Vol. 745 No. 3
1 Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the additional social workers to be employed in 2011 under the Ryan report implementation plan will be in their positions by the end of 2011; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32621/11]
In line with the programme for Government I am committed to delivering on the Ryan report implementation plan. Earlier this year I personally took over the chair of the Ryan report implementation group and I laid the second annual progress report before the Houses of the Oireachtas in July. While there are significant financial pressures on child and family services, my Department is nonetheless seeking to prioritise implementation of the Ryan report recommendations both this year and in our planning for next year.
The Ryan report implementation plan committed to the recruitment of an additional 270 social workers. Some 200 of these new posts were in place by the end of 2010. The HSE national service plan includes financial provision for the recruitment of a further 60 social workers this year. I have been assured by the HSE that it plans to have these additional staff in place by the end of the year. While the HSE introduced a recruitment pause across all categories of staff over the month of August owing to its adverse financial position, the HSE has prioritised the filling of certain key development posts and decided to process the recruitment of these staff with a view to their taking up employment by year end. This includes the recruitment of the additional social workers. My Department will continue to monitor closely the position with regard to the recruitment of the additional personnel.
The additional social workers will be targeted at priority areas across the system having regard to an overall assessment of workload undertaken by the national director and his team. The recruitment of the additional social workers is one element of a wider change agenda within the HSE, through which I believe we can deliver better outcomes for children and families. This reform agenda will lead to the establishment of a new child and family support agency which will provide a dedicated focus on child protection and support families in need.
This change agenda seeks to deliver the best outcomes for children and families through achieving a service delivery model that will address a multiagency approach to managing the child welfare and protection system, which is so important; a nationwide consistency of approach in practice and implementation of Children First, and child welfare and protection services generally——
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
——use of standardised definitions, criteria and thresholds for reporting and referrals including prioritisation of cases; the recent launch of a child welfare and protection handbook for HSE staff and the commencement of training courses for staff, including joint-training with gardaí; greater reliance on real-time data on social work referrals and alternative care collated through HSE performance management indicators and the ongoing development of the national child care information system; improved resource allocation responsive to changing needs; and clearer management and budgetary accountability.
This reform agenda will lead to a new child and family support agency which will provide the dedicated focus on child protection. The implementation of these reforms will allow for the best possible services to be delivered within the resources available.
I thank the Minister for her response. This is the second time I have had to ask about the number of social workers hired this year as a result of the recommendations of the Ryan report as the No. 1 Priority Question. On the last occasion I asked the Minister for specifics on the number of social workers we had on 1 January and how many we have now. The Ryan report commits to employing 200 additional social workers in 2010 with the objective of ensuring that each child in the State's care would have a social worker. A significant number — in the high single digits — of children in the State's care do not have a social worker. That is the specific objective of those additional social workers under the Ryan report implementation plan.
At her last Question Time, the Minister told the Dáil that as of the end of last year the 200 who were supposed to have been recruited last year had been recruited and any vacancies that had arisen had been backfilled last year. In order for us to understand how many social workers are in the system, we need to know the number on 1 January. How many social workers did we have at the start of this year and what is the figure today? On the last day the Minister gave a commitment to the Dáil on behalf of the Government that 60 new social workers would be hired this year. As of the start of November, none of those 60 has been hired. According to a HSE statement reported in The Irish Times a week and a half ago, there has been a recruitment pause——
I ask the Deputy to put his question to the Minister and she will respond. She has only one minute.
——throughout this year, not allowing any further posts to be filled. The Minister is telling us today that the HSE has informed her differently. Perhaps the Minister will clarify the figure as of 1 January this year and as of today, which information I sought from the Minister on the last occasion she took Questions in the House.
