Claire Kerrane
Roscommon-Galway · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“For carers and the loved ones they care for, respite is really important. It should not be beyond us to ensure that respite is guaranteed and consistent rather than having a situation where service providers go year to year looking at lists of people in terms of who they can and cannot give respite to due to funding implications.”
“Approximately 160 of the 13,000 to 15,000 childminders in the State have signed up. There is clearly an issue. No matter how hard the consultation was in terms of its significance, it clearly has not worked. There is a major issue and there is a huge job of work to be done.”
“The Minister's amendment also speaks about parent's leave and benefit, maternity leave and the leave available specifically to two-parent families. There is an ongoing anomaly, which I have raised many times, for one-parent families. It would cost a small amount of money.”
“It is as though we are reading two different motions. Contrary to what both Ministers have said, the motion is not just about affordability and accessibility. In fact, in that first €10 a day childcare plan in 2024, I ensured it was not just about affordability and accessibility, as I have done with this motion.”
“There has not been one year where the Minister has not had to go out of her way to get the JLC to the table to actually deliver on pay. Most times, they end up in the Labour Court. I cannot fathom how that can be in any way called an effective approach to pay. There are educators who would earn more in a supermarket in many cases.”
“I met some who said to me that they find it difficult to do a four-year degree and come out to earn an amount of money per hour that they could earn in the local supermarket. That is no level of respect for these professionals, without whom we would have no childcare sector and would not have to worry about places or cost.”
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“They are ready, willing and able. They want to grow and they want to do more. Why can they not do so? It is because the funding they receive cannot and does not operate the services they have today. They are fundraising for their services. We need to give them funding that is adequate to do the job they do and we need more of them.”
“It is a system that consists of children who go hungry and children who run away because they cannot bear to be where they are put. It has actively led to children being exploited and being assaulted. It has brought vulnerable children into a world of drugs and crime. It has led to severe mental health issues and it has led to homelessness. These operators are being paid for this service and they are being paid in the millions. It is, frankly, disgusting that this is what they are being paid for. The use of unregulated profit-driven residential settings has to be banned. There should be no room for profit making when it comes to looking after the most vulnerable children in our State. It is not just about a ban but about building capacity in the State system. This is there in terms of the voluntary residential services.”
“I acknowledge that the Minister is here tonight to take this Topical Issue. I am sure she will agree that last week's "RTÉ Investigates" was appalling. It gave us just a glimpse into the experience of some children in care and what they experience. I certainly felt, having watched it, that somebody needs to be held accountable for what we saw in the programme and it cannot just be Tusla. I have said before that the Government is in charge. The Minister and the Department have a responsibility for children who are in care, our most vulnerable children in the State. Far too often it is easy for all of us to point the finger at Tusla. It has been too much of an easy out and the time for that is over. The system we saw last week on our television screens is one that is causing harm to children. We saw children who are being neglected.”
“I also know the director of special care has been removed from his position. That is deeply concerning based on what we saw last night. Will the Minister engage with these workers in special care services? Will she pause the restructuring until their issues are heard and addressed?”
“We saw the need for special care beds in last night's programme. We saw the consequences of what happens when children in State care do not get the support they need. They enter a world of crime and drugs. They are abused and assaulted. They end up homeless. Those working in the special care services, who are highly trained and highly professional, are raising serious concerns in relation to the restructuring that is under way. I ask the Minister to please hear these concerns. I ask that there would be a pause on the restructuring of special care. Yes, there are issues in terms of recruitment and retention but we need to listen to those people. I am speaking about management level within those who are raising serious concerns for special care and for the restructuring and the impact that will have.”
“They have said that they are extremely concerned that what is being done in terms of the restructuring in special care will lead to a collapse of special care. Those people need to be heard by the Minister. Has she met the professionals in the special care services specifically?”
“I thank the Minister and acknowledge that there are real difficulties in hiring, recruiting and retaining professionals in these special care settings. The Minister will be well aware of the restructuring that is being undertaken by Tusla. Part of that restructuring is impacting the special care services. Is the Minister aware that front-line staff and managers within special care services have raised serious concerns in relation to the impact the restructuring will have on the special care services themselves? Based on what we saw last night, would the Minister seek a pause in the restructuring in special care, given the concerns that have been raised by people who work in special care? Again based on what we saw last night, they are the people we need to be listening to.”
