Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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20. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on the care of children in the direct provision system; if she will support the taking of all minors out of that system given the inappropriateness of that system for children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14839/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The direct provision system is under the policy remit of my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality. Children living in direct provision are in the care of their parent(s). Concerns about the welfare, safety or well-being of a child in direct provision are reported to the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, in line with Children First guidelines. Tusla has been working closely with the Child and Family Services Unit within the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of the Department of Justice and Equality, which has responsibility for direct provision.

The needs of children in direct provision include education, preschool, medical and health issues. Tusla provides a range of services that offer advice and support to families. This includes the services of family support workers, social workers, youth workers, family resource centres, support groups and counselling services.

Children, separated from their parents, who arrive in this jurisdiction and are seeking asylum, are placed in the care of the State. The majority of separated children are placed with foster carers around the country. Tusla has a dedicated Social Work Team which deals with separated children seeking asylum. Separated children are a vulnerable group and the State is duty bound by international and domestic law to protect and provide for them in the same way as it does for children normally resident in the State.

Under Tusla's 'Equity of Care Policy', all separated children are allocated a social worker, who is responsible for the development and implementation of an individual statutory care plan for the child. Tusla maintains the equity and equality of services to separated children vis a vis other children in state care and ensures that there is no differentiation of standard care provision, care practices, care priorities, standards or protocols. All foster care organisations and residential centres are inspected against national standards.