I am committed to ensuring that the 60 posts are put in place. The Deputy's information is incorrect. To date, four of the posts have been filled, 11 candidates have accepted offers, in respect of which the necessary clearances are being processed. The remainder of the posts are at various stages of the recruitment process. As stated on the last occasion I answered the Deputy's question on this issue, I am assured these posts are not affected by the pause on recruitment. The Deputy will be aware of the extraordinary financial situation of the Health Service Executive, in particular its child and family services which are under enormous pressure. The director of child and family services is working in that context, which should be recognised by the Deputy. The HSE is in serious financial difficulty. Previously child and family services did not receive the type of priority now being accorded to them through the establishment of a separate agency.
The Minister must conclude. The time allocated for this question has elapsed.
The total number of social workers in place as of 31 September 2011 is 2,429. The remainder of the 60 posts will be in place by the end of this year, which fulfils the Ryan implementation group recommendation.
I will allow a brief supplementary from Deputy McConalogue.
This is the second time I have asked for these figures. We now know that as of 31 September 2011 there are 2,429 social workers in place. In order to know whether the four people recruited are part of that 2,429, we need first to know the figure as of 1 January. Despite this being the second occasion on which I have asked this question of the Minister, I still cannot get the information from her.
I have been told during discussions on this issue with social workers around the country that contracts offered are not being processed and that vacancies as a result of maternity leave and people retiring are not being filled. That is the reality on the ground. It is not good enough for the Minister to come in here and tell us she has been assured by the HSE that four posts have been filled when different reports are being given by the HSE to the media and so on.
I must ask the Deputy to conclude as the time allocated for this question has elapsed.
Also, the Minister is not able to tell me the figure as of 1 January 2011. It is not good enough to seek assurance in this regard from the HSE. The Minister needs to find out the figure as of 1 January 2011 and the figure now. That is the only way we will know whether any of the 60 posts, which are supposed to be additional, are such. Perhaps the Minister will tell me the figure as of 1 January 2011 so that we can establish the position.
I ask the Minister to correspond with Deputy McConalogue on the questions he has raised.
Perhaps the Minister will give a brief response.
No. I have ruled on the matter. We are well over time on this question.
I will communicate with the Deputy on the matter.
This is——
I apologise but we are well over time on this question. I have asked the Minister to respond directly to the Deputy's questions and she has agreed to do so. Only six minutes per question is allowed.
2 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children who have left the care of the State in each of the past five years and to date in 2011; the number of those who received aftercare services in each of the same years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32623/11]
The HSE compiles monthly performance reports which provide an overall analysis of key performance data from finance, HR, hospital and primary and community services. These reports include a range of statistics in regard to children in care. A new performance indicator was introduced in 2011 to collect information on the number of young adults aged 18 to 21 years in receipt of an aftercare service. Collection of this data commenced in the third quarter of 2011 and validated data should be available shortly.
The HSE has not, to date, routinely collected national data in respect of children who leave the care of the State each year. While that data is available it is not routinely collated in the manner requested by the Deputy. The data currently available on a national basis sets out the number of children in care and their placement type. Children leave the care of the State on reaching their 18th birthday. However, many remain in their foster care placement as an aftercare arrangement. Children may also leave care at an earlier age to return home or, in exceptional circumstances, owing to adoption. Some children may be in care for a short period. There is a great deal of movement in and out of the care system. I have, however, requested my Department to seek information from the HSE on children who have left care this year. I will provide the Deputy with further information as it becomes available.
Since taking office, I have prioritised the need to improve access to timely and accurate data on our child and family services. The availability of reliable data is of critical importance to inform the management, resource allocation and further development of our child and family services. An important element of this is the establishment by the HSE of a national child care information system, NCCIS, to operate as the central system to support social work services and to record and store the case history of every child in care. The procurement of this system is at the pre-tender stage.
The national child care information system will provide for the regular collection of national data in respect of children who leave the care of the State each year.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
The HSE commissioned an independent external consultant to undertake a review of the capacity for alternative care services, including aftercare services. The audit date for the data was 13 March 2011. The HSE has informed me, based on these data, that a total of 1,051 young people were in receipt of aftercare nationally as of March 2011. The breakdown between males and females was 46% and 54% respectively. I am further advised by the HSE that the number of young people who began to receive aftercare in 2008 and 2009 was 979 and 847 respectively.