“I again want to ask the Minister about the special care beds in the State that are closed. When I raised this issue with her here last month, she advised that 15 of the 26 beds were open. This issue was to the fore in the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last night. What more can and will the Minister do to ensure that the 26 beds that are there and that are needed will open?”
“We need to ensure that all survivors, no matter where they live, can access the support and it will not have an impact on their primary payments, particularly their pensions, in their older years.”
“I, too, welcome the statement making it very clear that there will not be an impact for those who receive money through this scheme in relation to their primary benefits, particularly pensions. Of course, the legislation has not been passed. There will be survivors who will be nervous and worried. There are also a number of survivors - I think about 700 - who have sought and received the payment and it is not clear if that has had an impact on their pensions and payments. That needs to be checked as well. Given the approximately 34,000 deemed to be eligible, and, unfortunately, there are seven exclusions, is it possible for the Minister to engage with other countries, such as America, to see if there is that same issue that has been experienced in England?”
“More broadly, has this issue come up elsewhere, for example, in relation to the pensions and payments of survivors who are living in the US? Is this a wider issue beyond England?”
“It is important to check the 6,500 notices of determination that have issued and the 5,200 of those that have been paid, as it means quite a number have not been paid. I do not have an issue with the system. It has actually worked quite well when people get into it and the application is processed. I have no issue there. However, that is a very significant gap and it could be checked. There has obviously been an issue raised as regards survivors who are living in England. Obviously, lots of people have lived in England and Ireland; it is very common. What level of communication has the Minister had in relation to ensuring those survivors living in England can access this compensation via the scheme without it impacting on other payments they receive, particularly pensions?”
“When the guardian ad litem met with the children directly, the parents, the school and with Tusla and the SEA staff, they uncovered that the children were not being offered breakfast under the SEA. They were in school early enough to avail of the breakfast club but they were not actually enrolled in any breakfast club. The reported positive engagement was an hourly safety and well-being check of the children in their bedrooms. There was no attempt at connection. These were children who were found to be caring for themselves. Finally, the supervisor had visited the placement and was recorded as having met the children, met the staff and completed a risk assessment in one 21-minute visit. Now more than ever we need the guardians ad litem to have their independence and we need that legal protection retained.”
“When I hosted AGALI and Judge Dermot Simms last month I asked them to share one example case with me at that briefing. They spoke about two children under the age of 16 who were received into care for the first time and placed in a special emergency arrangement, SEA, which we saw much of in last night's programme. This was the first time they were placed into care and there was nothing else available. Tusla reported on the SEA over several months and they noted the staff were engaging positively with the children every day, that the children were comfortable and settled and that the placement was being overseen by an allocated Tusla SEA supervisor.”
“That is where the question mark is over independence. The Minister will know of the issue I have raised many times in terms of the legal representation. I cannot understand how that cannot be maintained in terms of guaranteed legal representation.”
“If anyone wondered about the value of guardians ad litem , they only had to watch the "RTÉ Investigates" programme last night. We saw and heard from guardians ad litem who are powerful voices for the children that they look after, speak for and very much support through what can be a very challenging State care system. We also heard from Judge Dermot Simms, who I had in here last month for a briefing along with GALs to speak to the very serious concerns they have and he has for the national service. On a number of occasions the guardians ad litem have to, for want of a better term, go up against Tusla in a courtroom to speak for and advocate for a child. I cannot fathom how we can retain the independence of GALs as they go up against Tusla while both are under the one Minister and the one Department.”
“I acknowledge a review is coming up. I understand the review is quite niche but I hope the Minister might be able to confirm that the review towards the end of this year will look at the institutions. The special advocate who has been put in place to do a job has been clear in seeking the urgent expansion of this scheme. Having met Michael Grant and his daughter Rachel, my genuine fear is that he may not live to see such an expansion to institutions like Temple Hill. There are other survivors in that situation as well. We need to do right by them. Will the upcoming review look at institutions that are excluded and will it look at exclusions to the scheme as is?”
