Seanad debates

Thursday, 8 May 2003

National Standards for Foster Care: Statements.

 

There has been a big improvement in terms of increasing the number of children taken in by families. That is the most desirable option, rather than placing them in residential units. However, we still have a considerable number of children in residential units and many of them are there for years. I expressed concern during the passage of the Child Care Bill regarding the fact that these units do not have to be inspected on a regular basis. If one looks at the Act, one will see that where children have to be put in a residential unit because they run into trouble with the law, the unit has to be inspected every six months. If they are placed in a unit through no fault of their own, the unit need only be inspected periodically. One of the reasons for not having the units inspected every six months, which was given to me by the then Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Hanafin, is the shortage of inspectors. This could lead to residential units being inspected very rarely.

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