Housing Provision

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as a bheith linn chun an cheist seo a fhreagairt agus an t-ábhar a phlé. I wish to raise the issue of the provision of housing with appropriate bedroom accommodation for families who are local authority tenants or local authority applicants for housing support and who also provide foster care. To be clear, I refer specifically to long-term foster care arrangements where a child is unlikely to return to the birth family and where the foster family has made a long-term commitment to providing the children in foster care with a permanent and stable home. The State relies heavily on foster carers to provide family environments for vulnerable children and we should acknowledge the crucial role they play. Ireland's system of care for vulnerable children is distinguished by its preference for foster care rather than for institutional care. When compared across the EU and even internationally, we are very positive in that we can provide vulnerable children with care in a family setting rather than an institutional one. That approach is widely recognised as being in the best interests of children. If we expect foster families to provide that home environment, we must ensure that the State housing supports help them in doing so. There is, unfortunately - and I have encountered this - a lack of clarity on how local authorities assess the housing needs of foster families. I will give the Minister of State a concrete example of a constituent of mine. They are a parent to two foster children - a girl aged five who has been in foster care for a number of years and, more recently, a boy aged one. Tusla has advised the foster family that it sees the long-term future of the children in their care and is satisfied that this provides the children with a stable and caring future. They currently reside in a two-bedroom property. It is not clear to me, from the scheme of letting priority from the local authority, that it views the family in the same manner as one where the children reside with the birth parents. It is not clear from the scheme the council currently operates. Engagement with the council has not been able to provide such clarity. We need a consistent national approach here. We need to provide the clarity to local authorities where this lack of clarity exists. Foster carers are often left uncertain as to whether the needs of the foster children will be recognised in the housing assessment or an assessment of housing need. This creates uncertainty for the families. It is inconsistent. These families have taken on a substantial commitment on behalf of the State and for the children they are providing care for. The other potential impact we must examine is that it could be limiting the options of certain families who might be willing, able and anxious to provide foster care for other vulnerable children in the community, but are concerned that their existing property or the property allocated to them by the local authority will not provide sufficient bedroom space to do that. Most people will accept that as children grow older, separate sleeping accommodation for children of different genders is essential, particularly where children are in an unfamiliar setting at the outset, having gone through some trauma or suffered something that required them to become the children of foster parents. The uncertainty around policy and the application of policy is causing issues for families who struggle to provide foster care in the setting in which they are housed. In a general sense, we need greater clarity around this issue. The family in Galway who are providing the foster care are very anxious to do so. They want to do so to the best possible degree for the children. They have a great relationship with the children. They will be cared for well in their home and will have a bright future. The only uncertainty is whether the home will be of sufficient size to accommodate the family.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue concerning the housing needs of foster families and the manner in which those needs are considered by housing authorities. At the outset, I acknowledge the invaluable contribution made by foster carers throughout the country. Foster families provide safe, stable and caring homes for children and young people who require support. Their commitment plays a vital role in the care system. Like the Deputy, I am an elected representative and have been since 2009, and I have seen at first hand the commitment of foster families across the country. The allocation of dwellings and their suitability for households deemed eligible for social housing support are matters for individual local authorities. Neither I nor the Minister, Deputy Browne, has any role in such matters. Local authorities allocate dwellings to qualified households under their allocation schemes, which are made in line with section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated regulations. These allocation schemes determine the order of priority to be accorded to households qualified for social housing support and to households approved for a transfer. Local authorities assess housing applicants taking into account factors such as the condition and appropriateness of their existing accommodation. This includes consideration on medical and compassionate grounds, and other relevant circumstances. The authority then prioritises the needs of approved applicants in accordance with its allocation scheme. The issue raised by the Deputy relates to the accommodation requirements of households that provide foster care. While there is no specific statutory entitlement to a larger social house solely on the basis that a household provides foster care, housing authorities have discretion to consider the circumstances of individual households when assessing housing need. I appreciate the practical challenges that can arise where the composition of a household changes and additional accommodation may be required. As part of a household’s assessment of housing need, local authorities should also have regard to whether existing accommodation is suitable for the household concerned, including issues relating to overcrowding, where relevant. Section 63 of the Housing Act 1966 establishes statutory standards in this regard and provides a framework that housing authorities may take into account when assessing accommodation needs. However, the assessment of housing need extends beyond any single factor and local authorities must consider the overall circumstances of the household in accordance with their allocation schemes. Ultimately, decisions regarding housing need, priority and allocations are matters for the relevant local authority. Those decisions are taken having regard to the particular facts of each case, the household's circumstances and the provisions of the authority's allocation scheme. For that reason, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the individual circumstances of the constituent whose case the Deputy has raised. However, I reiterate my thanks and appreciation to all those foster families and carers who provide an invaluable service to young people across this country, day in, day out, 365 days of the year.

I thank the Minister of State. It is my sense that the case that has been brought to my attention through the family in my constituency is not an isolated one. There might be other families in similar circumstances. There might be people who would be willing. We must take into account cases where a family member might feel that they should provide the foster care but the challenge for them might be that they do not have adequate accommodation to do so. I fully recognise that the schemes of housing allocations are the remit of local authorities. The Minister of State mentioned section 63 of the 1966 Act. We should look to provide guidance arising from our responsibility under that Act to ensure that the local authorities recognise there is a greater social need here. There is greater social well-being for everybody if the children can be provided with some consistency and growth in the provision of care that can be provided by foster carers. Unfortunately, at the moment our system is not fully recognising that by not being clear. When a family incorporates a child through fostering into their family, it should be recognised by the local authority in terms of their bedroom need if they are an applicant for social housing or an existing tenant. As I said earlier, we are possibly limiting the desire or ability of families who could provide foster care. There is demand, as the Minister of State is aware and as he mentioned. There is additional demand for foster families. We must ensure the State is doing everything it can to facilitate that demand. It is all about the well-being of the child who would be placed in foster care. I ask that we review the situation, examine the legislation around it and try to provide some guidance to local authorities to make them aware of this. In cases where the issue is brought to the attention of local authorities, they should facilitate homes with additional bedroom provision for families who are willing to provide foster care.

I appreciate what the Deputy is saying. In fairness, he is highlighting a case and is saying that he suspects it is not an isolated case. I agree. I too suspect it is not an isolated case. However, as I said in my opening contribution, there is sufficient discretion for local authorities within the scheme for them to be able to take into account circumstances such as those the Deputy has outlined and other circumstances when considering the bedroom need for an individual family. That is in line with their own scheme of letting priorities, which it is open to every local authority to adjust. This is an important issue. We need more foster families in the service. The service they provide is, as I said, invaluable. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter and for shining a spotlight on the issue. I believe local authorities have discretion that can be applied to circumstances such as these. I will take the matter away and discuss it with the Minister, Deputy Browne.