asked the Minister for Education in respect of each special residential school (details supplied) in the Dublin area (a) the total number of children or young persons in care or under detention on 30 June 1987 classified by the basis of their committal, (b) the number of new committals and the average daily occupancy during the year ending 30 June 1987, (c) the number of discharges and the immediate living arrangements of children or young people discharged, (d) the total number of staff employed in each centre on 30 June 1987 by grade and (e) the total cost of running the centre in the year ending 30 June 1987.
Written Answers. - Young Persons in Care.
62.
The figures required by the Deputy are not available at present for the year ending 30 June 1987. Details for the previous year are as follows:
(a) Number of young persons in care on 30 June 1986.
|
(a) |
(b) |
(c) |
|||||||
|
Special Schools |
Committed Under the Children Acts |
On Remand |
Health Act |
Total |
Grand Total |
||||
|
Boys |
Girls |
Boys |
Girls |
Boys |
Girls |
Boys |
Girls |
||
|
St. Michael's, Finglas |
— |
— |
13 |
— |
4 |
— |
17 |
— |
17 |
|
St. Laurence's, Finglas |
36 |
— |
— |
— |
19 |
— |
55 |
— |
55 |
|
St. Joseph's, Clonmel |
42 |
— |
— |
— |
34 |
— |
76 |
— |
76 |
|
Trinity House, Lusk |
28 |
— |
2 |
— |
— |
— |
30 |
— |
30 |
|
Cuan Mhuire, Whitehall |
— |
— |
— |
2 |
— |
4 |
— |
6 |
6 |
|
Total |
106 |
— |
15 |
2 |
57 |
4 |
178 |
6 |
184 |
(b) New Committals and Average Daily Occupancy.
(i) Circumstances under which children were committed to care during the year ended 30 June 1986 under the Children Acts, 1908 to 1957:
|
Boys |
Girls |
Total |
|
|
Indictable Offences |
61 |
— |
61 |
|
Non-attendance at School |
4 |
— |
4 |
|
Out of Parental Control |
1 |
— |
1 |
|
Total |
66 |
— |
66 |
(ii) Average Daily Occupancy during 1986
|
School |
Average number of Young Persons |
|
Finglas Children's Centre, Dublin 11 |
56 |
|
St. Joseph's Special School, Clonmel |
75 |
|
Trinity House School, Lusk |
24 |
|
Cuan Mhuire Assessment Unit, Whitehall |
5 |
(c) Number of discharges and their living arrangements.
Destination of children discharged during the year ended 30 June 1986 who had been committed through the courts under the Children Acts.
|
Boys |
Girls |
Total |
|
|
To Parents or Guardians |
43 |
— |
43 |
|
To Detention Centre |
19 |
— |
19 |
|
Remaining in Care Voluntarily for further education |
11 |
— |
11 |
|
Total |
73 |
— |
73 |
(d) Total number of staff employed on 30 June 1986.
Special Schools for Young Offenders—Staffing Establishments
|
Grade |
Finglas Children's Centre |
St. Joseph's, Clonmel |
Trinity House School, Lusk |
Cuan Mhuire, Whitehall |
|
Director/Unit Head |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Deputy Director |
2 |
2 |
3 |
— |
|
Residential Care Staff |
29 |
23 |
33 |
9 |
|
Duty Officer/Night Supervisor |
6 |
2 |
13 |
2 |
|
Night Security Officer |
— |
— |
2 |
— |
|
Clerical/Nursing Staff |
9 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
|
Maintenance Staff |
2 |
5 |
3 |
— |
|
Domestic Staff |
24 |
15 |
11 |
1 |
|
Instructors/Teachers |
11 |
9 |
8 |
— |
|
Total |
84 |
61 |
78 |
14 |
(e) Operating Costs of Special Schools for Young Offenders (as funded from Subhead A, Vote 33).
Details of the cost of these schools in 1985 and 1986 together with the Budget allocation for 1987 are as follows:
(i) Finglas Childrens Centre.
|
1985 |
1986 |
1987 |
|
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
|
Pay |
782,072 |
844,252 |
884,000 |
|
Non-Pay |
223,012 |
241,285 |
248,000 |
|
Gross Total |
1,005,084 |
1,085,537 |
1,132,000 |
|
Income |
188,510 |
158,594 |
240,000 |
|
Net Total |
816,574 |
926,943 |
892,000 |
|
1985 |
1986 |
1987 |
|
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
|
Pay |
485,685 |
525,158 |
550,000 |
|
Non-Pay |
377,245 |
365,227 |
375,000 |
|
Gross Total |
862,930 |
890,385 |
925,000 |
|
Income |
335,315 |
296,289 |
300,000 |
|
Net Total |
527,615 |
594,096 |
625,000 |
(iii) Trinity House School, Lusk.
|
1985 |
1986 |
1987 |
|
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
|
Pay |
841,096 |
977,334 |
1,020,000 |
|
Non-Pay |
293,036 |
231,991 |
260,000 |
|
Gross Total |
1,134,132 |
1,209,325 |
1,280,000 |
|
Income |
67,609 |
86,701 |
65,000 |
|
Net Total |
1,066,523 |
1,122,624 |
1,215,000 |
(iv) Cuan Mhuire, Whitehall, Dublin 9.
|
1985 |
1986 |
1987 |
|
|
£ |
£ |
£ |
|
|
Pay |
162,217 |
180,616 |
194,000 |
|
Non-Pay |
32,257 |
35,613 |
36,500 |
|
Gross Total |
194,474 |
216,229 |
230,500 |
|
Income |
2,110 |
9,657 |
10,000 |
|
Net Total |
192,364 |
206,572 |
220,500 |
In addition, salaries of senior management staff and teachers, who are paid from the Primary Education (Teachers Salaries) Vote amounted as follows in 1986:
|
School |
Amount |
|
Finglas Children's Centre |
£211,510 |
|
St. Joseph's Clonmel |
£131,172 |
|
Trinity House, Lusk |
£94,199 |
|
Cuan Mhuire, Whitehall |
£12,241 |
66.
asked the Minister for Education if she will indicate the steps she has taken to monitor and evaluate the operation and effectiveness of the centres (details supplied) in the Dublin area especially when compared with non-residential programmes for young people in difficulty.
Children are referred to the residential centres by agencies outside my Department, that is, the courts and the health boards. These agencies are aware of the high cost of residential care and generally young people are not admitted to special residential centres until other forms of intervention have been tried and failed.
It is accepted that, where possible, programmes of special care and education for children with problems are best effected while the children continue to live within their own community.
Expenditure on the residential centres is monitored constantly by my Department.
The effectiveness of the care and education programmes is also reviewed. The centres are inspected regularly by the inspectorate of the Department of Education, and by the Department child care adviser. The centres themselves also report on their progress and on problems encountered. These reports are evaluated by the Department.
67.
asked the Minister for Education if she will indicate whether she has any plans to spend additional public moneys on capital development in any of the centres (details supplied) in the Dublin area.
At present capital development projects are in progress at three of the centres mentioned by the Deputy. These projects comprise the construction and equipment of new residential and administrative accommodation at St. Joseph's Special School, Clonmel, the erection of a boundary wall at Finglas Children's Centre, and the erection of security fencing at Trinity House School.
There are no further plans to spend additional moneys on capital development other than minor new works for which a need may arise from time to time.