Jack Wall
Question:11 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress to date in drawing up a strategy for children; when this will be finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10576/99]
Other Questions. - National Strategy for Children.
Work has started on the preparation of a national children's strategy. A memorandum will be submitted to Government shortly setting out my proposals in this regard and also indicating the likely publication date.
The publication of a comprehensive strategy document on issues affecting children is an important step which will have far reaching implications for the health, education and welfare of our children and I look forward to progressing this issue. I intend to consult widely with regard to the preparation of the strategy.
Does the Minister agree that the biggest problem in relation to services for children is fragmentation because responsibility is spread over a number of Departments? Does his strategy deal with this problem? Will he propose that all matters relating to children should come under the auspices of one Department?
There are serious problems with juvenile crime but it is not clear which Department has responsibility. Although the Department of Education and Science has some involvement, nobody takes responsibility for pre-school services. There are all kinds of ad hoc arrangements in place for the small amount of funding the pre-school sector receives. Will these matters be addressed in the strategy?
All those matters have been addressed and will be further addressed in the strategy. It is accepted that there is a need for greater long-term planning and co-ordination of children's services. When I took office there was no strategy or action in many of the areas. I began by putting immediate action in place in the most urgent areas.
There is a problem that responsibility for children is spread over a number of Departments. However, matters have improved since the appointment under the last Government of Deputy Currie to three Departments. My own appointment crosses three Departments. There are outstanding difficulties in the arrangements, although I am satisfied that the Departments are working well in co-ordination with each other on areas such as juvenile justice. In the national strategy we will address the improvement of structures and co-ordination, and whether one Department should have overall responsibility for children.
Does the Minister support the integrated service initiatives at local levels? These involve people drawn from the social work department of the health board, the school attendance service of the Department of Education and Science and the juvenile liaison service of the Garda, who work on a case review basis to provide a comprehensive service to a family at risk. Is he aware that the main obstacles to such initiatives tend to stem from the parent Departments which are not willing to delegate responsibility to those local teams? Would he give a directive to all agencies under his control to co-operate in such initiatives?
I am greatly in favour of the integrated service initiative. The hallmark of my efforts since entering office is to bring about co-ordination and co-operation at ground level between all agencies. I agree that the single most serious impediment to progress is that agencies are working independently from the top down. The emphasis is now on an integrated approach. The springboard projects are based on an inter-agency approach. At the first meeting of the springboard initiative, which all the key players attended, a senior official from one Department admitted it was the first time he had sat down with the other five Departments with responsibility for children.
There was a problem in the past but it is addressed. There is still room for improvement, but these projects are being evaluated and central to that evaluation will be co-operation between Departments and agencies.
Would the Minister consider locating some of the services in schools? That would make it clear to those on the ground that the Minister expects integration and will put the service where children are most likely to be found.
Does the Minister accept that if a strategy is to be implemented, a senior Minister is needed to drive it. The most serious problem in children's services is the lack of adequate funding. Does the Minister of State accept that we need somebody at the Cabinet table to ensure funding is secured? Will he accept that the best way of ensuring children's rights are upheld is to appoint an ombudsman for children?
I agree that integration of schools in all services is vitally important. There is school and teacher involvement in all the project work, and the work involving health boards, now taking place. Some difficulties exist with the Department of Education and Science because of the lack of a local structure but we are dealing with those issues. In regard to the point about one Minister, I have a very supportive senior Minister—
He has not spoken about children.
He does not need to because he lets me do the talking.
I delegate responsibility. If I give a person a job I let him do it.
He speaks well at Cabinet about children and so do his colleagues which resulted in £28 million being allocated this year across the three Departments. While there may be an argument in favour of having a senior Minister with responsibility for children, the current system works well, whereby one Minister of State is responsible for three Departments and three Ministers argue the toss at Cabinet. There is no difficulty with that arrangement. One aspect that might be examined is that the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs has responsibility for the family and the Department of Health and Children has responsibility for children. Perhaps there is a need for some co-ordination in that regard.
The Minister with responsibility for Children should have a Cabinet post.
We thought it was. We thought Deputy Cowen was the Minister with responsibility for children.