asked the Minister for Education the number of recommendations of the Kennedy Report already implemented and remaining to be implemented; and if he will give details in each instance.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Kennedy Report.
11.
There were 13 major recommendations in the Kennedy Report. The progress made in implementing them has been as follows:
Recommendation No. 1 stated that the whole aim of the child-care system should be geared towards the prevention of family breakdown and the problems consequent on it; the admission of children to residential care to be considered only when there was no satisfactory alternative.
The Department of Health have greatly extended their community care programme through the recruitment of additional social workers and home helps. These measures are designed to prevent the breakdown of families and, where breakdown does occur, to ensure that the most suitable remedies will be applied in each individual case. The welfare service of the Department of Justice is also being rapidly expanded. As a result of these and other measures the number of children in care in residential homes and special schools under the control of my Department has fallen to 1,498 as compared with 2,775 when the Kennedy Committee commenced work in 1967—a decline of 46 per cent.
Recommendation No. 2 urged that the institutional system of residential care should be abolished and be replaced by group homes.
Sixteen out of the 25 residential homes in receipt of financial aid from the Department of Education have now adopted the group structure. They have done this in three ways with the aid of grants from my Department: (i) by erecting new purpose built group homes; (ii) by purchasing private houses for adaptation of group homes; (iii) by converting existing buildings to the group home system. The recommendation also stated that "children from one family and children of different ages and sex should be placed in such group homes". This recommendation is also being borne in mind in connection with the developments being undertaken.
Recommendation No. 3 drew attention to the inadequacy of the reformatory system. It said that St. Conleth's Reformatory, Daingean, should be closed and replaced by a more suitable building with trained child care staff.
St. Conleth's closed in October, 1973, and has been replaced by Scoil Ard Mhuire, Lusk, an entirely new special school with modern facilities. The industrial school at Letterfrack, treated in the Kennedy Report as a junior reformatory, has also been closed. A new special school for juvenile offenders has been opened at Finglas. Planning for a similar special school at St. Joseph's Clonmel, is at an advanced stage. The question of providing a new special school for girls is under examination.
Recommendation No. 4 related to the replacement of the Remand Home and Place of Detention at Marlborough House, Glasnevin.
Marlborough House has been closed and replaced by a new children's centre at Finglas, which provides remand and assessment facilities on modern lines. Medical, social, educational, psychological and psychiatric services are available for the assessment process.
Recommendation No. 5 was to the effect that the staff engaged in child care work should be fully trained. The Kennedy Committee said that this should take precedence over any other recommendations.
In response to this recommendation a full-time residential course in child care has been in operation at the School of Social Education, Kilkenny, since 1971, financed by my Department. Forty-one students have qualified to date and a further 20 are following the current course. My Department have also promoted the organisation of in-service training courses at St. Patrick's Training College, Drumcondra; St. Vincent's, Goldenbridge; the Waterford Regional College of Technology, and Saint Mary's College, Cathal Brugha Street. Approximately 75 per cent of the staff in residential homes and special schools have now training in child-care.
Recommendation No. 6 dealt with the question of educating children in care "to the ultimate of their capacities".
The children in residential homes attend recognised primary and secondary schools and remedial or special education is provided as appropriate. The grants system has been revised so that children in care can be paid for by the State while they complete their education, up to third level as appropriate. As regards the special schools there is an intensive programme which aims at the rehabilitation of the children through education, using that term in its widest sense.
Recommendation No. 7 stated that after-care should form an integral part of the child care system.
In the case of the residential homes after-care is primarily the function of the manager of the home. The decrease in the number of children in care has meant that it is easier for the homes themselves to keep contact with the children after they leave. There is also co-operation in regard to after care with the regional health boards and this will increase as the social work services are extended. Half-way hostels for older children in the homes who have commenced employment have been provided in Dublin and Cork.
In the case of the special schools arrangements have been made for the provision of after-care in the form of supportive supervision through the welfare service of the Department of Justice. Three "half-way houses" run by voluntary groups and affiliated to the welfare service have been provided for boys in the 14-17 age group and there are proposals for three further such houses.
Recommendation No. 8 urged that administrative responsibility for all aspects of child care be transferred to the Department of Health, responsibility for the education of children in care to remain with the Department of Education.
The Government have now allocated main responsibility, including that of co-ordination, in relation to child care to the Minister for Health.
Recommendation No. 9 dealt with the up-dating of all laws related to child care into a composite Children Act.
The Government have authorised the Minister for Health to set up a working party to report on the necessary updating and reform of child care legislation and of the child care services.
Recommendation No. 10 involved the raising of the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years.
This will be dealt with by the working party on legislation.
Recommendation No. 11 was to the effect that the special schools and residential homes should be paid on a budget system rather than by capitation grant.
In making this recommendation the committee of enquiry were concerned to ensure that the schools and homes had adequate financial support. The new special schools at Finglas and Lusk are in fact being paid in this way and a similar arrangement will be introduced in other special schools according as modernisation plans are completed.
The question of introducing a budgetary system for the residential homes is being examined. In the meantime the capitation grant has been considerably increased and now stands at £12.50 per week. In addition extra grants have been made to a large number of homes for works involving the maintenance and renovation of the buildings.
Recommendation No. 12 was that an independent advisory body should be established at the earliest opportunity to ensure that the highest standards of child care be attained and maintained. The Government have authorised the Minister for Health to set up an advisory committee on this basis in due course.
Recommendation No. 13 called attention to the need for continuous research in the field of child care.
It is visualised in the report that one of the functions of the advisory body referred to in recommendation No. 12 will be to arrange that facilities will be available to suitable persons for research work in child care.
May I, first of all, thank the Parliamentary Secretary for the comprehensive content of his reply? It is certainly a breath of fresh air by comparison with the answers given to this side of the House by his superior officer, the Minister for Education, Deputy R. Burke. Would the Parliamentary Secretary agree with me that more than 50 per cent of the recommendations yet remain to be implemented, particularly recommendations Nos. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13? When is it intended to do something about these recommendations?
I would not agree with the Deputy.
I would not expect the Parliamentary Secretary would.
I would not agree with the Deputy that 50 per cent of the recommendations remain unimplemented. Quite a number of them were implemented while his party were in office—I am quite prepared to give them credit for that—and this progress has been maintained. I think the figure of 50 per cent would be completely wrong. I can understand that there are many people making allegations such as this and it is unfortunate that the Deputy is not discriminate enough to avoid reproducing them here.
I have said that Recommendation No. 8 was dealt with. Recommendation No. 9 is being dealt with also by this Government and that is the position also in relation to——
Promises.
——Recommendation No. 10. These recommendations are being dealt with by the setting up of a task force. The Deputy will appreciate that what is contained in Recommendation No. 13 will flow from the findings of the task force on child care.
I accept that some of the recommendations were implemented by Fianna Fáil but the balance of the recommendations remain to be implemented. Perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary would say to whom specifically he is referring when he talks of people outside the House condemning the non-implementation of the Kennedy Report.
I was not referring to anyone specifically.
We should not enter the realm of argument.
I might help the Parliamentary Secretary by reminding him that the person who condemned the Minister for Education for his lack of movement in this and other matters relating to education was Deputy Desmond, the Chief Whip of the Government Party.
This is not in order. Question No. 12, please. We must make some progress.
I can assure the Deputy that the Minister has been more than generous in respect of funds in this area. The results will show that. The record will be better than what it was when the previous Government were in office. They did not display the priority in relation to this matter that the present Minister has displayed.
Might the Parliamentary Secretary have been referring to the Minister for Industry and Commerce who referred to the Minister for Education as a guru?