“The Minister mentioned a shelter for children. That is exactly what Temple Hill was for Michael Grant. Will the Minister give me any information about the direction she has been given?”
“The Minister will no doubt acknowledge the ruling of the court and the views and comments made, most especially by Judge Alexander Owens about the exclusion of the institutions, particularly of Temple Hill and St. Joseph's, because they were the cases brought before him by survivors of both institutions. I have raised the case of Michael Grant in this Chamber and in committee many times. He spent the first year of his life in Temple Hill. He was a healthy child and his mother paid rent for him to remain there for the first year of his life before he was fostered. Temple Hill appears to have been identified as a hospital. I do not know of any hospital in the State where you pay rent to keep a child. I think that is an omission and that is the ruling and the finding of the judge who considered both Temple Hill and St. Joseph's so carefully.”
“I want to ask the Minister about the landmark High Court ruling made in February of this year. It specifically examined two institutions, Temple Hill and St. Joseph's, that are excluded from the mother and baby institutions payment scheme. The judge at that time directed the Minister to consider adding these institutions to the scheme and I would like to seek an update on that direction please.”
“Of the 1,800 children in Roscommon and Galway waiting to see a psychologist, over 1,000 have waited for one year. A business case is being submitted for a dedicated CAMHS team in Ballinasloe this year. The CAMHS service that was there previously was closed, and parents have to trek an 80 km to 90 km round trip to Roscommon for appointments. When this business case is submitted, will the Minister of State reinstate the dedicated CAMHS team for Ballinasloe as quickly as possible?”
“In terms of UHG, we know there are significant issues with meeting target timeframes that are in place. We know that in 2025 27% of cancer patients did not get access to chemotherapy within the target timeframe of 15 days. The figures are stark as well when you look at the delays in accessing surgery for prostate cancer, with just 21% of patients in UHG getting the surgery within the recommended timeframe of 30 days, that is, only 21% of patients who needed that surgery getting it within the timeframe and the vast majority not getting it. There is a serious issue with resources and people diagnosed with cancer receiving their treatment or surgery within that targeted timeframe, which is so important. Having to contact a TD to try to get help accessing chemotherapy is really concerning and should not happen.”
“In January I was contacted by a father and husband whose wife had been diagnosed with cancer at the end of November. She had been referred to University Hospital Galway for chemotherapy. She has young children at home and she was obviously extremely worried, first, to be diagnosed with cancer but, second, with a cancer that had taken her mother. About five weeks into waiting for the chemotherapy, she travelled up there, she presented to the accident and emergency department in pain and, eventually, five weeks after her diagnosis, well after the 15 working days that is the targeted timeframe, she received her chemotherapy. She had begged for weeks for chemotherapy and she had not received it. I imagine that if she had not shown up at the accident and emergency department in pain, she would not have received it within five weeks either.”
“It is unacceptable and we need to move on it as quickly as possible. We need to do a lot more in those three areas of special care, residential care and foster carers. There is now an onus on the Minister and her Department to step up and be more hands-on and involved in supporting children who are in the care of the State. They are the responsibility of all of us, of the Government and of the State. We need to do an awful lot more to support them. We cannot constantly point the finger and blame Tusla. We have an entire Department and it needs to do an awful lot more to support some of the most vulnerable children in our State.”
“Of course, foster carers cease fostering for a number of reasons but the number of foster carers is falling. In 2024, we had 3,809. Last year, we had 3,782. In every year since 2019, the number has fallen. In 2019, we had 4,130. We have more demand and more need and yet the number of foster carers is falling at a time when we need more of them. The single best place, setting or environment for a child who is in the care of the State is with a foster family. It is the place where they will be shown care and unconditional love, perhaps for the first time in their lives. We need to do an awful lot more to support our foster carers. I will again note that they get no State pension after decades of providing that level of care. Some have supported hundreds of children but, when they get to pension age, they have no State pension.”