Section 45 of the Child Care Act 1991 places a statutory duty on the HSE to form a view, in relation to each person leaving care, as to whether there is a need for assistance and, if it forms such a view, to provide services in accordance with the legislation and subject to resources. All young people who have had a care history with the HSE, be it foster care, residential care or high support, are entitled to an aftercare service based on their assessed needs. The core eligible age range for aftercare is 18 years up to 21 years. This can be extended until the completion of a course of education in which the child-young adult is engaged, up to the age of 23 years.
Aftercare provision incorporates advice, guidance and practical support. An individual holistic needs assessment identifies a young person's need for accommodation, financial support, social network support and training and education. One of the key features of aftercare support is to advocate on behalf of young people to promote their development as a fulfilled adult in their community. The most important requirements for young people leaving care are secure, suitable accommodation, further education, employment or training.
The HSE national aftercare service is underpinned by a national policy and procedures document which has been developed in co-operation with the key stakeholders, including the voluntary sector agencies involved in aftercare provision and my Department. The policy commits to promoting and achieving the best outcomes for young people leaving care and in ensuring consistency of support to these young people.
The HSE national policy on aftercare is being rolled out nationally under the watch of the HSE's aftercare implementation group, which includes representation from the HSE, mental health, family and disability services, the voluntary sector and a young persons' representative from Empowering People in Care, EPIC. I am aware of the challenges facing the aftercare service, the need for information to plan the services, for consistency across all areas, to follow up with young people who may at first reject its services and the need to link in with adult services as necessary. To accommodate such challenges funding was provided in 2011 to support the recruitment of ten additional aftercare workers. Additionally, funding was provided to EPIC to develop a national advocacy and support service for young people in care, leaving care and after care.
I thank the Minister for her reply. She will recall that this issue was addressed extensively during the passage of the Child Care (Amendment) Bill. The Minister indicated that the national child care information service is at pre-tender stage. Perhaps she will indicate how soon it will be in situ? Also, will it address what have not heretofore been routinely collated, namely, the data I am seeking? Can the Minister give an assurance in that regard?
Section 45 of the Child Care Act 1991 places a statutory obligation on the HSE to form a view in regard to each person leaving care, in terms of his or her need for assistance. The Minister relied extensively on that provision, in my efforts to amend the more recent Child Care (Amendment) Bill, to guarantee aftercare to young people in State care post-18 years. The Child Care Act 1991 states, "subject to resources", which in my view is the fault-line in terms of young people leaving care at 18 years of age and finding themselves with no aftercare provision. This does not occur in a traditional family environment of whatever making in Irish society today. Children in care should be no less deserving of a continuum of support at what is a difficult point in their adult lives.
Does Deputy Ó Caoláin have a question for the Minister?
Does the Minister propose to review that section of the Child Care Act 1991 to allow children leaving care to access the aftercare services they need, based not as has been the practice heretofore on what resources are available to the HSE but on need?
I thank Deputy Ó Caoláin for his question. I agree with him on the need for young people to continue to receive help. The Deputy might perhaps be reassured by some of the following information. A review of numbers was carried out by an external consultant. The audit date for these data was March 2011. I am informed that in March 2011 a total of 1,051 young people nationally were in receipt of aftercare. The breakdown in this regard between males and females was 46% and 54% respectively. I am also informed that the number of young people who received aftercare in 2008 and 2009 was 979 and 947 respectively. These data may however relate to young people who left care not only in the years stated but at an earlier stage. It appears from those figures that the HSE is using section 45 to assess the needs of young children leaving care and is taking a view in regard to their need for assistance. I will get the figures for this year for the Deputy. I expect that the new system for data collection will include the type of data sought today by the Deputy.
