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

Part of the reason for this question is that foster parents contact us and say they do not feel there is a huge amount of support. Particularly when people have been foster parents for a long time and they are well known as a good placement, they get asked to take emergency cases with very little support, and an emergency case can then turn into months and the children are still with them. People are often left with a lot of unanswered questions. I am always conscious of our history and how much we have failed children in the past. I hope we are starting off on the right foot. If it is going to have these types of fostering weeks and information sessions, this would always need to be followed up robustly and it has to be ongoing, not based on one check. First, foster parents themselves need support and, second, we need to always ensure that the most vulnerable children in our society are in a totally safe environment. That is my concern.

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