Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 18 Apr 2002

Vol. 552 No. 2

Written Answers. - Child Care Services.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

92 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of residential places for young people with behavioural problems; the location of same; the actual number of places in use in each location; and his plans for the provision of places over the next five years. [12248/02]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Ms Hanafin)

Since mid-1997 more than €171.45 million, £135 million, additional revenue funding has been invested through the health boards in the development of the child welfare and protection services. This has provided for a wide range of developments including alternative care services such as community and family support projects and preventive services, including the "Edge" project, a community based service in County Mayo which is specifically for young people who may otherwise require specialised residential care. The Government's commitment to tackling the problems of social exclusion in this area was underlined by the launch of the National Children's Strategy in November 2000 and the passing of the Children Act, 2001.

Capital investment of approximately €38.09 million, £30 million, is being made available by this Government through the health boards to put in place additional high support and special care places to provide for a small group of children who need more intensive intervention than mainstream residential or foster care services. I have been informed by the health boards that the number of high support and special care places and individual high support packages identified by health boards for children with special needs has increased from 17 in 1996 to a current total of 94, of which 62 are currently occupied. The specific information sought by the Deputy in relation to this data is set out in the following table:

Health BoardArea	Number and location ofexisting High Support-Special Care places*	Number ofchildrencurrently inresidence
Eastern Regional Health Authority Area	6 Creag Aran High Support Unit24 Ballydowd Special Care Unit	66
Mid-Western Health Board	5 Moyhill High Support Unit, Co. Clare	5
	5 Elm House High Support Unit, Limerick	3
	5 Brookside Lodge High Support Unit, Co. Clare.	4
	5 Cre House High Support Unit, Roscrea.	3
Southern Health Board	5 Ard Doire High Support Unit (Boys), Cork	2
	8 Loughmahon High Support (Girls), Cork	6
	7 Gleann Álainn Special Care Unit (Girls), Cork.	7
North Eastern Health Board	3 Ardee High Support Unit,Co. Louth	2
	1 High Support, Co. Meath	1
South Eastern Health Board	5 Waterford High Support Unit	5
	5 Wexford High Support Unit	2
	5 Sacre Coeur High Support Service, Tipperary	5
	5 Kilcreene High Support Unit, Kilkenny	5

*Including individual high support packages identified by health boards

An additional 41 high support and special care places are planned. The eastern region high support facility, providing 24 places at Portrane, is nearing completion. The Midland Health Board, North Eastern Health Board, North Western Health Board and the Western Health Board are co-operating to provide 12 high support places on a single campus in Castleblaney. The Mid-Western Health Board will provide five special care places for adolescent boys on behalf of the Southern Region, that is the Mid-Western Health Board, Southern Health Board, and South Eastern Health Board, in a purpose built facility which is nearing completion. Places in these facilities are due to become available by mid-2002. In addition, my Department has been informed by the Western Health Board that it is currently considering the redesignation of one of its children's residential centres in Galway to accommodate children with behavioural problems and to facilitate engagement in therapeutic programmes of care. It is expected that six places will be available.

While health boards have experienced some difficulties in recruiting suitably trained staff, pro gress has been made in this area through recruitment abroad and the expansion of training courses. In particular, the South Western Area Health Board, which has operational responsibility for the Ballydowd special care unit, is involved in an ongoing intensive recruitment campaign to address staffing levels. As the Deputy will be aware, a new career and pay structure for child care workers was introduced last year which aims to ensure that more people are attracted into child care and that child care workers are trained to an appropriate level. The issue of special residential places will be kept under ongoing review by the Special Residential Services Board.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

93 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children his proposals to deal with the severe shortage of social workers in the child welfare and protection services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12249/02]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

I am aware of shortages of social workers in the child welfare and protection services at present which are impacting particularly in certain health boards. A number of important initiatives designed to improve recruitment and retention of social work personnel are currently under way, both at national and individual health board level, in order to alleviate staffing pressures. A national social work forum has been established to progress a number of key issues for the social work profession arising from the recommendations included in the report of the expert group on various health professions published in April 2000. Major developments include the creation of a new grade of senior social work practitioner and the upgrading of single handed and certain specialised posts. A caseload management study is also being carried out by an independent consultant and this is expected to facilitate maximising the contribution of scarce social work skills and expertise within the health service at present. In relation to training, a further 51 training places will be provided in 2002, bringing the total number of training places to 188 this year, an increase of 82 over the level of provision two years ago. It is envisaged that a further 28 training places will be provided in 2003. A national network of practice placement co-ordinators is also planned to facilitate the provision of high quality practice placements.

As the Deputy is no doubt aware, particular difficulties arise in the ERHA area in filling posts working in city centre areas, areas of social and economic deprivation and those areas proximate to other health boards. A number of recruitment initiatives are under way in the ERHA area to address the high number of current vacancies including recruitment from overseas. In addition, the ERHA has adopted a proactive approach to the utilisation and deployment of social work staff by such measures as employing access workers to assist with access visits between chil dren and families, deploying non-social work posts such as community child care workers, family support workers and administrative support where possible and establishing a management, staff, union group to review the role of social work personnel with a view to establishing what duties can be performed appropriately by other disciplines and how the social worker can be better assisted in delivering important services.

Regional health boards are also engaged in a number of strategies to attenuate the impact of staff shortages in child welfare and protection services. These include organising regular recruitment campaigns, both in Ireland and abroad; putting in place structures that provide support and supervision for staff; and the development of appropriate staff training policies. I am continuing to keep arrangements regarding the adequacy of social work services in the child welfare and protection services under close review.