Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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488. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her Department does not provide the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government with the number of homeless adults and children in Tusla-funded accommodation services; and if she will engage with her counterparts in the Departments of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and Social Protection and supply these figures from January 2017 to ensure that they are included in the Department of Housing, Planning, Community, and Local Government's official monthly homeless figures. [38442/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Policy responsibility for children who present as 'out of home' without their parent(s) or guardian(s) relates to children under 18 and any child welfare and protection concern that may arise in the context of the Child Care Act 1991. Children under 16 who present as out of home to emergency services are taken into care. Children aged 16 and 17 may be taken into care, or provided with a service under section 5 of the Child Care Act 1991 (accommodation for homeless children).

Figures available from Tusla indicate that, at the 31st of December 2015, there were 9 children aged 16 and 17 years old who were being accommodated under section 5.

Children accommodated under section 5 of the Act are provided with the same supports and safeguards as children in care. In some instances, they may not wish to be taken into care and will take up services only on the basis of receiving support under section 5. Social work departments work with these children to ensure the minimum time spent in homeless accommodation. The majority of children accommodated at the end of 2015 were the subject of a section 5 for six months or less.

Tusla has worked and will continue to work with relevant services in order to maximise the supports available to children and families and to ensure that all professionals are aware of their obligation to be vigilant in relation to child protection. The national dataset collated by Tusla, currently on a quarterly basis, is not compiled by local authority area. However, this can be made available on a formal basis to the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if required.