Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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99. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions that he is taking to increase foster care allowance. [49682/22]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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110. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans, if any, to improve the pay and conditions of foster carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49959/22]

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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This question is to ask the Minister what actions he is taking to increase the foster care allowance since it has not been increased in 13 years.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 110 together.

Foster care is the preferred option in Ireland for children who cannot live with their parents or guardians. Approximately 89% of children in care are currently being cared for by foster carers, enabling them to live in a safe, secure and stable home environment. Foster carers are paid at a rate of €325 per week for a child under 12, and €352 per week for a child over 12 and under 18. In certain circumstances, where the necessary criteria are met, enhanced and additional payments may be made. In addition to the foster care allowance, foster carers receive several targeted supports to ensure they continue to function as a recognised and valued part of the alternative care system. Key elements of this support include a link social worker, access to training and support group meetings and the allocation of a social worker for each child in care. Respite care for children may be arranged if it is part of their care plan.

The foster care allowance is one element of the support that Tusla provides to carers when they offer a home and care to children, some of whom may have additional, and sometimes significant, needs. I am aware that the basic rates of the foster care payment have not been increased since 2009, and I am acutely aware of the disappointment of foster carers that no increase was granted in the recent budget. I met the chief executive of Tusla in the aftermath of the budget and discussed the issue of supports to foster carers. I recognise that foster carers, like many others, are experiencing cost-of-living pressures and Tusla. I want to respond to this situation in a positive and meaningful way.

Following this engagement, it has been agreed that a single additional and once-off cost-of-living payment is to be paid in respect of each child in foster care. The payment is to be made at the current foster care allowance rate of €325 for a child aged under 12 and €352 for a child aged over 12 and under 18 years. It is the intention of Tusla and my Department that the payment should issue before the end of 2022 to all applicable cohorts of foster carers, including foster carers working with private providers. I hope that this once-off payment will go some way to alleviating the financial pressures foster carers are currently facing. I will continue to engage with Tusla in the coming months to improve the supports available to foster carers, and I will make every effort in future budgets to address the issue of an increase to the rates of the foster care allowance.

Separately, on Friday, 30 September 2022, the Tusla board considered a major improvement plan for foster care covering a wide range of issues. During the consultation that preceded this plan, foster carers highlighted their frustration at the fact they are obliged to wait six months after the placement of the foster child until they are eligible to receive child benefit payments. Foster carers also highlighted that as a cohort they are excluded from claiming the back-to-school and footwear allowances from the Department of Social Protection.

In addition, I am aware that foster carers highlighted their concerns in respect of access to the contributory State pension. I am committed to working with Tusla on the issues raised in that review and in the consultations, including with foster carers, that contributed to its development. I have also received a formal written request to meet with the Irish Foster Care Association. I will meet its representatives before the end of this month and I am also open to meeting representatives of other organisations representing foster carers.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister's announcement that a once-off payment will be made to foster carers before the end of the year. This is welcome. It is not, however, an answer to the question I asked regarding foster carers not receiving a pay increase in 13 years. Foster carers do some of the most important yet toughest work in their own homes, day in and day out. They do not sign off at the end of the day. They take on and support children who are in the most vulnerable state. Foster carers work tirelessly to build them back up, to provide them with a stable and warm home that, most importantly, offers them love. Many foster carers are also parents and have families. They also try to work with the families of foster children to try to reunite them and to try to build bridges and repair harm. This is often harm that has come down through the generations. No child should have to be placed in foster care, but this is the reality. When it happens, when it has to happen, it is the foster carers, sometimes in the middle of the night, and with no notice, who step in to give a child a warm home, food on the table and a loving embrace. The Minister did not answer my question regarding why foster carers have not had an increase in 13 years.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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This is the point. In fairness, I welcome what the Minister said. It is accepted that there has been a failure to deal with the issues being faced by foster parents. Deputy Gould and many other Deputies have, over many years, spoken about the Trojan work done by foster parents with kids who are sometimes coming from incredibly difficult situations. I welcome this once-off payment. We do need to look at the basic rates of payment, the problem in regard to waiting for six months on child benefit payments, foster parents not being able to get the back-to-school allowance and the issue with accessing the contributory State pension. In fairness, the Minister has gone through all the issues that had been brought to me by foster parents. I am glad he has said he is seeking meetings with representatives of the foster carers. I will talk to him about this aspect afterwards. There is also sometimes an issue around differential payments in the context of those paid by Tusla and those paid by third-party companies or agencies. These are several of the issues that need to be dealt with as soon as possible.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I, my Department and Tusla recognise the essential importance of the work foster carers do. Deputy Gould is right in saying that we would prefer it if children were not in care, but the truly amazing statistic that 89% of children in care are in foster care rather than in residential situations is extremely important. It is also important that we continue to properly acknowledge this work done by foster carers. The fact that we have not increased the basic allowance for 13 years is not a proper acknowledgement, and this is why it is something I am working to achieve.