I am shocked given it is easily accessible that it is not available today. I have asked my officials to get from the four districts the data in regard to the number of children leaving care this year. This will then give us a picture of what percentage of children leaving State care are actually receiving aftercare or are being assessed as in need of it.
Where a child is assessed and the need for aftercare is established, what happens when resources are not available? We are all aware of what has happened across a whole range of services under the umbrella of the HSE. What happens to a child when the need is there and the funding issue becomes the issue of resources? I am asking because that is my clear and continuing concern. What can the Minister do to remove that potential obstacle, an obstacle I fear which has been employed in the past?
Resources are an issue. There are problems because of the demands of the services when it comes to the base funding available for child and family services within the HSE. The question of priority must be addressed and better management and better inter-agency work. Quite a number of areas need to be addressed to answer the Deputy's question about resources.
Ten additional after care workers were recruited and this should help. Money has been given to EPIC, the group working with young people who have been in after care. The HSE must assess priority and proper assessment of the needs of these young people will have be carried out. This will demand some form of prioritisation.
3 Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the UNICEF report The Child Left Behind — a table of inequality in child well-being in the world’s rich countries, in particular the finding that our child poverty rate was 13.5% with taxes and social transfers taken into account (details supplied); if she will fight the case for child poverty and defend children from direct and indirect social transfer cuts; her plan to tackle child poverty here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32627/11]
The UNICEF report card published in 2010 shows that in terms of material inequality, Ireland is close to the OECD average. Ireland is ranked 13th, with the best performing country identified as Switzerland. In terms of inequalities in education and health outcomes, Ireland is ranked in second and seventh place, respectively, to the best performing countries. I am very glad to note this information because some key health issues are not currently being addressed. We need to do some better screening and there are serious issues of obesity affecting three-year olds.
Tackling child poverty is a priority for Government and a goal of the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007- 2016, co-ordinated by the Department of Social Protection. As the report highlights, children are more likely to be poor if they are living in lone parent households with low labour market participation and are dependent on income support. The Departments of Social Protection, Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Education and Skills are working to deliver a range of measures aimed at getting people back to work. A job is the best way to lift people out of poverty.
My Department works closely with other Departments with shared objectives to secure better outcomes for children and young people. The Department is represented on the advisory group on tax and social welfare established by the Minister for Social Protection to examine issues to do with the interactions of the tax and welfare systems to provide good incentives for work and thereby contribute to the reduction of child poverty, in particular.
My Department has responsibility for a number of programmes which are very important in improving children's outcomes. One of the points in the UNICEF report is the importance of early childhood care and how this can improve educational and other outcomes for children, in particular, when aimed at low-income families. These are important priorities for me and the Department. I will do everything possible to ensure that the ECCE scheme, the early childhood care scheme, is protected in the forthcoming budget. Some €166 million is being spent by my Department on a universal, free preschool year and a further €43 million is being made available to provide additional targeted child care support for low-income parents under the community child care subvention scheme. I would like to see early intervention enhanced as this supports children who are falling behind their peers. The plans for the new child and family support agency are being developed with the advice of an expert task force under the remit of my Department. This agency will have an important role in improving the effectiveness of supports available to children and in particular those children from vulnerable families.
I thank the Minister for her reply. There are many facets to the UNICEF report, The Child Left Behind. As regards the assessment of the material well-being of children in the 24 richest countries, Ireland is listed at 22nd with only Poland and Hungary below us. That assessment was based on the percentage of children in homes with incomes below 50% of the national average. The second assessment was the percentage of families without an employed adult, a point made by the Minister. The third assessment was the percentage of children living in homes with fewer than ten books in the home.
The role of taxes and social transfers in this country plays a key role. A total of 13.5% of our children are kept out of poverty because of these transfers because without them, the rate would be up to 35% and this is an important marker. In most countries, the marker would be about 10% to 15%.
Has the Deputy a question for the Minister?
