Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

One reason I asked this question is that we have seen various cases recently - I would include Scouting Ireland - where it is clear vulnerable children were let down by various organisations and the State. We have a history in this regard in this country. A first ever national fostering week was recently organised by the Child and Family Agency. While I do not have a difficulty with this, it obviously led to a huge increase in the number of inquiries. This is a good thing, on the one hand, because we definitely need good foster parents, who do an excellent and difficult job, one I do not envy and I do not know how many of them do it. However, we need to ask the questions, not just about background checks, but also about supports for those foster parents and whether those supports are ongoing. Other Deputies also raised the question of resources. For example, if we do not have enough social workers and aftercare workers, are we really in a situation where we can monitor foster care on an ongoing basis and do we have the resources to do that? That is the crux of the matter.

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