Sharon Keogan questions fate of Ukrainian minors after they aged out
Sharon Keogan urged clarity on the whereabouts and support of Ukrainian minors who have aged out of care, expressing horror at the numbers and apparent lack of aftercare provision. She challenged officials on specific figures and demanded to know whether those young people are safe and accommodated.
Asked questions on numbers
Keogan cited figures she received: 879 referrals for Ukrainian minors, 777 being provided for, 432 who had aged out of the service and only five cases still being looked after. She said the scale of young people ageing out with minimal aftercare coverage was "horrifying" and repeatedly asked where the remainder of those young people are.
Case example and safety concerns
She described a specific case in which a young person who turned 18 was collected by taxi from a residence and moved into a hotel room with three other individuals. Keogan said that scenario is not what aftercare should be and pressed officials on whether the young people were safe, in appropriate accommodation, or had returned to their country of origin.
Aftercare entitlements and processes
Officials replied that after a young person reaches 18 the national provider for adults, IPAS, links them to accommodation, and that entitlement to statutory aftercare applies to those who have been in care for a year. Keogan highlighted the disparity for international protection arrivals who turn 18 at 17 and therefore may not establish an entitlement to aftercare.
Staffing shortages and waiting lists
Keogan raised broader concerns about aftercare capacity, asking whether there are enough aftercare workers. Officials acknowledged a waiting list for aftercare in the separated children's service and noted that many arrivals are 17 and thus never establish aftercare entitlement.
Response from officials and next steps
Officials stressed that young people are not simply discharged without plans and that local authorities and services are engaged to identify accommodation and support moves to adult services. Keogan nevertheless pressed for clearer information on the missing cases and expressed ongoing concern about potential trafficking and the overall safety of aged-out minors.
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Thank you. I suppose I'm not horrified in relation to the violence that I suppose as a foster parent I would have experienced. I'm sure many foster parents out there, just like your two staff, would have also experienced violence. They would have also experienced, you know, having threatening behaviour on not only themselves as a foster parent, but maybe members of their family as well. So, yes, it does happen. And I'd like to know the amount of incidents within the foster parent setting, the foster home settings, that has been reported as well. Just in relation, I mean, we're here to talk about aftercare and what happens in aftercare and sometimes what doesn't happen in aftercare. I had a question recently that I put down in relation to Ukrainian minors that came in. And they, they, I got a response saying that there's 879 referrals for Ukrainian minors and you are providing 777. And of that 432 had aged out of the service into the aftercare and you're only looking after five of those cases. I was actually horrified. Horrified. I could not believe it. So, I want to know, where are the other children? Do you know where they are? I know one child that I, that literally turned 18, picked up in a taxi from the resident that he was staying in, was moved into a hotel room with three other individuals. And, and I just want, that is not, that's not what aftercare is about. So, I just, where are those other children? What, what concrete steps have you taken to find out where they are? What their future plans are? Do we know where they are? Are they safe? Are they in an environment that's safe? Have they returned to the country? Where are those children? Yeah. So. So, am I, let Lorna talk to that in terms of aftercare for separated children? Sure. Yeah. So, the situation with the Ukrainian young people who arrive is that once they reach 18, the, the national provider of services to adults is, is IPAS. So, the, we link the young people in with IPAS to identify accommodation. Even with children. They're 18 at this stage. Yeah, but do not have a duty with aftercare services for that child? And so, if they have been in our care for a year, in care, they would have an entitlement to aftercare. So, some young people are getting aftercare, the ones who have been. Yeah, it's very small. Right. It's a very small number. So, they would be the ones who are in our care, and most of those young people would have had additional vulnerabilities. So, it's such a small number. I won't really go into much more detail. But in the main, the package of support for Ukrainian young people who age out is, is much broader than the package of support to a young person who ages out from care within just an Irish kid, you know. Because there is an immediate placement, bed, room, identified for them through the International Protection of Accommodation Service. Do we have enough aftercare workers? Do we have enough aftercare staff? We have a waiting list for aftercare in relation to our separated children's service. And the issue isn't really so much in relation to the Ukrainian young people. Just in general, do we have enough aftercare staff? Because, like, this week, another incident happened where a child lost his life. We have a waiting list for aftercare workers within SESIP. The nature of arrivals in general is that most of the young people who arrive are 17, so they will never establish an entitlement to aftercare. So, if a child is in a residential placement with you, and they turn 18, and they don't have an aftercare worker, what do you do with that child? It depends, because it depends if they have their status or they don't have their status. No, just an Irish child tomorrow morning. Oh, an Irish child. An Irish child tomorrow morning. An Irish child in general, if they have been in care for a year, will have an aftercare entitlement. So, at 16, the social worker would link with the aftercare team and make a referral for aftercare services. And then there would be a joint plan. So, the care plan would incorporate what the aftercare plan was going to be for the young person. Some young people remain on with their foster care or beyond 18. Some young people, they may move into, you know, accommodation within the university. They may move, some children opt to go back home. Some opt to go and move with a relative. And that option is not available to them? So, if that option is not available, there is some aftercare residential placements. And the worst case scenario would be that the young person doesn't have anywhere to go. And then we would liaise with homeless services around putting a package of support in around a young person. But no young person is discharged to homeless services without there being a firm plan and somewhere for them to go. There is a care plan put in place before that child. Yeah, absolutely. And it's the same for our international protection young people. If they have arrived at 17, they've no entitlement to aftercare, and they get their status, their route is into homelessness. But they are never just given a free phone number. We work with the local authorities and we work with services to get them identified accommodation to move on to. And we support them in that move. Thank you, thank you, Ms. Cabinet. But we don't know where those children are trafficking. We generally would know where they are. Thank you, Deputy.
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