Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 2: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children who have left the care of the State in each of the past five years and to date in 2011; the number of those who received aftercare services in each of the same years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32623/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The HSE compiles monthly performance reports which provide an overall analysis of key performance data from finance, HR, hospital and primary and community services. These reports include a range of statistics in regard to children in care. A new performance indicator was introduced in 2011 to collect information on the number of young adults aged 18 to 21 years in receipt of an aftercare service. Collection of this data commenced in the third quarter of 2011 and validated data should be available shortly.

The HSE has not, to date, routinely collected national data in respect of children who leave the care of the State each year. While that data is available it is not routinely collated in the manner requested by the Deputy. The data currently available on a national basis sets out the number of children in care and their placement type. Children leave the care of the State on reaching their 18th birthday. However, many remain in their foster care placement as an aftercare arrangement. Children may also leave care at an earlier age to return home or, in exceptional circumstances, owing to adoption. Some children may be in care for a short period. There is a great deal of movement in and out of the care system. I have, however, requested my Department to seek information from the HSE on children who have left care this year. I will provide the Deputy with further information as it becomes available.

Since taking office, I have prioritised the need to improve access to timely and accurate data on our child and family services. The availability of reliable data is of critical importance to inform the management, resource allocation and further development of our child and family services. An important element of this is the establishment by the HSE of a national child care information system, NCCIS, to operate as the central system to support social work services and will record and store the case history of every child in care. The procurement of this system is at the pre-tender stage.

The national child care information system will provide for the regular collection of national data in respect of children who leave the care of the State each year.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

The HSE commissioned an independent external consultant to undertake a review of the capacity for alternative care services, including aftercare services. The audit date for the data was 13 March 2011. The HSE has informed me, based on this data, that a total of 1,051 young people were in receipt of aftercare nationally as of March 2011. The breakdown between males and females was 46% and 54% respectively. I am further advised by the HSE that the number of young people who began to receive aftercare in 2008 and 2009 was 979 and 847 respectively.

Section 45 of the Child Care Act 1991 places a statutory duty on the HSE to form a view, in relation to each person leaving care, as to whether there is a need for assistance and, if it forms such a view, to provide services in accordance with the legislation and subject to resources. All young people who have had a care history with the HSE, be it foster care, residential care or high support, are entitled to an aftercare service based on their assessed needs. The core eligible age range for aftercare is 18 years up to 21 years. This can be extended until the completion of a course of education in which the child-young adult is engaged, up to the age of 23 years of age.

Aftercare provision incorporates advice, guidance and practical support. An individual holistic needs assessment identifies a young persons need for accommodation, financial support, social network support and training and education. One of the key features of aftercare support is to advocate on behalf of young people to promote their development as a fulfilled adult in their community. The most important requirements for young people leaving care are secure, suitable accommodation, further education, employment or training.

The HSE national aftercare service is underpinned by a national policy and procedures document which has been developed in co-operation with the key stakeholders, including the voluntary sector agencies involved in aftercare provision and my Department. The policy commits to promoting and achieving the best outcomes for young people leaving care and in ensuring consistency of support to these young people.

The HSE national policy on aftercare is being rolled out nationally under the watch of the HSE's aftercare implementation group, which includes representation from the HSE, mental health, family and disability services, the voluntary sector and a young persons representative from Empowering People in Care, EPIC. I am aware of the challenges facing the aftercare service, the need for information to plan the services, for consistency across all areas, to follow up with young people who may at first reject its services and the need to link in with adult services as necessary. To accommodate such challenges funding was provided in 2011 to support the recruitment of ten additional aftercare workers. Additionally, funding was provided to EPIC to develop a national advocacy and support service for young people in care, leaving care and after care.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for her reply. She will recall that this issue was addressed extensively during the passage of the Child Care (Amendment) Bill. The Minister indicated that the national child care information service is at pre-tender stage. Perhaps she will indicate how soon it will be in situ? Also, will it address what has not heretofore been routinely collated, namely, the data I am seeking? Can the Minister give an assurance in that regard?

Section 45 of the Child Care Act 1991 places a statutory obligation on the HSE to form a view in regard to each person leaving care, in terms of his or her need for assistance. The Minister relied extensively on that provision, in my efforts to amend the more recent Child Care (Amendment) Bill, to guarantee aftercare to young people in State care post-18 years. The Child Care Act 1991 states, "subject to resources", which in my view is the fault-line in terms of young people leaving care at 18 years of age and finding themselves with no aftercare provision. This does not occur in a traditional family environment of whatever making in Irish society today. Children in care should be no less deserving of a continuum of support at what is a difficult point in their adult lives.

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Does Deputy Ó Caoláin have a question for the Minister?

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Minister propose to review that section of the Child Care Act 1991 to allow children leaving care to access the aftercare services they need, based not as has been the practice heretofore on what resources are available to the HSE but on need?

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Ó Caoláin for his question. I agree with him on the need for young people to continue to receive help. The Deputy might perhaps be reassured by some of the following information. A review of numbers was carried out by an external consultant. The audit date for this data was March 2011. I am informed that in March 2011 a total of 1,051 young people nationally were in receipt of aftercare. The breakdown in this regard between males and females was 46% and 54% respectively. I am also informed that the number of young people who received aftercare in 2008 and 2009 was 979 and 947 respectively. This data may however relate to young people who left care not only in the years stated but at an earlier stage. It appears from those figures that the HSE is using section 45 to assess the needs of young children leaving care and is taking a view in regard to their need for assistance. I will get the figures for this year for the Deputy. I expect that the new system for data collection will include the type of data sought today by the Deputy.

I am shocked given it is easily accessible that it is not available today. I have asked my officials to get from the four districts the data in regard to the number of children leaving care this year. This will then give us a picture of what percentage of children leaving State care are actually receiving aftercare or are being assessed as in need of it.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Where a child is assessed and the need for aftercare is established, what happens when resources are not available? We are all aware of what has happened across a whole range of services under the umbrella of the HSE. What happens to a child when the need is there and the funding issue becomes the issue of resources? I am asking because that is my clear and continuing concern. What can the Minister do to remove that potential obstacle, an obstacle I fear which has been employed in the past?

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Resources are an issue. There are problems because of the demands of the services when it comes to the base funding available for child and family services within the HSE. The question of priority must be addressed and better management and better inter-agency work. Quite a number of areas need to be addressed to answer the Deputy's question about resources.

Ten additional after-care workers were recruited and this should help. Money has been given to EPIC, the group working with young people who have been in after-care. The HSE must assess priority and proper assessment of the needs of these young people will have be carried out. This will demand some form of prioritisation.