Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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242. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the review statistics on placement stability for children in care will be published for 2016 and 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4495/19]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, publish figures on placement stability in the annual Review of Adequacy report. The most recent Review of Adequacy, for 2016, was published in 2018.

At the end of December 2016, there were 169 children in their third or greater placement within the previous 12 months. This amounts to about 2.7% of children in care at the end of 2016. The comparable in Great Britain is approximately 10% of their care populations. Depending on the individual circumstance, a child on first coming into care could be placed initially overnight in an emergency foster care placement before moving to a short term placement while an assessment is undertaken of their circumstances. This could lead to an application to the Courts for a Care Order and a long term placement.

The data used in the compilation of the Review of Adequacy does not become available for up to 10 months after year-end, and the collection, validation and review of the other material used in the Review can add further delays. I understand that the 2017 Report is currently in the drafting stage.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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243. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children in single care residential placements in each of the years 2015 to 2018. [4496/19]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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246. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children in single care foster care placements in each of the years 2015 to 2018. [4499/19]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 243 and 246 together.

I understand the Deputy to be asking about the number of children who have had a single foster care or residential care placement during their time in care. I therefore propose to answer on the basis of data available on placement stability.

Depending on the reason for admission to care or the circumstances, a child may initially be placed in an emergency placement, and then moved to a stable, long term placement. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, use the number of children on their third, or greater, placement within a year, as an indicator of placement stability. Figures are published based on that metric.

The following table, which includes figures from the prepublication 2017 Review of Adequacy, shows the overall placement stability indicator for the years 2015-2017. Data is not yet available for 2018.

Overall Placement Stability

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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244. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children under 12 years of age in residential placements in each of the years 2015 to 2018. [4497/19]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I can inform the Deputy that data on the placement of children under 12 in residential care is published in Tusla's annual Review of Adequacy report, which is published annually in arrears. The most recently published Review of Adequacy relates to the year 2016.

In general, Tusla endeavour to place children under 12 in foster care. I understand that in 2016 there were some 3,672 children aged 12 and under in foster care, accounting for approximately 60% of all children in care.

In cases where a sibling group is taken into care, and it is not possible to source a foster care placement where the group can be placed together, a residential placement may be sourced for the sibling group, if it is in the best interests of the children to remain together. Consideration of the suitability of a placement will form a key part of the care planning process.

There are some circumstances where foster care is not an option, such as when an appropriate foster care placement cannot be found, where a child is at an immediate risk and cannot wait for a suitable foster care placement to be identified in a planned way, or where a child has specific therapeutic needs that are best met in residential care. In these cases, a child may be placed in a residential setting.

The following table lays out the numbers of children under 12 placed in residential care in the years 2015 and 2016. The Deputy may be interested to note that there were no children under the age of 6 placed in residential care.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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245. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children in third residential placements within 12 months in each of the years 2015 to 2018. [4498/19]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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247. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children in third foster care placements within 12 months in each of the years 2015 to 2018. [4500/19]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 245 and 247 together.

I can inform the Deputy that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, use the number of placements a child has in a year as an indicator of placement stability. Data on placement stability is published in Tusla's annual Review of Adequacy report, which is published annually in arrears. The most recently published Review of Adequacy relates to the years 2015 and 2016.

The following table lays out the number of children who have had three or more care placements, by care type, in 2015 and 2016. The totals shown below represent 2.1% in 2015, and 2.7% in 2016, of children in care. This indicates that placements are generally stable for children in care.