State care ‘should continue past 18’

Ombudsman for Children Emily Logan says the State should be legally obliged to provide aftercare for separated asylum-seeking children once they turn 18.

Most children who arrive in Ireland without parents or legal guardians are put in foster homes until they turn 18, after which they are moved to state-designated accommodation centres.

Joint research by children’s charity Barnardos and the HSE found “significant concerns” about the current practice of transferring the young adults to the centres.