A woman who spent her childhood in the care system has called for additional supports to "give care leavers a chance" to pursue further education.
Sarah O'Brien, who is now a social care worker, has experience of the care system having been placed within it since birth alongside her three siblings, saying "there was a lot of upheaval" as she was separated from her two brothers and sister.
She described her pursuit of education as "very daunting", adding "I didn't have the confidence in myself".
Her comments follow the announcement of an annual award, which will support young people who have experienced the care system to access third level education.
The Justin O'Brien Bursary was launched by the Children's Residential and Aftercare Voluntary Association (CRAVA) in collaboration with Don Bosco Care.
Funded by the Community Foundation of Ireland, it seeks to address education inequalities by offering financial support and public recognition to care-experienced students, who face disproportionate challenges in education.
Research shows 12% of these young people progress to higher education compared to 48% of their peers.
Speaking of her experience of educational pursuits, Ms O’Brien said her time in schooling was marked by the deaths of her two brothers and niece, which caused her for a time to park "the notion of education".
However, she said she completed Leaving Cert Applied with the help of the Kerry Youth Service, which provided "wraparound services" among other supports.
Ms O’Brien then joined a PLC course, but dropped out.
She said: "I just kind of felt, it's not for me, I can't do it.
"I just had no belief in myself really that I could achieve anything, so I spent a long time just working in minimum wage, monotonous jobs."
Ms O’Brien said she returned to her studies at Munster Technological University in 2016 and had "a rough first year" after the death of her brother and was about to drop out when she met a lecturer, Pat McCarthy, who "was very encouraging".
She deferred, but said she was "floored" when another brother died.
"I had to have a good chat with myself around what is it that you do want to do, Sarah? Are you going to give up education?" she said, adding that her brother had been encouraging of her education.
"I said, you know, just go back and do it and make something of yourself," she added.
Upon her return to the university, she said Mr McCarthy was "kind of like this kind of contact person".
Ms O’Brien said Mr McCarthy would help her if she had "any issues" such as garda vetting or sourcing addresses while a college chaplain also helped financially too.
"I felt I could approach him because he was so approachable," she said, adding she graduated college "with the support of people there on the floor".
Ms O’Brien said in every sector she has worked in , she has "come across care leavers who are struggling".
"They really, really need support and they need people pushing for them and they need the likes of the bursary," she said.
Ms O'Brien said bursaries, like the Justin O'Brien Bursary, "will help people, care leavers, care-experienced people, get through education and get to where they want to get to".
She said such people come out of care with "no family, they are straight into homeless accommodation".
She said care-experienced people need support, and also called on the Government to provide funding to help such individuals achieve their educational goals.
"I would never have completed third level, if it wasn't for just meeting Pat in the hall that day and for the supports he brought me," she said.
"Something needs to be done to give these young people hope and support and a chance for their future and going forward," she added.
CRAVA, who launched the Justin O'Brien Bursary, said that while recent policies, including the National Access Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2022–2028, now formally recognises care-experienced people, targeted support remains limited.
The bursary is open to nominations from participating higher education institutions and intended to support students across a wide range of disciplines, not just social care.
The broader scope of the bursary aims to reflect the diverse aspirations of care-experienced young people and Justin O’Brien’s commitment to inclusive opportunity.
Mr O’Brien was "a tireless advocate" for vulnerable young people and a driving force in Irish social care reform, CRAVA said.
Mr O'Brien, the former CEO of Circle Voluntary Housing Association, died last year.
His work with organisations - such as Focus Ireland, Circle Voluntary Housing Association and CRAVA - left a lasting legacy in the sector.
The bursary will celebrate his work and build on his "unwavering belief" in education as a path to empowerment, according to CRAVA.
