AQW 502/17-22

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 17/01/2020
Answered On Date: 25/03/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline (i) what provision is being made; and (ii) what advice is being given regarding accommodating unaccompanied child refugees with foster parents, for the remainder of the current Assembly mandate.

Answer:

Unaccompanied children and young people or those separated from their parents are in the majority of cases accommodated as looked after children in residential care or in foster care. As with all looked after children, these children are placed in the care placement that is most appropriate for their assessed needs to achieve the best outcomes for them. Each child or young person is also provided with the services of an independent guardian in accordance with the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015.

In addition, the Regional Adoption and Fostering Service has recently started a recruitment and assessment drive to secure foster care provision for those separated children where a family care placement is the preferred option.