Marissa Ryan: Society owes a duty of care to those leaving State care

Children in the care of the State are the children of all of us. The Government must ensure they are valued, respected, and supported to live securely when they leave State care, writes Marissa Ryan of EPIC (Empowering People in Care)

The precarious housing situation of young people  leaving State care is in some cases driven by narrow eligibility criteria for State supports upon leaving care. File picture

When we speak about the housing crisis, it is easy to lose sight of the profound human tragedy of homelessness, and fear of homelessness. 

We think of economics, policy solutions, regulations, politics, international practice. Yet this discourse often masks the panic, confusion, and degradation experienced by people who lack a stable home.

While many across Ireland have been affected by the housing crisis, young people who have been in the care of the State often face additional vulnerabilities. Eurostat figures show that on average, 78% of 16– to 29-year-olds in Ireland were living at home with their parents in 2018.

This number has no doubt increased due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the continued lack of available and affordable housing. For young people leaving State care at 18, there is often no option to rely on family in times of crisis. 

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During a national emergency of this scale, it is all too easy for them to slide into precarious circumstances. Access to accommodation has consistently featured in the five primary presenting issues in EPIC’s Advocacy Service since 2018. 

We are currently working with care-leavers from a range of backgrounds who are struggling; from students who have nowhere to go during summer recess when they must leave campus accommodation, to young families who are priced out of the rental market and young adults who arrived here as unaccompanied children seeking refuge who are struggling to secure accommodation due to the insufficient number of affordable rental properties.

Eligibility

The precarious housing situation of these young people is in some cases driven by narrow eligibility criteria for State supports upon leaving care. Aftercare support, which can include a designated aftercare worker and an allowance, is determined by an assessment of need and is typically only available to those between the ages of 18 and 21.

Further, a young person must have been in care for a full year between the ages of 13 and 18 to be eligible. This does not meet the very real needs of those who left care before the age of 13 but who subsequently remained known to social services, those who were taken into care for the first time at 17, or those who have been in and out of care placements over time. 

We urgently require eligibility criteria to be revised if we are to ensure all care-experienced young people in need of assistance can access the support necessary to transition to independent living.

Housing crisis

Investment in an enhanced aftercare service must also be matched by a real commitment to address the impact of the housing crisis on care-leavers. Some of the young people we work with that are receiving aftercare support are still unable to find affordable and appropriate accommodation. 

At EPIC, Empowering People in Care, we believe these young people should be prioritised for housing. This was first raised by Frances Fitzgerald when she was Minister for Children in 2014. 

A qualified social worker, the then-Minister publicly stated that the Government should positively discriminate in favour of care-leavers to ensure increased access to accommodation and other supports. 

Despite progress in the initiation and delivery of aftercare services since then, enhanced accommodation options are insufficient and care leavers are at the mercy of a wider housing crisis.

Initiatives

With Budget 2023 fast approaching, it is time for the Government to prioritise these young people. EPIC is calling on the Department of Housing to gather data on the number of care-leavers in homeless services to properly assess the situation, and to establish an integrated approach with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, to respond to their needs - utilising the range of solutions available to both departments.

We made our #Budget23 submission on behalf of the children & young people we work with. Their lived experiences informed our budget asks & we hope the Government, as their "corporate parent", prioritises them in the upcoming budget. #CareAware #Budget2023https://t.co/plRsyiJOn2 pic.twitter.com/rtu7zlKyUD

— EPIC, Empowering People in Care (@epicireland) July 28, 2022

There have been many positive initiatives aimed at supporting young care-leavers to access accommodation which the Government can draw from - including the Capital Investment Scheme (CAS), a recent collaboration between Tusla, Mayo County Council and Focus Ireland to provide aftercare homes, and the Tiglin housing initiative which established Jigginstown Manor, another home for young care-leavers which was supported by Kildare County Council.

Inter-agency collaboration, innovative partnerships and political support and investment are crucial.

Fear and exhaustion

Last week in EPIC, I spoke to two care-experienced young people who are in homeless services. I can’t convey the tragedy of their circumstances, or their bewilderment, fear and exhaustion. Nor can I do justice to the courage and humility with which they face this adversity. 

As children their lives were marked by injustice, trauma, and poverty and they need and deserve stability now. Budget 2023 is an opportunity to do things differently, to prioritise those most in need and target resources accordingly. 

Children in the care of the State are the children of all of us. It is our duty as a society to ensure that when they reach adulthood they are valued, respected, and supported to live securely and in dignity.

• Marissa Ryan is chief executive of EPIC, Empowering People in Care