Health and social care watchdog, HIQA, has found that foster care services in Kerry are compliant or substantially compliant in the standards of care provided to children.
The Health Information and Quality Authority carried out its inspections over a three-day period in May.
It found that the county’s foster care service is compliant in one area of responsibility while it was substantially compliant in six others.
The HIQA report found that there are 130 children in foster care in Kerry.
HIQA found the foster care service in Kerry compliant in one out of seven areas of care or and substantially compliant in the other six.
The watchdog found that the service encouraged children and young people in foster care to maintain and develop family relationships as well as friendships.
The foster care service in Kerry judged itself only to be substantially complaint in this area but HIQA inspectors disagreed and rated staff performance as compliant.
Children spoke highly of their foster carers to HIQA inspectors and of the opportunities they had to lead full lives.
However, HIQA noted that since its last inspection in September 2022, the capacity of child-in-care teams had continued to be impacted by staff turnover and absences due to sickness.
Of the 130 children and young people in care, 96 of these are in general foster care while 34 were being fostered by relatives.
It also found that five children were awaiting long-term suitable foster care placement.
37 children – 28% of young people in foster care in Kerry – did not have an allocated social worker, the HIQA report found.
Just three of the 85 foster care households were from a minority faith or ethnic background. HIQA said there was a challenge in recruiting and retaining sufficient fosterers to meet the diverse needs of children being admitted to care.
