The care provided to unaccompanied minors in Ireland has improved in recent years, however a number of challenges still remain in relation to this vulnerable group of young people, a new report has found.

The report, Policies and Practices on Unaccompanied Minors in Ireland, by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), defines unaccompanied minors as children under the age of 18 who are not in the care of, or accompanied by, a responsible adult.

According to the report, between 2010 and 2013, over 380 unaccompanied minors were referred to the specialist TUSLA Social Work Team for Separated Children in Dublin and these children ‘form a particularly vulnerable migrant group'.

The report did find improvements in the care of these children in recent years. It highlighted the fact that since 2010, they are no longer cared for in hostels, a system that was highly criticised at the time because it had the potential to expose already vulnerable children to further harm.

These children are now treated the same as other children in care - in other words, they are provided with foster care, supported lodgings or residential placements. Most are also allocated a social worker.

The report also noted that there has been a decrease in the number of unaccompanied minors going missing from the State. In 2008, 22 children went missing, five of whom were found. In 2013, four went missing, two of whom were found. This development is ‘likely to be related to the closure of hostels that were used to accommodate most separated children prior to 2010'.

However, the report also found that major challenges in this area remain. For example, there is still no national strategy for these minors, meaning that the care available can vary from region to region.

The report also noted that ‘there are currently no national-level statistics on unaccompanied minors referred to or placed in State care. Furthermore very little is known about unaccompanied minors located outside greater Dublin, particularly those who are not seeking asylum'.

Another issue relates to unaccompanied minors who reach the age of 18. The report pointed out that ‘the transition of an unaccompanied minor to adulthood has potentially far-reaching consequences for that young person's status, accommodation and care provisions'.

Those who have made an application for asylum may enter the direct provision system, however regional disparities exist in aftercare provision, which depends on local resources and practices.

"This study charts significant improvements to the model of care provided to unaccompanied minors in Ireland since publication of a previous report on this subject in 2009.

"Good practices, including child-specific procedures, are in evidence within the asylum system. However, in the context of the increasing numbers of asylum applicants in Ireland and across the EU, it is timely to ensure that service provision to this particularly vulnerable group is robust and that national oversight exists," commented the report's author, Emma Quinn.