Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, to the House. Before I call Senator Keogan, I welcome Hanna Gregor and Hanna Steil from Cologne in Germany. They are welcome to Seanad Éireann. I also welcome the school from Athlone and thank the students for coming in today. I apologise if it is a transition year class. What happens is students get no homework for the rest of the week when they visit Seanad Éireann. If the students are from a transition year class that is not much good to them, but it carries over into fifth year if that is any help. There is no homework for the students from the Athlone school visiting today.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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This subject might be of interest to the children. There might be some unaccompanied minors from Ukraine here this morning. We are now over three years into the largest displacement crisis Europe has seen since the Second World War. Ireland, rightly so, opened its doors, but opening doors is not the same as ensuring safety. Safety begins with knowing who is in our care. How many unaccompanied minors from Ukraine have been taken into the care of Tusla since March 2022? How many of them are currently in aftercare?

These are not abstract figures. These are vulnerable children and young people, many of whom have fled war, trauma and separation from family. We must be honest with ourselves. The State has a troubling history when it comes to institutional care. Last week's murder of Vadym Davydenko in Donaghmede has made it harrowingly clear to us what happens when oversight is weak and accountability is absent. We cannot afford to repeat those mistakes.

I am not here to cast aspersions on Tusla staff, many of whom work under immense pressure, but I am here to demand transparency. Without transparency, there is no trust, and without trust, there is no safeguarding. I want the Minister of State to delineate clearly what we know and do not know. What are our norms? What are our unknowns? What systems are in place to ensure that our blind spots are actively sought out and addressed?

We know from parliamentary replies that as of 25 January, 33 separated children seeking international protection were missing from Tusla care and that some of these children may have left the country to join family elsewhere. We also know that data on sexual exploitation risk is not centrally collated. That is an known unknown. That is unacceptable. The justice committee was recently informed that it is expected that 1,200 minor asylum seekers will be cared for by Tusla by the end of this year and that over half of these are from Ukraine. This number is likely to increase. A large number of these are 17-year-old boys who likely leave due to the fact that men between 18 and 60 are forbidden by martial law to leave Ukraine. By leaving at 17, they stand a chance by avoiding conscription. The question of aftercare is especially important as many of them may have to enter the aftercare system within months of arriving.

We know that Tusla has a dedicated team for separated children and that foster care, residential settings and pledge family accommodation are among the options considered. What proportion of Ukrainian minors are in each category? What proportion are designated social workers? What proportion are in aftercare? These are basic questions yet they remain unanswered.

We cannot protect what we cannot see. We cannot safeguard children whose whereabouts, legal status and care arrangements are unclear. We cannot claim to be a compassionate country if we do not treat these children with the same rigour and care we would demand for our own. How many are housed in special emergency arrangements? How many are in each room? Do they have their own room? Are the staff Garda vetted? I ask the Minister of State to give us the numbers, the breakdown and the plan. These children deserve more than warm words. They deserve safety, stability and a future.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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First, the Minister and I want to take this opportunity to again express our sincere condolences to the family of Vadym Davydenko and everyone associated with his tragic death last Wednesday, 15 October.

The Minister acknowledges the interest of the Members of this House in issues surrounding unaccompanied minors from Ukraine. In particular, the Minister thanks Senator Keogan for raising the important issue of unaccompanied minors in the care of Tusla and in aftercare services.

Children in the care of the State are some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. A priority for the Minister for children and Tusla is ensuring that all children in care have a place of safety. Tusla’s separated children seeking international protection, SCSIP, service provides a response to the needs of minors who present in Ireland unaccompanied by parents or caregivers, whether they are fleeing the war in Ukraine or otherwise seeking international protection. Tusla has seen a 500% increase in the arrival of unaccompanied minors since 2022, which has placed significant pressures on it and the State more generally.Tusla has reported that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, it has received 879 referrals in relation to children and young people from Ukraine and it has provided care and accommodation for 777 children under the Childcare Act 1991. Tusla has advised that since the commencement of the war in Ukraine, 432 Ukrainian young people have aged out and are no longer in the care of or accommodated by the agency. The agency has also informed the Department of children that it has provided continuing support to five young people from Ukraine who are over 18. However, this does not amount to the provision of a statutory aftercare service. Young people who become adults, are beneficiaries of temporary protection and transition into accommodation under the international protection accommodation service receive a range of supports in line with other beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine. The Department of children continues to engage with Tusla and the Department of justice on the implications of the EU Migration Pact through engagement on the development of the international protection Bill which has been brought forward by my colleague, the Minister for justice. This important legislation will impact on the manner in which unaccompanied minors are dealt with in the State. It should be noted that the specific circumstances of young people arriving from Ukraine are always taken into account when deciding on the type of care and accommodation offered to them. These circumstances can include whether they have family already here, their age, their language skills and their assessed needs.

I would like to share with this House a number of developments that the Department of children and Tusla continue to progress in this area. Tusla is undertaking a strategic review of the purpose and function of its separated children seeking international protection service to include a plan for improved governance in a new accommodation strategy, data management strategy and workforce plan. It has developed a new model of care for this service to offer care and protection to these young people and to integrate them into Irish life. Finally, Tusla has established a national steering group for the service through which it can engage with relevant organisations including non-governmental organisations on issues that most affect this vulnerable cohort.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I thank the Minister. Unfortunately, none of my questions were answered but the most shocking line of that contribution is that 777 children are under the care of Tusla and 432 Ukrainian children have aged out. They are no longer in the care of or accommodated by the agency. It is only supporting five young people over the age of 18 today. That is absolutely shocking. I know one young man who, on the day he turned 18, was picked up by a taxi outside his accommodation and was brought to a hotel room with three other men in that room. That is not aftercare for children coming from war-torn countries; it is absolutely letting down the children we have brought in from war-torn countries. He has not heard from a social worker since that day.

The agency is under pressure. I get that. Aftercare is really hard to get for these children. I know this because I have had children in care over the years and children who have gone into the aftercare system. This is not good enough, particularly for children who do not have anybody. The State is their guardian and is letting them down. This special emergency accommodation is not good enough. It is unregulated. We must do better by these children.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator again for bringing forward the important issue. I thank her for her comments in relation to it. I reiterate that Ireland has responded to the Ukrainian crisis by welcoming more than 110,000 Ukrainians who were forced to leave their homeland in the most difficult of circumstances and have sought sanctuary in Ireland. A significant proportion of them are unaccompanied minors who fled the war and have been taken into care or provided accommodation by Tusla. I acknowledge the extraordinary efforts and achievements by the State in general and by Tusla in particular in accommodating those 777 children who have had to flee Ukraine. Many of the children and young people who fled Ukraine have since turned 18 and have begun the process of integrating into Irish society. They are contributing to our culture and our local economies. I have no doubt that in time they will play a crucial role in rebuilding their country when it is safe for them to do so. Lastly, the Minister would like to acknowledge the invaluable role that care workers, including foster carers and aftercare workers, play in the lives of our children in care and care leavers. The support these workers provide to children and young people is critically important in providing the best platform for their transition from care into adult life.