Media Statement: National Advocacy Service Report and Impact Report 2024

In 2024, EPIC advocates worked across Ireland supporting care-experienced children and young people with issues ranging from unstable placements and aftercare planning to access to services, accommodation, legal support, and financial challenges.

Residential care remained the most common source of referrals, with 220 young people supported during the year. Complaints also emerged as a main presenting issue for the first time, particularly from children living in Special Emergency Arrangements (SEAs). This coincided with the start of a pilot project providing advocacy specifically to young people in SEAs in the Dublin North-East and Dublin Mid-Leinster regions. 

The organisation also supported a rise in separated children seeking international protection, a group that accounted for almost 10% of all advocacy cases in 2024, up from 3% in 2023. Alongside direct advocacy, EPIC delivered youth engagement and participation opportunities, giving care-experienced young people the chance to develop skills, make friends, and influence decisions that matter to them. The team also carried out research and educational initiatives to inform policy, improve practice, and raise awareness of the experiences of children and young people in care. 

Wayne Stanley, CEO of EPIC, said: 

“Ireland is at a pivotal moment for improving how we support children and young people in the care system. The Programme for Government set out a real opportunity to deliver meaningful change within the alternative care system, and it is vital that this ambition is fully realised. Developments like the forthcoming National Policy Framework on Alternative Care build on this commitment and offer the chance to create a more coordinated and child-centred approach – one where every child’s needs are met and the system around them is grounded in dignity, stability and belonging. 

Achieving this will require properly and sustainably resourcing Tusla, strengthening national coordination across services, and ensuring that every child and young person has access to independent advocacy so their voices are heard. 

We now have a clear path in front of us. If we commit to this, we can deliver a future where every child in care is supported to thrive.”