Children in Care

Thursday, 2 July 2026

Ceisteanna (419, 420, 421, 422, 423)

Ken O'Flynn

Ceist:

419. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 1587 of 9 June 2026, given the confirmation that Tusla maintains no key performance indicator for time-to-permanency, whether her Department has assessed the absence of such an indicator as a governance or child-welfare risk; whether this absence is recorded on any Tusla or Departmental risk register; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50649/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Ken O'Flynn

Ceist:

420. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 961 of 26 May 2026, if she will commit to the introduction of a national key performance indicator, benchmark or target timeframe for the achievement of permanency outcomes for children in care; the timeframe for its introduction; and if not, the reasons therefor. [50650/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Ken O'Flynn

Ceist:

421. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number and proportion of children in the care of the State for periods of five years or more, and ten years or more, respectively, as of the latest available date; whether her Department monitors the size of this cohort as an indicator of care drift; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50651/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Ken O'Flynn

Ceist:

422. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 474 of 14 May 2026, to confirm whether the Tusla Board receives any aggregate metric relating to time-to-permanency, placement drift, placement instability or repeat care episodes; and if no such metric is reported to the Board, whether she will direct that Board-level reporting on these matters be established. [50652/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Ken O'Flynn

Ceist:

423. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 1604 of 9 June 2026, in which it was stated that the number of children who have experienced more than five placement changes is not centrally collated, whether Tusla measures placement stability by any national metric; whether her Department will direct that data on placement changes be centrally collated; and the timeframe for same. [50653/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality

I propose to take Questions Nos. 419, 420, 421, 422 and 423 together.

I would like to thank the Deputy for this question regarding permanency and stability for children in the care of the State.

Tusla has developed a policy and operational document relating to permanency planning for children in care, the Pathways to Permanency Handbook. This document supports social work practitioners and decision makers in their aim to ensure stable and safe care placements for children.

Detailed information in relation to permanency and placements for children in care is available through Tusla’s annual Review of Adequacy report, available on the Tusla website: www.tusla.ie/publications/review-of-adequacy-reports/. Tusla also publishes data through its Data Hub, available online at: [www.data.tusla.ie/].

Officials within the Department are currently progressing the development of a National Policy Framework for Alternative Care. Matters pertaining to permanency will form part of the deliberative process preceding the publication of the Framework.

Question No. 420 answered with Question No. 419.

Question No. 421 answered with Question No. 419.

Question No. 422 answered with Question No. 419.

Question No. 423 answered with Question No. 419.