Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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439. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason he, through statutory bodies such as the HSE and Tusla, continues to make Irish children wards of court and to send them abroad at the cost of €400,000 per child, per year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27981/21]

Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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440. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children who are currently under out-of-state care after having been made wards of court and emancipated from the care of their family; and the amount such out-of-state care incurs as a cost to the State per year. [27982/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 439 and 440 together.

On very rare occasions, the level of specialist intervention required to care for a child in the care of the State is not available in Ireland. If the child has a serious mental illness for which there is no appropriate facility in Ireland a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist may recommend to the Court that the child requires treatment in a secure hospital. In such situations, Tusla will, as necessary, initiate proceedings seeking to have a child declared a ward of court. This provides the legal authority to allow for detention and care in suitable secure facilities out of state.

I have asked Tusla for a detailed breakdown of the number of children under Wardship arrangements placed abroad and the cost of secure placements. We will share this information with you at the earliest convenience. As you can appreciate, the impact of the recent cyber-attack on HSE systems has disrupted the normal functioning of Tusla’s information systems.

Tusla works in partnership with the specialist service with a view to the child returning to their primary placement or another appropriate placement in Ireland. In the course of all out of state placements (foster care, open therapeutic residential care and secure treatment and care) the child’s social worker visits the child, monitors the care conditions, progress and adjust the child's care plan as necessary. Where appropriate the Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist keeps abreast of the child’s psychiatric progress.