Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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284. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the cost of including developmental outcomes for children in care as part of the general longitudinal study Growing up in Ireland Survey conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute; and the cost of implementing the Ryan report recommendation on introducing a recurring longitudinal survey that tracks young people leaving care. [4215/16]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Growing up in Ireland is a national population sample, with all sub-groups and segments of the population being selected on a pro rata basis based on their representation in the national population. On this basis, although children in care (fostered and adopted) are represented in the sample, their absolute number is too small to allow them to be analysed as a separate group or to be tracked on a longitudinal basis. In addition Growing up in Ireland is based on children and young people in private households, it does not include those in residential centres and Special Care.

A study of the population in care would require a fundamentally different design to that used in Growing Up in Ireland and would need to be based on a dedicated sample of relevant children and young people. Such a project would require detailed specification; the cost of such a study would depend on the precise design and scope. It is likely that it would require to be competitively tendered for. It is therefore not possible to predict the cost of such a study.

With reference to young people leaving care (PQ 42682/15 Weds 2 December 2015) I stated that Action 65 of the Ryan Implementation report (‘Alongitudinal study over ten years was to be undertaken which would follow young people who leave care, in order to map their transition into adulthood’) was one of a small number of actions that had not been implemented at that time due to resource implications.

I undertook to keep the Government informed of progress on the small number of actions from the Ryan Report which remain to be implemented. Following on from the submission of Tusla's Business Plan for 2016, I wrote specifically to Tusla on 25th last asking that my office be apprised of further progress and developments with regard to this and other remaining actions falling to Tulsa. In particular, I sought further details on the proposals referred to in the business plan and a timeline.

However it is important to note in this regard that Tusla already collects information on attendance at school, overall placement stability, age, gender, placement type, the number received into care who leave within the same year and the reason for the care order, where ordered by a court.