Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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23. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on the long-term effect of homelessness on children, their welfare and their educational attainment; the actions she has taken; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14847/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Homelessness, whether for a child presenting alone or as part of a family, is a distressing experience. Children under 16 who present as being homeless to emergency services are taken into care. Children aged 16 and 17 may be taken into care, or provided a service under section 5 of the Child Care Act 1991 (accommodation for homeless children). Care planning is an integral part of the care process. The specific needs of any child and the services and supports that they might need to achieve their potential are assessed and planned for. For young people who were formerly in the care of the State, aftercare services are also put in place in respect of the specific needs of a child, including accommodation and educational supports.

Family homelessness is managed by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive and the local authorities. Currently, for many families, this means being accommodated on an emergency basis in hotel accommodation. Living in such accommodation on an extended basis is simply not conducive to normal family life for parents or their children. This includes the practical difficulties of no cooking facilities; accommodating a family's belongings in hotel room accommodation; being away from the community services and facilities, including schools that the family are familiar with; as well as the inevitable stresses on relationships on living in confined spaces. Families who are housed outside of their communities may well have little or no access to their social networks and these are most at risk of faring poorly. The priority of local authorities is to move families, as soon as possible, from emergency accommodation into a more suitable family-friendly setting.

Within my own remit, Tusla – the Child and Family Agency provides family support and works with relevant services to maximise the supports available to children and families who are homeless. Tusla and the Dublin Region Homeless Executive are shortly to sign off on a joint protocol which includes guidance on working with families where child protection concerns arise within emergency homeless accommodation. I anticipate that the protocol will be in full operation this month. Additionally, Tusla has appointed a Homelessness Liaison Officer to lead on its engagement with homeless services, particularly in relation to child protection issues. Tusla has also established links with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive around access for children and families to Family Resource Centres. Regarding Tusla’s educational welfare services, guidance has issued to Home School Community Liaison and School Completion staff on assisting children and families experiencing homelessness to maintain regular school attendance. Additionally, School Completion Programmes have been asked to prioritise homeless children for services such as breakfast and after-school clubs.

In recent weeks, I have been meeting with representatives from a range of homelessness and other children advocacy organisations. Those meetings provided me an insight into the key issues facing children who are in emergency accommodation with their families. In conjunction with my Cabinet colleagues, I am seeking to define a set of measures to better support children with their families in emergency homeless accommodation. There continues to be on-going communication and cooperation between my Department and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government on the issue of homelessness as part of a wider Government response to addressing this issue.