Vol. 521 No. 6
93 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of social workers attached to health boards in the country who are involved in reunion and tracing service for children who are adopted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17802/00]
Under the Child Care Act, 1991, each health board has a statutory obligation to provide an adoption service. As a result of changing trends in adoption, this service now includes tracing and reunion services. While this service is currently provided by health boards it is also being provided by voluntary registered adoption agencies, which are part-funded by the health boards, and the Adoption Board. Barnardos and other voluntary groups working in the area of adoption also provide an adoption advice service for those wishing to trace and be reunited with a blood relative and have recently received once-off funding for this purpose.
My Department issued a questionnaire on tracing and reunion services to health boards in the spring of this year. Based on the information returned, it is estimated that in the year 1999 there were over 100 social workers involved, to varying degrees, in the provision of tracing and reunion services in the health boards. The tracing and reunion service delivered by the social workers in the health boards is usually encompassed within their overall caseload which may include, for example, domestic and intercountry adoption, fostering and in some cases child protection work. In terms of whole time equivalent posts it is estimated that approximately ten social workers are engaged in this work in the health boards. Of the tracing and reunion requests received by health boards and registered adoption societies last year over 60% were received by the registered adoption societies and health boards received approximately 40%.
The provision of a tracing and reunion service is currently unregulated, however, I am pleased to advise Deputy Owen that work is nearing completion in the Department's child care legislation unit on the preparation of legislation in the very complex area of adoption information, post-adoption contact and associated issues. The scheme of a Bill will be circulated to all relevant Departments for their observations in the very near future. This legislation will provide for, among other issues, the regulation of tracing and reunion service.
