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DUBLIN,December 21,2025 – The number of children in state care in Ireland is shifting away from family-based foster homes and toward residential facilities,raising concerns about the well-being of vulnerable youth and the financial strain on the system. The proportion of children in foster care has decreased from 91% in 2020 to 87% in 2025, according to the Irish Foster Care association (IFCA).
A Growing Gap in Care: Costs and Emotional Impact
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The shift from foster care to residential care is driven by a complex interplay of financial pressures, lifestyle changes, and a shortage of available foster parents.
- The cost of residential care is substantially higher than foster care-around €8,000 per week compared to the Foster Care Allowance.
- Children in residential care often experience instability due to frequent moves, leading to trauma.
- The contributions of “children who foster” – the birth children of foster parents – are often overlooked.
- Recruitment of foster carers is challenging due to modern lifestyle demands and the housing crisis.
- Recent increases to the Foster Care Allowance are insufficient to address the rising cost of living and do not contribute to foster carers’ pensions.
“The costs of going from the State into the Foster Carer’s Allowance for the child,” she explained. “If you have a child in a residential care setting it is around €8,000 per week. So the costs are absolutely staggering.”
However, Hasson emphasized that the financial implications are onyl part of the equation. The emotional impact on children is equally critical. “In the residential setting, you don’t have a family to look after you – you have staff who come and go. They don’t know you as much as a foster family would,” she said. “What we find is that children are moved about – they’re just getting settled and then they are moved again. The impact of that for the child, who have already been removed from their family home, is hugely traumatic.”
The Complexities of Christmas for Children in Care
The holiday season presents unique challenges for children in care, who are frequently enough separated from their birth families and grappling with past trauma. “Christmas for many families is challenging but when you have a child in care living in your home there are lots of added complexities,” Hasson noted.”Its about keeping routines, about reassuring the child where they are going to be for Christmas and that Santa is coming to them just like other children.”
Hasson also highlighted the frequently enough-overlooked contributions of the birth children of foster parents-what she termed “children who foster.” “Thes are the birth children who are opening up their homes and their families to these children coming in, and making Christmas as fun and exciting as possible,” she said.
Recruitment Challenges and the Need for Modern Solutions
Addressing the difficulties in attracting foster carers, Hasson pointed to the evolving demands of modern life. “Modern life is presenting challenges with the need for separate rooms for foster children,more couples out working and the housing crisis,” she explained. She stressed the importance of adapting fostering to fit contemporary lifestyles, suggesting that single parents and other non-customary households could provide viable solutions.
The State recently increased the Foster Care Allowance by €70, the first such increase in 15 years. While Hasson welcomed the adjustment, she argued that it doesn’t fully address the rising cost of living. She also pointed out that the allowance doesn’t contribute toward foster carers’ state contributory pensions,even for those who have dedicated decades to caring for numerous children-sometimes 40 to 50 over a lifetime.
“We know that children are better placed at home with a foster carer,” Hasson concluded. “Someone who gets them up in the morning, knows what they want for breakfast, gets them up for school and are there for them at the end of the day. That’s where we want children to be, that’s where they thrive.”
