Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I want to express my appreciation to Deputy Costello. The Deputy posed this Topical Issue matter a while ago and he facilitated me by moving it to today. I thank the Deputy for that.

The issue the Deputy has brought to our attention is a very important one. There are approximately 6,000 children in care in the State. Of those, a very large proportion, 93%, are in foster care and a small number live in residential care. The vast majority of children in care need to stay in contact with their parents, siblings and extended family. Good relationships between parents, children and carers lead in the best outcomes for children in care.

Placing a child in care and away from his or her birth family is a serious decision and it is only made after extensive social work intervention, assessment and consideration. When a decision is reached that a child needs to come into care it is preferable if this can be done with the consent and agreement of the child's parents. Such an agreement enables the parent or parents and the social worker to work more effectively to address difficulties within the family which led to the need for alternative care, and to work towards the safe return of the child to the care of the parent or parents.

Sometimes it is not possible or feasible for such an agreement to be reached and in those circumstances Tusla will apply to the courts for a care order. It is more common for children to enter care with the voluntary agreement of their parents. Where the child's care plan identifies that a child should stay in care for a longer period, best practice is that Tusla applies to the courts for a care order. From his professional background, Deputy Costello will be well familiar with all of these processes. Providing a positive experience to children in alternative care is a key aim of the Irish care system and central to this is the provision of secure and stable placements.

Data collected by Tusla indicate that a very small proportion of children in care have three or more placements within a year - 2% in 2019 - which is indicative of good overall placement stability within the care system. Data also show that at year end the proportion of children in care who are on a care order is higher than when children are admitted to care. At the end of 2019, almost three quarters of the children in care were on a care order. This may mean that children are staying in care longer and as a consequence, his or her status has moved from a voluntary agreement to a legal order. This is also indicative of good placement stability.

Throughout lockdown, my Department has heard from many parents about their views on contact with their children over that difficult time. Tusla issued guidance for parents, carers, staff and children on how best to manage visits and stay in touch. Tusla's CEO emphasised that face-to-face visits were to happen if at all possible, even during the most stringent periods of lockdown.

As we emerge from Covid, my Department and Tusla want to learn from that experience and hear the experiences of parents throughout the crisis, including their ability to continue engaging and having familial relationships with their children. Mr. Bernard Gloster has met the Children's Rights Alliance on the issue of supporting parents whose children are in care. There are plans for a scoping of potential services for parents affected by this issue. That work is in its early stages, but there is a clear plan in Tusla to consider what supports can be provided to parents.

Officials from my Department have met representatives of an existing service that has worked with parents of children in care over many years. That organisation also produced supportive guides for parents during lockdown. It is hoped initiatives like those, which were initially developed to address local needs, can be scaled nationally.

I will look into the particular service that the Deputy mentioned, Clarecare. I am happy to continue engaging with him to see how we can develop the research further.

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