Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is a lot of talk about care at the minute in the context of the referendum. We should acknowledge, in that context, the role that kinship carers play. Very often they are the unsung heroes of the system who step up when, for whatever reason, a relative of theirs is not in a position to care for children. Very often they are working very hard, they step up and it can be complicated. In many instances, I do not believe they are recognised financially. There is also a significant issue of small contributions from the natural parent and what this means in terms of the knock-on impact to guardianship payments.

See this speech in context