Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an gCeann Comhairle as ucht seans a thabhairt dom an ábhar seo a chur faoi bhráid an Aire. I am delighted that the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Frances Fitzgerald, is here to discuss this issue. I express my disappointment, however, that this House will be debating the X case legislation for the next two and a half months, during which time parliamentary party meetings will be convulsed in heavy debate and we will all be under intense pressure to deal with an issue that has dogged us for 20 years, yet when a problem pertaining to 6,300 children in care and their educational needs arises, there is only one backbencher - me - to raise it. I find the hypocrisy galling and odious.

I refer the Minister to the report published yesterday by the ESRI, commissioned by the Ombudsman for Children, Ms Emily Logan, Education of Children in Care in Ireland: An Exploratory Study, which details some of the difficulties children in care have in maximising their educational potential. The Minister is well aware of some of these difficulties such as attitudinal barriers on the part of teachers and principals, placement breakdowns, inadequate care planning, as well as delays and shortfalls in assessment. The Children's Ombudsman has said she was shocked at the lack of adequate information on schooling for children in care. She said, "When encountered, these challenges place children in care at higher risk of suspension, exclusion, absenteeism and early school leaving." It seems there are no data on this issue within the Minister's Department, the Department of Education and Skills or the Department of Health. In my experience, where there is cross-departmental responsibility, problems such as this fall through the cracks.

In respect of data collection and research, the report states: "A mechanism needs to be established for systematic gathering of data on the educational experiences of children in care in order to inform evidence-based policy making". We cannot have a policy on the education of children in care and how to maximise their education potential unless we know what we are dealing with.

There are some good new stories within the report. There is evidence to suggest that when children in care are placed in foster families and experience a stable family background, they can achieve their potential and do quite well. Without the essential data, however, and the required information as outlined in the report, or unless some scientific research is conducted on the educational experience of all of these 6,300 young people in the system, we cannot plan properly for the future.

These are the most vulnerable children in the education system. That is an oft-used term, but these children have been placed in care because of dysfunction in their own families or other particular family situations and they need the education system more than anybody else. Education is the great liberator. It is the only thing that can change one's life, regardless of what happens, whether one is placed in care because of a family breakdown, or one's relationship breaks down, one falls sick or loses one's job. Education is the one thing that will always rescue someone and ensure he or she always bounces back. If we have no data on what is happening to children in care and if we are not digging deep into the reasons they are falling out of the system and underachieving, that is a major failing on our part. Is the Minister aware of the report and, if so, has she read its findings and is she prepared to act on them?

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I have just received it. I welcome the research conducted in the report, Education of Children in Care in Ireland: An Exploratory Study, commissioned by the Ombudsman for Children, Ms Emily Logan. The educational outcomes of all children are matters for my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills. Monitoring issues relating to educational access and attainment are policy matters for that Department. Notwithstanding this, in cases in which the State is providing alternative care for the child, it has the role of the parent in supporting any child or young person in his or her academic endeavours, as in all other aspects of his or her well-being.

It is true that more information would assist in assessing the challenges for children and young people in care and how to maximise their outcomes across a range of indicators of their well-being. Education is one of these important indicators, a point on which I totally agree with the Deputy. It is also worth noting that the group of children under discussion is a cohort and as such, it is not static, with children moving in and out of the care system on a regular basis, which makes the process of tracking their progress complex. This needs to be recognised. The HSE compiles regular performance reports which include statistics for children in care in education. Since my appointment as Minister I have been making the point that the Deputy makes: how can we plan policy if we do not have proper statistics and data? I was appalled at the lack of some of the data I had sought in the early months after taking up my post. Some of the data I had sought was not available. I have asked for more performance indicators and that more information be obtained. That is happening and we must develop it more and more.

Children in care were hidden. They were out of public sight and there was not enough information on them. Thankfully, that has changed. Just yesterday, for example, I launched a new national advocacy service for children in care, run by Empowering People in Care, EPIC, in order that children in care will have a voice. Transparency about their experience in care is extremely important and that includes transparency about their actual experience of a host of issues, including education.

