Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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282. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 will include in the implementation of the Act a specified age at which after-care planning will begin; and how far this will be in advance of the young person turning 18 years of age. [21395/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The Child Care (Amendment) Act 2015 was signed into law in December of last year. The legislation imposes a statutory duty on Tusla, the Child and Family Agency to prepare an aftercare plan for an eligible child or eligible adult.

Specifications relating to the age at which aftercare planning will begin are set out under section 7 of the Act. In relation to a child, who is aged 16 or over, who is in the care of the Child and Family Agency, following an assessment of need, the Agency shall prepare an aftercare plan setting out the assistance required to meet the needs identified in the assessment, upon the child reaching 18 years of age. An aftercare plan will be prepared six months in advance of the child attaining the age of 18 years or within three months of that child becoming an eligible child, whichever is the later.

An eligible child, aged 16 years or over, who is no longer in the care of the Agency or a person acting on their behalf may request an aftercare plan from the Agency. In such instances, upon receipt of such a request, and following an assessment of need, the legislation requires that an aftercare plan be prepared within three months of receiving a request or at least six months in advance of the child attaining the age of 18 years, whichever is the later.

However, nothing prevents Tusla from preparing an aftercare plan earlier than that set out. In most instances, the preparations for leaving State care begin in and around the time a child turns 16. Any commencement of such a process has due regard, of course, to the child’s circumstances and consideration of the most appropriate time to initiate such actions.