180. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently in State care; the number who are in foster placements; and the number who are in other placements. [12165/26]
Topics / Children in Care
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsChildren in Care
358 questions from 46 TDs, between 5 February 2025 and 17 September 2026.
358
questions
353 written, 5 oral
46
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
3
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 19 |
| March 2025 | 16 |
| April 2025 | 8 |
| May 2025 | 9 |
| June 2025 | 2 |
| July 2025 | 23 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 8 |
| October 2025 | 0 |
| November 2025 | 23 |
| December 2025 | 11 |
| January 2026 | 24 |
| February 2026 | 19 |
| March 2026 | 19 |
| April 2026 | 16 |
| May 2026 | 77 |
| June 2026 | 52 |
| July 2026 | 29 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 3 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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136
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49
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20
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18
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18
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16
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12
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10
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
508. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality regarding the impact of the change to guardians ad litem via the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2022 on the role and function of guardians ad litem in court proceedings; if she has any concerns regarding the effect of these legislative changes on the protection and representation of children’s best interests before the courts; and if …
537. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has issued any written guidance, circulars, or policy directions to Tusla concerning the maximum duration a child may remain in voluntary care under section 4 of the Child Care Act 1991; whether any statutory or administrative time thresholds apply requiring escalation or court review after a defined period in volu…
538. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any mandatory senior management review, independent permanency review, or Department-level reporting requirement is automatically triggered once a child exceeds a defined duration in State care, including two years or more; if so, the details of the relevant policy framework; and if not, whether she will introduce such a requirem…
539. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality what proportion of children currently in long-term foster care are subject to adoption orders, enhanced guardianship, special guardianship, or other permanent legal arrangements; whether her Department requires formal consideration of adoption or guardianship once a child exceeds a defined duration in care; and if she will make a stateme…
540. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department compiles or publishes data on the average and median duration of time spent in State care before permanency is secured; whether such data is reported to her on a periodic basis; and if she will outline the governance and oversight mechanisms through which time-to-permanency outcomes are monitored at Departmental le…
546. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount of money being spent by Tusla each year on special emergency arrangements between 2023 to 2025; the total number of children in special emergency arrangements per year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13915/26]
254. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way she intends to guarantee the independence of guardians ad litem under the new guardian ad litem national service, given that both Tusla and the new service will report to the same Minister; if she will outline the safeguards that will be put in place to ensure that advocacy for children in court proceedings is not restricted; an…
255. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if children may be placed on waiting lists for guardian ad litem appointments under the new service; the way this aligns with the State’s obligation to protect vulnerable children involved in court proceedings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13110/26]
985. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount the third party residential care model costs compared with services provided directly through HSE with regard to costings. [12223/26]
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]
857. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the rationale for refusing to allow foster parents (details supplied) pay privately for speech and language therapy for their foster child, who has already built a relationship with an existing speech and language therapist, and acknowledging that change is particularly traumatic for the child; if this particular case can be inv…
138. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children under 12 years in care in each social work area, broken down by local area office, in tabular form. [2756/26]
139. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in care aged out in the last three years in each social work area, broken down by local area office, in tabular form. [2757/26]
140. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of young people receiving an aftercare allowance in each social work area, broken down by local area office, in tabular form. [2758/26]
141. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in care in each social work area on their third or more placement, broken down by local area office, in tabular form. [2759/26]
142. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of special emergency arrangement placements in use, by local area office, in tabular form. [2769/26]
143. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the inspection regime for special emergency arrangement placements; the regulations that apply to special emergency arrangement and the number of inspections carried out by TUSLA of special emergency arrangement placements, by local area office, in tabular form. [2770/26]
144. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in care, placed in special emergency arrangements, by local area office, in tabular form. [2771/26]
145. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in care nationally placed in special emergency arrangements, by age of the child, in tabular form. [2772/26]
146. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality number of under 18’s in each social work area, by local area office, in tabular form. [2773/26]