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Don't lose this opportunity to protect our most vulnerable young people

Next week the Seanad will have an historic opportunity to protect some of the most vulnerable young people in our society. You can help them make up their minds.

Focus Ireland has been running a campaign for almost 20 years to ensure that young people who leave state care at 18 years of age have a right to continued aftercare if they need it. Whenever we hear stories of children mistreated or abused the answer is always 'take them into care'. But what happens to those children when they reach adulthood and have to make their own way in the world? Too soon they are left on their own.

At present the HSE is 'empowered' to provide such continued support or aftercare, but the young people have no rightto that provision. Given the strains in our health service across the country many young people fall through the cracks. Focus Ireland has shown that where we fail to provide aftercare support to young people who need it when they leave state care, they have a higher risk of becoming homeless, becoming involved in criminality or developing addiction problems. The HSE provides some excellent aftercare - in some cases in partnership with Focus Ireland - but without a statutory right to aftercare there will always be young people who do not get the support they need.

The implications of this failure was recognised in one of the key recommendations of the Ryan Report on Child Abuse (Recommendation 17).

Incredibly, the Childcare Amendment Bill (2009) which will be considered by the Houses of the Oireachtas in the next few weeks, fails to take this opportunity to close this loophole. It's not complex, all that is needed is simple provision to change the statement that 'The HSE may provide aftercare' to 'the HSE shall provide aftercare where needed.'

Minister for Children, Barry Andrews has recognised the importance of aftercare and done much to expand its provision. It is not too late for him to introduce an ammendment to this bill and for all TDs and Senators to support it. Perhaps what they need is a strong message from people across the country that despite our own troubles we still care about our must vulerable young people and want our Government to legislate to protect them.

You can plan a part in this campaign by e-mailing your local TD or Senator to demonstrate your support for this change in the legislation, you can ask your friends and colleagues to do so to. We have made it easy for you, just follow the steps below.

Ask your TD/Senator to make a commitment to those on low incomes

Make a commitment that the poor can't pay

In the 'Croke Park Agreement' the Government offers a commitment to civil servants that they will face no further cuts in their wages in 2011. However, despite repeated questions the Government is unable to offer those on the lowest incomes the same assurance.

Ireland's economic crisis has required most sectors of our society to face cutbacks and get by on lower incomes. Despite repeated commitments from all sides that Ireland would 'protect the vulnerable', those who live on the lowest incomes have already taken a very substantial part of the burden:

very many of those on the lowest incomes have suffered the enormous loss of losing their jobs
many others are working reduced hours or at lower rates of pay
all social welfare payments were cut by 5% in January 2010: for an unemployed couple with two children this meant a drop of €13.60a week, leaving them a weekly income of €477 per week. This is €44 per week or 8% below the poverty line.

We know that there are more cuts on the way. The Poor Can't Pay is looking for a recognition that those on the lowest incomes in Irish society have already been asked to carry more than their fair share of the burden and their incomes should not be cut further.

The Poor Can't Pay argues that the same commitment that the Goverment has offered to civil servants can and must be made to those who depend upon the social welfare system to survive.

We are asking you to make a personal commitment that you will do everyting in your power to ensure that those on the lowest incomes are protected from the next round of cutbacks - and we will be asking you to call on your local TD/Senator from all parties to make the same personal commitment so that this time round the vulnerable are genuinely protected.

For details of how the 2009 Budget drove already hard pressed individuals and families further into poverty and hardship see How The Poor Were Made To Pay