Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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529. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children in residential or foster care; the extent to which adequate resources remain available to meet the demand in both circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44007/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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At the end of July 2017, the latest data available, there were 6,297 children living in care in Ireland. Of these, 5,801 children were living in foster care, and 368 in residential care. The remaining children are in other placements, such as supported lodging, specialist care facilities or long term hospital placements.

The optimum provision of services for the care and protection of children in Ireland is of the utmost importance to me and central to the work of my Department. Of course, this presents challenges and requires adequate funding and resources.

It is with this in mind, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I have secured an additional €40.6 million in funding for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, bringing the Agency's allocation to over €753 in 2018.

This will enable Tusla to target areas of identified need. In relation to foster care, there will be increased recruitment of social workers to support and recruit foster carers. A dedicated telephone service will be established providing social work support out of hours to all foster carers, for the first time.

The additional funding will also allow us to further develop our residential care services, providing safe and homely accommodation for some of our most vulnerable children and young people.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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530. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which the welfare of children in State care or institutions continues to be monitored effectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44008/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection, and if necessary, to receive a child into the care of the State.

The placement of children in care is governed by Regulations. These provide, inter alia, for the welfare of the child, the care practices, care records, accommodation and safety precautions. Children, depending on their identified needs, may be placed by their social worker in foster care either with relatives or general foster carers, in residential care, high support or special care or other placement types. The majority of children are placed in long term stable placements and currently over 92% of children are placed in foster care. A key part of the social worker role is to ensure the quality and safety of the child's placement, and to meet with the child on a one to one basis on all visits. There are safeguards surrounding each child care placement, whether foster or residential care and all placements are supervised by a professionally qualified social worker.

All foster care services and statutory residential centres are subject to inspection by the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA) and private and voluntary residential centres are inspected by Tusla against National Standards. These inspection reports of children's residential centres, fostering services and child protection services are also reviewed and analysed by my officials. The overview of these reports provides me with a level of assurance on the overall capacity of Tusla to identify and provide services to families and children who are at risk.

Within its national office, Tusla, has a dedicated Quality Assurance Team. This team produces monthly, quarterly and annual reports in respect of Tusla's functions, including detailed reporting on child safety and protection services. Tusla also provides me with information on children in care, their placement type, care status and allocation of social workers. Within my Department there is a Unit which scrutinises these reports and briefs me and senior officials on issues of note. The reports also provide statistical evidence of improvements to child welfare and protection services and highlights challenges and areas where further improvement is required, such as the recruitment of additional social workers.

Officials from my Department meet Tusla management on a regular basis to review the level of service provision, including areas in need of improvement. I myself meet on a regular basis with the CEO and Chair of Tusla. Contact is maintained with non-governmental bodies on issues within the sector, including, for example, the Children's Rights Alliance, EPIC and the Irish Foster are Association.

The Deputy should also be aware that children in care have access to independent advocacy supports, such as the organisation Empowering People in Care (EPIC). Children in care also have access to the complaints mechanism in Tulsa, and may make complaints, or be assisted to make complaints, about their care to the Office of the Ombudsman for Children.