I do not wish to look at this issue in isolation, however. I refer to the importance of the documents brought forward by Tusla. We know the numbers of foster carers have been static and are declining. At the same time, the number of children in need of care is increasing. Therefore, if we are to continue to maintain and even to grow the number of foster carers we have, then we need to take co-ordinated action. Increasing the rate of the foster care allowance on its own is not enough. Everybody accepts that point. This is why it is important that Tusla has brought to me this suite of measures, some of which are in the direct control of my Department, and some of which I will need to engage on with other Ministers, including the Ministers for Social Protection and Education, Deputies Humphreys and Foley, in order that we can bring forward this more comprehensive response.

In the interim, and recognising the real cost-of-living pressures everyone is facing now, including foster parents, we have brought forward this proposal for an additional week's payment of the basic rate as a recognition that cost-of-living pressures are being faced by foster carers now. It is also recognised, though, that this is the first part of a wider response to strengthening and, hopefully, growing the number of foster carers.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I hear what the Minister is saying. He spoke on Newstalk recently and said that he wished he had offered foster carers an increase in the budget. Now, though, the Minister seemed to be going back on that statement. We are seeking a commitment from him for an increase in the allowance paid to foster carers. There has been a great deal of talk from Ministers after the fact saying this is something the Government should have done, and it is something the Government should have done. There is a cost-of-living crisis. In that context, we welcome the payment before Christmas, but there is a need to go further in this regard. We will support a range of measures to support foster carers. Some 4,000 people have opened their homes to more than 5,000 children in foster care.

The Minister made the point we need more foster carers now, unfortunately, to deal with more children who are going into foster care. One of the barriers here is the supports for the families that are doing that. Will the Minister give a commitment? The last increase was in 2009. I am asking Deputy O'Gorman, as Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, if he will give that commitment today.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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We need a commitment in relation to the entire suite of issues that are being dealt with, but that also includes foster care payments.

We are talking about a cost-of-living allowance. We all will be aware of the particular impositions on families that foster in the sense that they cannot necessarily avail of regular work situations. They are on the hook, for want of a better term, of maintaining that family connection for the child. They also have those access visits. They can involve considerable lengths of time and distances which is obviously an added costs in relation to fuel etc.

We want more people to engage in the necessary societal good that is provided by fostering but we need to look after those who foster. We need to foster them. We must do that, first and foremost, through payments and conditions and deal with all those particular issues that have been discussed.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As the Deputies will be aware, I cannot anticipate the outcome of the next budget. What I can say is that securing an increase in the rate of the foster carer's allowance will be a priority for me going into the next budget.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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But after a year, in layman's terms, that is too long.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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There is also a range of other measures within the foster care improvement plan that Tusla has set out and I will be looking to work on each of those as well. If we can achieve them, all of them can provide benefits to foster carers as well.

We have to look at the response to foster carers in terms of the suite of alternative care policies that Tusla is bringing forward right now on foster carers, on residential care and on aftercare and all the measures that my Department takes, that Tusla takes and, indeed, that the Government takes in response to each of these parts of the care system. These parts are separate but also interlinked, particularly the aftercare element, as children, or young people as they are then, leave foster care and look to live independent lives as well, and that is another part that I want to be able to resource going forward.

As I say, a key focus of mine will be to increase the foster carer's allowance.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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But not to wait until next year.