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

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Your selected constituency is Kildare South. If this is correct complete the form below to send a message to your TDs & Senators. If this is the wrong constituency then use the menu on the right to select the correct one.

TDs in Kildare South constituency Martin Heydon TD (FG) Jack Wall TD (LAB) Seán Ó Fearghaíl TD (FF)

Senators in Kildare South constituency

Minister of State for Children Barry Andrews (FF)

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I am writing to you as one of my constituency TDs (and copying to the Minister for Children) to ask you to support the Focus Ireland campaign to include a legal entitlement to aftercare in the Childcare Amendment Bill which will get its final reading in the Dail in early January 2011.

At present the legislations says that the HSE 'may' continue to provide aftercare to young people coming out of care when they reach 18, but provision of this is patchy and many of our most vulnerable young people are effectively abandoned when they reach their 18th birthday. During the Senate debate, the Minister for Children, Barry Andrews, TD, even called this provision a 'post code lottery.'  Focus Ireland research has shown that young people coming out of care are particularly vulnerable to homelessness and the risk of drug addiction and crime that can go with it.

The availability of aftercare to young people leaving state care is one of the key recommendations of the Ryan Report on Child Abuse (Recommendation 17), which all political parties are pledged to implement. The legislation which you will consider over the next few weeks is an ideal opportunity to turn that recommendation into reality.

The Minister has introduced a range of improvement to aftercare provision, including requesting the HSE to produce a National Aftercare Policy. These improvements are welcome but all the organisations and professionals working in this area agreed that they not a substitute for a mandatory right to aftercare for those young people who need it.

The Childcare Amendment Bill (2009) contains many positive proposals but currently fails to include a provision which would oblige the HSE to provide aftercare support to every young person who needs it. Focus Ireland is lobbying as part of a broader coalition which has argued that guaranteeing aftercare is not just the right thing to do, but cost effective too.

I am asking you to vote in favour of an amendment to make aftercare a legal right and to take the principled step of voting against the bill if this provision is not included.

I hope I can count on your support.

Yours sincerely
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