The Minister made a point about the protection of preschool payments. It is vital that in this budget the protection of child benefit payments must be sacrosanct. Will the Minister commit to oppose any cuts in child benefit?
The provision for the various income support systems in 2012 will be a matter for consideration by the Minister for Social Protection and the Government in the budgetary process. I appreciate the Deputy's point about the role of child benefit payments and the support it offers to families, particularly the families who are most vulnerable and most marginalised. I will work with other Departments to ensure that we give the very best supports to children and families and protect the vulnerable within the extraordinarily difficult financial situation which faces the Government.
It is important to have a look at that report. We hear a great deal of bad news but it is encouraging that the report awards Ireland an overall score of seven out of a possible eight points for its overall performances. It places Ireland in the better than the OECD average overall, along with Iceland, Norway and Sweden. There is good news in this report but I certainly take the Deputy's point about child poverty. It is clear that children are vulnerable to child poverty when there is unemployment in a household. This is why we must focus on job creation. Children are poor in the context of their families and there is a clear and strong link between poverty and unemployment and children in jobless households are three times more likely to experience consistent poverty than children in general. I take the point that there is no room for complacency.
I agree that job creation is crucial for taking families out of poverty. However, this will take time. I ask for a commitment from the Minister that in this budget the child benefit will be protected and that the Minister will actively oppose any cuts in child benefit until some time in a few years when there is more employment.
4 Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she agrees with Dr. Helen Buckley that the workload of the national review panel is virtually impossible to carry out owing to the number and breadth of inquiries it must investigate; if she intends to assign more resources to the panel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32622/11]
In January 2010, HIQA published Guidance for the Health Service Executive for the Review of Serious Incidents including Deaths of Children in Care. The guidance became operational from March 2010. The guidance required the HSE to establish a panel of appropriately skilled professionals, both internal and external, to review cases under specified criteria. According to the HIQA guidance, the panel should have an independent chair and deputy chair and professionals from a range of disciplines appointed for their professional expertise.
In accordance with the HIQA guidance, last year, the HSE established a national review panel to undertake these reviews. Dr. Helen Buckley, senior lecturer and research fellow at the school of social work and social policy, Trinity College Dublin, was appointed as chair. Dr. Bill Lockhart, retired CEO, Youth Justice Agency, Northern Ireland, was appointed as deputy chair. There are 20 ordinary members on the panel, 18 of whom are external to the HSE. In addition, a senior professional manager and a senior administrative manager were assigned to support the work of the panel. While the national review panel has been established under the auspices of the HSE, it remains functionally independent, making findings of fact and producing reports that are objective and independent of the HSE.
I thank Dr. Buckley and all involved in the recent report. The 2010 annual report covers the period from March to December 2010. During this period, 22 cases of death were notified and eight serious incidents. Of the 22 deaths, reported, six of these were due to natural causes, four were drugs overdoses, four were as the result of suicide, four were due to road traffic accidents, two were homicide and two were as a result of accidents other than road traffic accidents.
The report states that the criteria for the cases to be reviewed are broad by international standards. This is an important point to note. The report also states: "the NRP is concerned that the HIQA guidance places virtually impossible obligations on it. The combination of timelines, detail required and unanticipated volume of notifications presents difficulties for the NRP that were never intended." The national review panel report goes on to suggest ways in which the process of reviewing serious incidents and child deaths could be improved.
Additional material not given on the floor of the House.
Furthermore the report states:
Is it necessary, or even beneficial, for every case to be reviewed? It would, and perhaps, should, be possible for the independent chair of the NRP to select representative cases from which a maximum of learning can be extracted without running the risk, as has happened in other jurisdictions, of services being drowned in a flood of similar conclusions and recommendations.
Given the fact that this is a new process, it is not surprising that the review panel has remarked on the nature of the process itself and challenges in putting into operation the HIQA guidance. The HIQA has already agreed to review the guidance and are engaging actively with the national review panel and the HSE children and family services in this regard. These are matters which will be considered by the HIQA in the first instance and by my officials in the context of related policy and legislative developments already in train.
