the table with the Department or Tusla to tell us how we can progress these issues.

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