Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this really important issue. These children are the most vulnerable, and the State is their parent in providing the opportunity for a different form of care for them. That is best done, in the vast majority of cases, in the foster care system. It is the preferred option for children who cannot, for any reason, live with their birth family. Foster carers play a vital, greatly empathetic and in many cases a really difficult role in trying to support children at different stages of their lives in a secure, safe, stable home environment. I am aware of a number of the issues the Senator has highlighted which impact foster carers. It is imperative we support foster carers because, as the Senator said, not only does it have the best outcome for the child in a holistic way in most cases but it is also by far the most economical model, although that is not always the driver.

As of June 2023, approximately 90% of children in care were being cared for by foster carers. That record compares very favourably internationally but it is difficult to maintain the number of foster carers in Ireland in line with demand for these placements. The overall number of children in care has decreased by 125 or 2% over the l

past year alone, though the number of foster carers has decreased even more significantly, by 147 between quarter 2 of 2022 and quarter 2 of 2023, representing a fall of 4% over the same period. This trend has contributed to a reduction in foster care placements as a proportion of all children in care. We have to think about that very carefully.

The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has asked me to share a number of key developments that the Department and Tusla continue to progress in this area. I am sure the Senator will be familiar with many of them. The Minister has said he is deeply aware of the concerns raised by stakeholders in respect of the basic rates of the foster care allowance and how that can affect recruitment and retention. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is attempting to secure an increase to the foster care allowance in the upcoming budget. Foster carers have also raised concerns about a number of issues relating to supports under the remit of the Department of Social Protection, including the back to school clothing and footwear allowance and the issue of State pension contributions, as the Senator has raised. I will raise that with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, who I know is looking at the carer's pension separately in recognition of the great work carers do. In recognition of the question of foster carers, I will also highlight that with her.

In addition, the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman and his Department had ongoing engagement with Tusla on improving supports for foster carers in line with the strategic plan for foster care services, 2022 to 2025, which the Senator will be familiar with. Foster carers were consulted in that process, but my understanding is that there is a lot of work to go there yet. The Minister, Deputy O’Gorman and his Department welcome the appointment of a national lead for foster care in Tusla, who has responsibility for recruitment, communications, consistency in recruitment and retention, and the implementation of the strategic plan. Obviously, the budget will form a major part of that development as well.