“Of that, there is no doubt. However, judges are concerned and are telling young people they have to go to special care but there are no beds for them. In some cases, there are threats to these children's lives but we have no bed for them although we have a number of idle beds in the State. It is not acceptable. We must get those beds staffed and open by whatever means necessary. The Minister's amendment makes the point that the number of foster parents is increasing. I have raised issues regarding foster carers and parents with her many times. Based on the Tusla figures I have, the numbers are falling. The Minister referred to 223 new foster carers coming in during 2025 but she did not mention that 250 ceased fostering that same year.”
“We need to see a ramping up of investment. That is where the frustration grows. It is sometimes too easy to blame Tusla and to point the finger at it. The Department and the Minister need to step up for children in care an awful lot more. Children who are in the care of the State are all of our responsibility. Everybody plays a role in child protection and child welfare, from childcare settings to our schools and the workplace. It is not just Tusla. We all have a responsibility. The Department and the Minister need to step up, particularly when it comes to residential places, capacity and special care. I have raised the issue of special care with the Minister many times. Of 26 beds, 15 are open today. There has been an ongoing and consistent issue with staffing special care beds. It is a challenging environment.”
“In this State in 2026, there should not be a single child in an unregulated and uninspected setting of any shape or form. It should not happen. The reason it is happening is that we have not built capacity in residential care and special care in the State. I note the Minister's amendment to this motion states that Tusla is beginning to build capacity. That needs to be ramped up as quickly as possible. We cannot have children in unregulated and uninspected settings. It is happening all of the time and Tusla appears to be more and more reliant on it. As was referred to earlier, Tusla has referred five providers to the Garda National Vetting Bureau with regard to concerns over Garda vetting. The idea that Garda vetting is not even checked in these settings as a basic requirement is really concerning.”
“There has recently been an issue with therapies for children, particularly play therapy, in the east and south east of the State. Tusla attempted to pull vital therapies for children in Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary. These were due to be withdrawn at the end of this month. Foster carers in those counties put up a fight and a temporary resolution has been found. A similar issue is ongoing in Waterford. The idea that vital therapies would be taken away from children in care, particularly those in the care of foster carers who rely on those therapies and supports for the children in their care, is just incredible in this day and age. We need to see a similar resolution for Waterford so they do not have to battle like those in Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary had to. I will move onto the special emergency arrangements.”
“One of the implications, as identified in that HIQA inspection report, is that a child with a disability, who is non-verbal, was left awaiting the completion of a preliminary inquiry and safety planning for over two months. The worst finding of the report HIQA published is that, in the questionnaire the service itself returned ahead of that second inspection, it said it was compliant in almost every area. When the second inspection was carried out, it was found the service was compliant in very few areas but had misled HIQA in that questionnaire. There were really serious findings in that report. If we are now looking at a mechanism where people do not need to be qualified social workers when we already have serious issues with oversight and governance, that mechanism needs to be looked at again.”
“When I was looking at the number of children who are waiting to be allocated a social worker and the number of children allocated to other professional grades instead, I was reminded of the HIQA report into Tusla in the Dublin north city service area that was published last year. I have read a number of the report's findings into the record on a number of occasions. HIQA found poor governance and oversight at all management levels and that governance systems risks identified during an earlier inspection had not been addressed when inspectors came back for a second inspection. We have to remember the impact of not allocating social workers in a timely manner. I will again cite an example I have cited here a number of times.”
“In saying this, I do not mean to diminish social care workers or the other professionals in the sector but social care workers are concerned they are going to be given cases that should be given to a social worker and that they are not qualified to deal with. They have raised that very issue and it needs to be looked at. We need to look at the reforms Tusla is moving ahead with to ensure they are going to make the existing service better. It needs to be better. It is not acceptable for children to be allocated to those in other professional grades rather than to social workers. If that is the plan, it cannot proceed.”
“It appears that, because we have such a serious shortage of social workers, an attempt is now being made to allocate children to other professionals who are not social workers to deal with that shortage, which has been an issue for some time now. In a recent response to me, Tusla said that all children and young people will continue to be overseen by social work management. I am concerned as to what "overseen" means. We obviously have a serious shortage of social workers. The idea that social workers would have some oversight responsibility within Tusla is concerning when we do not have enough of them on the ground in the first place.”
