Controversial reforms to youth support to be postponed

The Child and Family Agency has confirmed that controversial plans to reform aftercare services for hundreds of young people are being reviewed and will not be rolled out next month.

Aftercare is the term given to support for young people in State care after they turn 18. Between 1,000 and 1,500 people between the ages of 18 and 23 receive aftercare services.

Under the plans – which were due to come into force on September 1st – a national €300 aftercare payment was to be divided between young people involved in education or training and their carers.

Controversially, however, the payment would cease where young people were not involved in education or training. Instead, they would be guided towards drawing social welfare and seeking housing from either local authorities or in the private rented market.

Groups representing young people in care expressed alarm that these changes would withdraw crucial foster support from young people who needed it most and increase their chances of ending up homeless or at risk.

In an interview, Gordon Jeyes, chief executive of the Child and Family Agency Tusla, acknowledged that some of the proposals may have been "too prescriptive" and will not come into force this year. Any changes would involve full consultation with foster families.

“We’re fully committed to reform of aftercare and want to make sure it’s done right. There are still details to be worked out about we empower young people . . . we’re not going to ‘look after’ those who are over 18, but we have to be better at creating a support system, a nest for them to fall back to, where necessary.”

At present, the level of aftercare support varies dramatically in different parts of the State. In some parts, foster families receive up to €350 a week to care for young people in aftercare, although elsewhere financial support can stop altogether at 18 years.

Similarly, education grants for young people leaving care who are progressing on to further education can vary between €1,200 and €3,000.

Children from residential homes, often the most vulnerable, cannot access the higher grant rates. Mr Jeyes said new proposals aimed to standardise these forms of support.

“The broad aim of the proposals will be to ensure young people who leave care will be entitled to the same amount of funding whether they choose to undertake further education or not,” Mr Jeyes said.

He insisted the changes would not amount to a cost-saving measure, even though the agency is running over budget and is likely to require a significant additional State funding to balance its books by the end of the year. Aftercare services currently cost €16.5 million. “This is categorically not a cost-saving measure . . . No matter how far down the line this goes, if the figures show this is a saving, then we’ll walk away from it.”

The proposal that young people not involved in education or training would cease to benefit from foster family support was also under discussion, Mr Jeyes added.

“I don’t want to scare off foster parents, but we have to respect that when a young person becomes an adult, the relationship changes. Choice must come into it in some way. I recognise that and this is why this process will take longer than expected.” he said. “Young people should be able to have that choice [to stay with a foster family or leave]. The young person could choose to use their allowance to stay with mum and dad . . . the letter [containing draft proposals] was too prescriptive.”

The Irish Foster Care Association has welcomed confirmation that the plans are being reviewed and will involve more consultation with foster parents. A spokeswoman says it broadly supports the main aim of standardising payments but is concerned about young people who left care without access to education.