Written answers

Wednesday, 20 April 2016

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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248. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding unaccompanied minors who on entering the State were placed in State care; the numbers of such children placed in care for each of the past five years; if concerns have been expressed by persons or agencies regarding their care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7393/16]

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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252. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he has received or requested any reports from Tusla - the Child and Family Agency or from any other agency on the care of minors who were unaccompanied when they entered into the State system of care; if any incidents of abuse of any kind of these young persons while in State care have been reported to him; if all persons including interpreters working full-time or part-time with these minors have been vetted by An Garda Síochána, the actions he has taken as a result of such reports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7623/16]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 248 and 252 together.

The Child and Family Agency, Tusla, has a role in providing care and protection for any unaccompanied minors who present seeking asylum. These children are, by definition, without parents or family in this jurisdiction and Tusla receives them into care on this basis while their applications for asylum are being processed and are referred to as separated children seeking asylum.

Separated children seeking asylum are placed in the care of the State, with Tusla. Following a residential assessment, the majority of the children are placed with foster families and Tusla has a dedicated social work team to work with this vulnerable cohort. A social worker is allocated to each separated child seeking asylum and the social worker has responsibility for the development and implementation of an individualised statutory care plan for the child. If the social work assessment indicates that making a protection application is in the child’s best interest, the social worker assists with the application.

The State is duty bound by international and domestic law to protect and provide for separated children in the same way as it does for children normally resident in the State. In order to provide the same standard of care provision for separated children seeking asylum as any other child in State care, an Equity of Care Principle was introduced in 2010 by the HSE. Tusla maintains the equity and equality of services to separated children vis-à-vis other children in State care and ensures there is no differentiation of standard care provision, care practices, care priorities, standards or protocols. All foster care organisations and statutory residential centres are inspected by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), and private and voluntary residential centres are inspected by Tusla, against national standards. The inspection reports are published on the respective websites.

My Department has a range of systems in place to ensure it is informed of risk to children and families. Tusla, within its national office, has a dedicated Quality Assurance Team. This team produces monthly, quarterly and annual reports in respect of Tusla's functions, and includes detailed reporting on key performance indicators. Tusla also provides me with information on children in care, their placement type, care status and allocation of social workers. All HIQA and Tusla inspection reports are reviewed and analysed by my Department. The overview from these reports provides me with a level of assurance on the overall standard of care and protection capacity of Tusla. Additional information is gleaned from the National Review Panel reports on individual cases, and also from investigations conducted by the Ombudsman for Children.

Children First (2011) applies to separated children seeking asylum. Tusla has informed me that it is not aware of any reports of abuse in respect of separated children or young persons seeking asylum while in State care.

Tusla has also advised that all persons employed full-time or part-time by Tusla are vetted by An Garda Síochána as a matter of standard practice, as are those employed by the appointed interpretation service.

The following table shows information on the numbers of separated children seeking asylum and from 2010 to 2015.

SCSA Referrals201020112012201320142015
Placed in Care706648628682
Total No. of Referrals96997112097109

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