“I thank Independent Ireland for bringing forward this motion. It is always important to take opportunities to discuss issues of child welfare and child protection and to ensure that all the regulations relating to those responsible for ensuring children in our State are safe, looked after and cared for adequately and properly are upheld. There are a number of issues I want to speak to in addressing this motion. The first is the allocation of social workers. For a long time now, there has been consistent criticism from judges in case after case where children are not allocated a social worker. With the reforms now under way, social care workers have come to me to tell me they are concerned they are going to be given roles and cases that should be given to social workers.”
“If a child is born into a two-parent family, each parent gets nine weeks, but if a child is born into a one-parent family, that parent gets nine weeks. That should not be the case. It should be 18 weeks. It should not be different. It is a small cohort of people. It would be a small amount of money. We should be looking at lone parents and supporting them as best we can. I know there is a calculator now in the Department of justice when it comes to child maintenance. We can have all the calculators in the world but if child maintenance is not enforced, it is not paid, which happens a lot of the time, and it is back to the lone parent every time when that should not be the case.”
“They are not being retained. Foster carers should have access to a State pension but they do not. They spend a considerable amount of their lives opening up their homes, providing love and care to the most vulnerable children in the State. At the very least, they deserve a State pension at the end of their days. I also want to also refer to childminders. About 150 of them have signed up to the regulations. There are serious issues with the regulations and that is clear given the number who have signed up for the new regulations. We need to get that right because we need childminders and we need to retain them. Last, I want to speak to the point on family leave. Yes, family leave is very important, but we have an ongoing anomaly in respect of one-parent families.”
“I would pose the question of how many people, how many survivors and how many women who are excluded will have passed away between now and 2029. The special advocate has been clear. She has called for the urgent expansion of the scheme and it should be done. It should be done for the women and mothers of this State, and it should be done now. I want to also make reference to early years educators, without whom we would not have a childcare sector. They continue to be in a situation where it is up to the JLC whether they will get a few cent here or a few cent there. We usually end up in the Labour Court and we might get a euro and we will see when we will get it. That is not the way to set wages and it is not the way we should treat early years educators at a time when, on average, we are losing 20% to 25% of them across the State.”
“I am glad to get the opportunity to contribute to the statements on International Women's Day. In the couple of minutes I have I want to address some of the areas where the State is failing women, particularly in sectors that are primarily made up of women. I want to turn first to the ongoing exclusion of a number of women primarily who cannot access the mother and baby institutions payment scheme. We are now a couple of years into that scheme and there are a number of women primarily who are excluded. This is wrong. I am raising this issue with the Minister. I know she keeps saying that towards the end of the scheme, towards 2029, we will probably see an uplift and that the nature of schemes like this is that more people will apply towards the end.”
“I want to ask the Taoiseach specifically about the 80 fully qualified paramedics and the return to the move to a permanent contract. We need every one of them.”
“Yesterday, I stood outside with paramedics who are protesting over the latest decision by the National Ambulance Service management. Every graduating class since the introduction of the paramedic studies course has seen an automatic move for paramedics from a purpose contract to a permanent contract but that no longer appears to be the case. It is incredible, given the number of paramedics we need, that the management would now be putting roadblocks in the way of paramedics. It looks like management is saying we have too many paramedics, when in fact we all know we need many more. I am becoming increasingly concerned by some of the decisions being made by the management of the National Ambulance Service, NAS. It is privileging courses. It stopped advanced paramedic training and then reintroduced it. There are serious concerns.”
“Finally, as the Minister of State noted, this Bill specifies only that the ward is entitled to be notified of discharge proceedings after the fact or as close to after the fact as possible. That feeds into the point that has been made repeatedly about the lack of engagement and accessible information. We need to look at all of that to make sure the person is engaged with as meaningfully as possible, that they can participate fully and that the person acting on their behalf can participate fully in the discharge process. We need to make sure we do everything we can to get it right. I reiterate that we need to make sure we are not here again for a further extension.”
