Minister O’Gorman launches largest ever examination of the lives of children in care and adults who were in care as children

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman, T.D., has received Government approval to launch a landmark research and data project to examine the lives of children in care and adults who were in care as children.

The research will be the most comprehensive examination of Ireland’s alternative care system ever undertaken, and provide an extensive overview of both the experience of children in care and their long term outcomes.

The project will address the Ryan Report Implementation Plan recommendation for longitudinal research with young people leaving care. It will also develop the capacity of Tusla’s National Child Care Information System (NCCIS) to capture more data on the pathways of children in care and will include research with young people who left the care system ten years ago and bespoke research with children in care and aftercare.

Different elements of this project will be delivered over time. This approach will ensure that the project builds on learning as it develops and is dynamic and suitable to the issues important to children and young people, now and into the future, and consultation with stakeholders will be key throughout all phases of this project.

Launching the research, Minister O’Gorman commented:

“I am delighted to announce the start of a significant and ambitious project of research and data collection into the lives of children in care and adults who were in care as children. This project will be the most extensive and comprehensive examination of Ireland’s alternative care system ever undertaken and will provide new and important insights into the experiences of children in care and how they get on in later life.

“Having prioritised the reform and restructure of Tusla in 2021, I now want to ensure that the experience of children in care is prioritised by my Department and by Tusla. This will be done through the development of clearly articulated policy, improved services and comprehensive research.

“The Ryan Report recommendation was made in 2009. Given the significant improvements during that time, including the establishment of both the Department of Children and Tusla, there is now an appropriate infrastructure in place to research and understand the experiences of children in care and their journey as young adults.

“While the need for greater research to understand the lives of children in care and adults who were in care as children has been highlighted in the past, I have personally prioritised this work for 2022.

"The approach to this project follows extensive work carried out by a joint DCEDIY/Tusla Working Group, which commenced its work in November 2020. A steering group will be established to report periodically on progress to the Management Board of DCEDIY, and to myself."

ENDS

Notes to the Editor:

Currently there are approximately 6,000 children in care in Ireland and approximately 500 young people leave care every year upon reaching 18 years of age.

The Ryan Report Implementation Plan was published in 2009. Action 65 states:

‘The HSE will, with their consent, conduct a longitudinal study to follow young people who leave care for 10 years, to map their transition to adulthood’.

Responsibility for the welfare, care and protection of children transferred from the HSE upon establishment of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency in 2014.

The NCCIS is Tusla’s national case management system, which manages child protection and welfare and children in care data.

The project is iterative and comprises five constituent elements, which will be developed on a phased basis:

Establishment of a structure for the project. The project will be located within DCEDIY, with Tusla as a key partner. The first task will be to develop a project plan, which will set out key timelines and appropriate governance and oversight structures. The development of a project plan will be informed by consultation with key stakeholders.
Development of the capacity of the NCCIS to broaden and deepen data and knowledge development, in particular the capacity to track individual pathways of children in care. This will be done in line with data protection and ethical obligations.
A study of those who left care ten years ago. This will comprise a once off study of young people who left care ten years ago and will generate insights into the longer-term experiences and outcomes of young people who left care after the Ryan Report and how they have fared since then.
A longitudinal cohort study of young people leaving care. This will involve a study of a representative cohort of young people leaving care over a ten-year period. As aftercare planning commences when a young person turns 16, this will be the age at which the study starts.
Further bespoke research on children in care and aftercare. Additional bespoke primary research among children in care will complement improved system data and provide children in care with an opportunity to have their voices heard.