The first annual report of the NRP is the subject of consideration by the HSE and I would expect that any measures falling directly to the HSE which are necessary to strengthen the effectiveness of the review process will be implemented.
I thank the Minister for her response. As she pointed out, the national review panel was set up in response to the poor recording of child death over the years within the HSE and the failure on the part of the State to investigate and assess the problems and weaknesses in each area.
I also commend Dr. Buckley and the review panel for their work on this. They were asked to look into 36 cases, of which six were included in the report published some weeks ago. These cases are not merely paper files but represent real children who suffered, in some cases, death, in others, serious incidents. In her report Dr. Buckley stated that the number of deaths was not out of kilter with the national average, a relevant point here.
A question to the Minister, please.
The key point is that each child was in the care of the State. Children need to be assessed to discover whether weaknesses are present which need to be acted upon immediately. Worryingly, Dr. Buckley stated she did not have the resources to deal appropriately with the cases. What are the Minister's plans to deal with this and ensure resources are available so that when the next report is published there is no need for Dr. Buckley to say she cannot get through the workload?
The death of every child is a tragedy and I offer every sympathy to the families whose children were reported upon by this review panel. It is interesting to note in the review that no case of death or serious incident was related to an action or inaction of the HSE child protection services. That is a very important point coming from this review and worth noting.
It is not surprising, given this is a new process, that the review panel has remarked on the nature of the actual process. Some of the guidance it has been given, along with the suggestion that this ought to be reviewed presents a challenge. The report states, for example:
Is it necessary, or even beneficial, for every case to be reviewed? It would, and perhaps, should, be possible for the independent chair of the NRP to select representative cases from which a maximum of learning can be extracted without running the risk, as has happened in other jurisdictions, of services being drowned in a flood of similar conclusions and recommendations.
The panel is reviewing the guidelines it was given. I have met with the HIQA which set the original guidelines. It is important that the HIQA should review what has emerged from this report and make some recommendations, taking up some of the points Dr. Buckley made in regard to the very wide remit. I asked the HIQA to review the guidance already given and it is engaging actively with the national review panel and the HSE children and family services in this regard. These will be considered by the HIQA in the first instance, as well as by my officials in the context of related policy and legislative developments already in train. The first annual report is subject to consideration by the HSE and I would expect that any measures falling directly to the HSE that are necessary to strengthen the effectiveness of the review process will be implemented. I await comments from the HIQA. The future of the review panel will be determined by its response to its first report and by the comments of Dr. Buckley and the other people involved in it. There are matters to be learnt from this report about how we should approach this work in the future.
As the Minister pointed out, the report did not indicate that any of the deaths were directly attributable to inaction by the HSE. It did, however, highlight failures in terms of HSE practice in regard to child care over a period of years, breaches of Children First guidelines, etc. The key point is that each of those cases be investigated, and if the HIQA highlights that extra resources are needed that they be given. That is crucial.
5 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans for the family resource centre programme; the way she envisages same within the new Child and Family Support Agency; if she can assuage fears regarding funding support for the coming year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32624/11]
There are 107 family resource centres throughout the country funded by the Family Support Agency. My Department assumed responsibility for the FSA when it was established earlier this year. I welcome the opportunity this provides to promote effective operational relationships between the family resource centres and other providers of services to children and families.
The aim of the family resource centre programme is to combat disadvantage and improve the functioning of the family unit. The programme emphasises involving local communities in tackling the problems they face, and creating successful partnerships between voluntary and statutory agencies at community level. In 2011, funding of €15.897 million has been provided to the Family Support Agency for the programme. Funding for the programme in 2012 will be a matter for Government consideration in the context of the deliberations on the annual Estimates and budget.
