Questions

525. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department tracks outcomes for young people who exit State care at 18 after having spent more than 10 years continuously in care; what data is held on housing stability, education attainment, employment status, and engagement with aftercare services for this cohort; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11415/26]

526. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any internal or external review has been undertaken to assess outcomes for young people who spent the majority of their childhood in State care and subsequently aged out at 18 years-of-age; the findings of any such review; and if no review has taken place, the reason this has not been conducted. [11416/26]

527. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she accepts that the absence of longitudinal data linking length of time in State care with post-18 outcomes limits effective evaluation of the State’s care and aftercare systems; whether her Department has identified this as a governance or accountability gap; and if she will outline any steps being taken to address it. [11417/2…

528. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which the effectiveness of aftercare policy is evaluated for young people who have spent long periods in State care prior to turning 18; the assurance mechanisms which exist at Departmental level to assess whether aftercare supports are sufficient for this cohort; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11418/26]

529. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department uses data on length of time spent in State care, including children who have been in care for more than 10 or 15 years, to inform aftercare planning and resource allocation; and if not, the reason such data is not used for this purpose. [11419/26]

530. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has examined the absence of a statutory mechanism allowing early years providers to lawfully disclose and assess serious safeguarding concerns relating to staff conduct which does not meet the criminal threshold; whether she accepts that this represents a gap in the current safeguarding framework; and if she will o…

531. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has considered how a statutory safeguarding-disclosure framework for the early years sector could be designed to protect children while also ensuring fair procedures, independent assessment, appeal rights, and proportionality for staff;; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11462/26]

532. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is satisfied that the current statutory and policy framework governing safeguarding in Early Years services fully gives effect to the principles of Children First, particularly in circumstances where serious concerns arise outside the criminal justice threshold; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11465/26]

920. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of cases, in each of the past five years where Tusla initiated emergency child removal proceedings and where one or more material allegations were subsequently withdrawn, admitted being unfounded, or corrected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9372/26]

921. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the safeguards in place to ensure that emergency child protection applications made by Tusla are based solely on verified and contemporaneous evidence; whether her Department has assessed the impact of later-withdrawn or incorrect allegations on District Court decisions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9373/26]

922. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of cases, in each of the past five years, in which Tusla child protection proceedings involved a parent with a diagnosed autism spectrum condition or intellectual disability; whether additional safeguards or assessment protocols apply in such cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9374/26]

923. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the mandatory training requirements for Tusla social workers in respect of autism, neurodiversity, and disability awareness; the frequency with which such training is refreshed; and whether compliance with these requirements is monitored by her Department. [9375/26]

924. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the disciplinary procedures that apply where a Tusla social worker provides inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information to a court; the number of disciplinary actions taken in such circumstances in the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9376/26]

925. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the statutory and policy thresholds applied by Tusla when seeking emergency removal orders under the Child Care Act 1991; whether her Department has reviewed the proportionality and consistency of their use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9377/26]

926. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the governance arrangements governing the reliance by Tusla on hospital-based child protection reports when initiating emergency proceedings; whether there is a requirement for independent verification prior to court applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9378/26]

927. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has undertaken any review of cases where emergency child removals were later found to be based on incorrect or withdrawn allegations; the redress mechanisms available to affected families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9379/26]

928. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department collects and publishes aggregate data on withdrawn allegations, failed emergency applications, or post-hoc corrections in Tusla child protection cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9381/26]

929. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average and median duration, in each of the past five years, that children under one year of age remain in State care following emergency removal; the proportion of such children returned to their parent or parents within three months, six months, and twelve months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9389/26]

930. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide the outcomes, in each of the past five years, of emergency child removal cases involving children under one year of age, including the number resulting in reunification with a parent or parents, long-term care orders, adoption, or guardianship arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9390/26]

931. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department or Tusla conducts any independent review, audit, or quality-assurance process of emergency child removal decisions involving children under one year of age; whether such processes examine evidential accuracy, proportionality, and decision-making thresholds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9391/26]

894. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the assessment her Department has made of the risk of sexual exploitation of children placed in residential care and special emergency arrangements; the formal risk classifications which apply to such placements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7490/26]

895. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the safeguards which are in place to prevent grooming, coercion, and sexual exploitation of children placed in open or non-restrictive residential care and special emergency arrangements; the way in which compliance with those safeguards is monitored; and if she will publish the most recent internal review or evaluation of their effectiv…

896. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department reviewed the findings and recommendations of a report (details supplied) on sexual exploitation risks faced by children in residential and emergency care; the actions which were taken following its publication; and which recommendations, if any, remain outstanding. [7492/26]

897. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of incidents in which children absconded from residential care and special emergency arrangements in each of the past five years; the number of those cases in which sexual exploitation risk factors were identified; and the policy or procedural changes that were introduced in response. [7493/26]

898. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the governance and oversight mechanisms which are in place to review decisions to place high-risk children in open or non-restrictive emergency arrangements; whether such decisions are subject to periodic review by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7494/26]