I have asked for more indicators and that is happening. For the first time, because of my request, we have firm data on the numbers of children and young people leaving care, in receipt of aftercare services and in education. These reports are published on the HSE's website. We need to see some of the good news about children in care, as well as highlighting some of the problem areas. I am happy to say that the latest published report shows that in December 2012, 96% of children in care between the ages of 6 and 16 years were in full-time education. That is a very recent statistic and one we did not have before now. However, we need others about what happens to children when they leave care, in education and what funding they receive. Early school leaving needs to be examined in more detail because we know, as the Deputy said, that children in the care system can be very vulnerable, some more so than others. I spoke to the Ombudsman yesterday about this issue and assure the Deputy that the two Departments will consider the issues raised in the report as we move towards the establishment of the child and family agency. The links between the Departments are already very strong across several themes but, in particular, the education welfare agenda.

The establishment of the agency with a broad base of universal and targeted services, with newly merged functions, including those of the National Educational Welfare Board which also falls within the remit of the Department, will enhance the potential for the two Departments to work well together in the interests of all children but particularly those in care. We will consider further the issues raised in the report, in conjunction with our colleagues in the Department of Education and Skills.

One of the main themes emerging from the study is related to the stability of care placements. The study found, as one would expect, that a stable and supportive environment, either a foster home or a residential care unit, enhanced children's ability to do well at school, helped their motivation and encouraged them to have high aspirations, while in contrast, multiple care placements might disrupt their schooling. When a child is taken into care, the policy of the HSE and the new agency will be to place him or her in care settings, preferably in foster care, as close as possible to his or her home and community in order that the links with school can be maintained and continue. When a child is being placed in foster care, the suitability of a placement with relatives is explored in the first instance.

Ireland is almost unique in that over 92% of children in State care are placed with foster carers. In Europe, many foster children are placed in residential settings. For that small number of children placed in residential care, these services have improved greatly in recent years. Children do often experience placement change; however, on 31 December 2011, the HSE reported that 34% of all children in care had been in their current placement for more than five years, while 42% had been in their current placement for between one and five years. This represents a considerable degree of stability.

It is important to obtain balance on this. Many children in care have good experiences. The issues highlighted in the report warrant further focus, and I assure the Deputy they will receive that. I have asked for further indicators to ensure we have the data we need to focus on the issues highlighted in yesterday’s report.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the action the Minister has taken in this regard. If the Minister is appalled and the Ombudsman for Children is shocked at the lack of data, then I am comforted by the fact the Minister has sought to change this. We cannot work on policy to empower the most vulnerable of young people unless we have statistics. Considering schools are falling down on adapting to children in care, do we need to have a circular sent out from the Department to advise school principals and teachers on this? It is one thing to have a policy in place but another to have a circular guiding, encouraging and requiring schools to behave in a particular way.

The Minister stated that 96% of children in care between the ages of six and 16, inclusive, are in full-time education. That is a statutory requirement, however. The National Education Welfare Board does not deal with young people outside this age bracket. Any child who is four or five does not come under its remit. I will be introducing a Private Members’ Bill to deal with this soon. Neither does the NEWB deal with any young person aged 17 or 18, another failure in the system.

The report’s outstanding recommendation is to have a mechanism in place for the systematic gathering of data on the educational experience of children in care to inform evidence-based policy making. I hope this central issue will be addressed.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The report points to the need for further performance indicators which encapsulate the points the Deputy made. In the case of children aged 16 to 18, what is their educational experience? Along with the Department of Education and Skills, I can examine the further gathering of such performance indicators so that we have the data. We will examine the report to see how we can further develop the data we have.

The Deputy made an interesting point about how statutory services relate to children in care, the need for an understanding of the child’s experience and the need to ensure the service is responding appropriately to those children. I would include the health services in this too. When I meet school principals, they speak about the need to get a better partnership with the HSE in response to concerns they might raise. When I speak with the HSE, it wants a better partnership with the schools. There are two sides to this, and we need to see better engagement and partnership between the statutory agencies involved with children in care. We also need greater awareness of the particular needs of children in care, as they are a vulnerable group. I like the Deputy’s suggestion of sending around a circular in this regard which would encapsulate some of the issues that arise. I can take that up with the Department of Education and Skills.