In September, I established a task force to advise my Department regarding the necessary transition programme to establish the new child and family support agency. The task force has been asked, inter alia, to provide advice as to the appropriate service responsibilities of the new agency. In doing so, it will consider the services within the HSE that relate to children and family services and the services for which the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and its agencies have operational responsibility. No decisions have been made as yet with regard to future arrangements for the family resource centre programme but I can assure the Deputy that the Family Support Agency will be consulted as part of the deliberations of the taskforce on the service responsibilities of the new agency and any issues arising.
Only last week the Minister launched the annual report for 2010 on behalf of the family resource centre national forum. In the course of the address by the chairperson of the FRCNF, Mr. Packie Kelly spoke about loss of employment and reductions in household incomes being very isolating experiences for families. He further stated that Ireland's network of family resource centres has been actively building up a range of initiatives that enable families to stay in touch and feel supported through difficult periods. They have found that after-school clubs and arts programmes are excellent ways of reaching out to families who are not otherwise engaged in community activity. They outline an entire range of activities including homework clubs or parent and toddler groups. Mr. Kelly stated that some such interventions might seem trivial but that is not at all the case. From my knowledge and experience of the four family resource centres in my constituency, namely, Killeshandra, Cavan, Clones and Monaghan, I can state they do excellent and critically important work. It is very important that this work is allowed to continue and flourish, particularly in these more challenging and difficult times.
In the absence of the Minister's ability, pre-budget, to give me the assurances I would like and which family resource centres need, can she indicate how many times the task force on the child and family support agency, which was established in September, has met? Is it being resourced in regard to the work it must undertake? Will the task force examine issues of financial distress as being among the reasons children are placed in care? This is an extremely important issue. If families are in distress and that is the underlying reason children may not be able to continue in the home environment, this of itself requires an intervention by other Departments. That needs to be highlighted. If that is the case and the taskforce discovers and highlights it — I know of cases where that box would be ticked — will it be addressed accordingly? How long will the task force continue its deliberations? When does the Minister expect it to report?
The Deputy's question relates to the Family Support Agency and family resource centres. The overall allocation to the FSA was €31.7 million in 2011, of which €16 million was allocated to the resource centre programme. Substantial funding is given to local centres and I wish to support them in whatever way possible, given budgetary constraints. The Deputy knows our budgetary constraints are significant.
The task force has met on a number of occasions. I will get back to the Deputy with the exact detail. The task force is working actively. A number of subgroups of the task force are working on various issues relating to governance, management and the transition from the HSE to the new agency. I expect to receive preliminary reports within the next couple of months. I am working towards the establishment of the new agency by January 2013. I hope that will happen.
I would like the task force to focus on examining issues of financial distress. Deputies from a variety of constituencies have spoken previously in the House about the continuing cutbacks, which are causing distress and breakdowns in family units. We are contributing to a deteriorating situation by moving children away from the family supports they have enjoyed in more ideal settings. Will the task force highlight the need for this problem to be addressed through social protection? In these difficult times, there is an urgent need to recognise that we may be contributing to the displacement of children from the situations that are best for their futures.
The Deputy has raised the complex question of the reasons children come into care. It happens for a variety of reasons. Physical abuse is one of the reasons. Increasingly, neglect is the reason most children come into care. The financial pressures on families can have an impact on such neglect. Drink and drug issues are a significant factor in children coming into care at present. Issues relating to the use of alcohol in families are putting substantial pressure on family units and leading to children coming into care. It is clear that financial pressures are contributing to this problem. The task force will examine the number of children who need care and attention. One of the particular aspects it will address is the links to other agencies. It will examine the family support services in communities, including financial support services, fostering support services and parenting groups. The task force will examine the range of services that are available to families. Undoubtedly, the task force is aware of the financial strain on families, which is a key pressure at present. Its primary task will be to work out the transition arrangements in moving child and family services from the HSE to a new agency, rather than focusing on the details of the pressures on families. That will be a big challenge.