“The fifth concern related to some of the wider issues and the lack of meaningful engagement. That has been raised a lot by wards themselves, their families and the committees in relation to the lack of engagement or accessible information that people can easily understand. That needs to be looked at. They have also raised concerns about the Act itself and the review, which is very important. We might not see it until 2027 and it might be closer to 2028. Given the delays we have seen to date, we need to see a detailed plan on how that review will be undertaken. It is really important that the Minister of State would do that. We need to know what it will look like and to have a timeframe. I will share with the Minister of State the document from the Centre for Disability Law and Policy in the University of Galway, which is very useful.”
“The centre also highlighted discrimination against minor wards. Usually they automatically come out at 18 years and that will not be the case. We know that at 18 you are transitioning in life, whether in education or otherwise, and it is a really critical time in a young person’s life. We will see that delayed. It is so important that those young people have engagement and are heard. There are no plans in place to tackle the root causes that have led to the court backlog. This is a really important point. The Bill does nothing to address the root causes of the delays, which are significant. We need to use this time to look at what can be done. The centre raised the failure to resource the public bodies, the Legal Aid Board, the National Advocacy Service and the Decision Support Service. That needs to be looked at.”
“I acknowledge the Centre for Disability Law and Policy in University of Galway, which has provided a really detailed note. It has raised five issues, which I said I would raise this evening. One is the vague criteria for activating the extension of the timeframe. The legislation refers to “exceptional circumstances”. We need to look at what that actually means and get a definition since what may be exceptional to one might not be to another. That is really important. The centre has also highlighted the fact there is no requirement to appropriately engage with the ward of court, the actual person. That is also concerning. We need to look at the level of engagement, the accessible information and the engagement that the person themselves is having or that the committee has for them.”
“The Minister of State said there are 1,050 cases outstanding. It would be very helpful if she could tell us how many of those are minors. As we approach 23 April, and it is approaching quickly, it is worth noting this is not something that came out of the blue. The figures speak for themselves. Successive annual reports from the Courts Service showed the pace of discharge from wardship was incredibly slow. Many see this legislation as very last minute. No one here will stand in the way of such an extension – it is necessary – but we must also look at the reasons it is necessary and take steps to ensure we do not need a similar piece of legislation in 18 months to extend it even further. There is a question mark over why it has taken the Government so long to act on this. It has left vulnerable people in an even more uncertain situation.”
“We have a serious issue here and we need to resolve it. We need to ensure that every child in every school has the SNA they need - nothing more and nothing less.”
“It is not possible for that SNA to do her job as a part-time SNA, yet that school has been told it has the required number of SNAs. The school looked for a review itself. It was half-terrified when it looked for it, but it was told it would hold what it has, which is what it is appealing now. We should not have a situation where a part-time SNA has to try to deal with the needs of eight children. It is not fair on the SNA and it is certainly not fair on the eight children. That is just one example of one school in my constituency. I know of other cases where children have to leave school early because the SNA finishes at a certain time and has to go home. In 2026, it is a shame to have any child in a classroom not receiving the support they deserve and are entitled to simply to get them through the school day.”
“I will focus on an issue I found in Roscommon and Galway. This time, it is not in relation to cuts per se , but a situation where schools do not have the correct or adequate number of SNAs in the first place. I will give one example. I provided a letter of support for a school that is appealing its SNA allocation. That school has two full-time SNAs and one part-time SNA. The two full-time SNAs are with two children who are a flight risk and have a number of primary care needs. Those children cannot be left unattended for the start of the school day, throughout and to the end of the school day. That is the two SNAs. The SNA who is part time is working with eight children, all with additional needs and a variety of needs.”
“There are other agencies that need to get around the table on these issues. We need to look at what we can do in relation to special care because what is going on at the moment with beds not being open is just not acceptable.”
“I would like to see a timeline for the implementation of each of the recommendations of the external review group. Fifteen special care beds are open but we should have 26. There are four extremely vulnerable children who have been advised, told and directed to special care but it is not available for them. The report is especially damning. It describes "severe challenges" and talks of a "crisis". The report makes it clear that it looks at "the immediate operational issues", or what needs to be dealt with immediately. It also goes on to discuss the children in dire need of intervention - our most vulnerable children - for whom there is no bed for special care. The recommendations of the review group need to be looked at. It is always important to say that this is not just a matter for Tusla.”