With the agreement of the House, can we start with Question No. 2 in the name of Deputy Ó Caoláin, as Deputy Troy is not present in the Chamber? Agreed.
Priority Questions
That is a very fine place to start.
Child Detention Centres
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:2. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding the transition from St. Patrick's Institution to the Oberstown campus, including management and governance structures, staffing, training and rostering arrangements at Oberstown; if her attention has been drawn to the need to provide a specialist unit for highly disruptive detainees; her plans to incorporate this in the planned development of the site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38916/13]
In line with the programme for Government commitment, I am working with Government colleagues to end the detention of children in St. Patrick’s Institution. To achieve this objective, my Department has provided €50 million for the development of national child detention facilities at Oberstown.
Following extensive work involving my Department and the Office of Public Works since early 2012, the design process is now complete, planning permission has been secured and the tendering process has been completed. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, and his Department for the work they have done in this area. BAM Building Limited has been appointed as the main contractor for the project, as well as several sub-contractors. I am happy to report to the House that construction is to commence on-site next week. The timescale for completion of the first three detention units, which will provide a total additional capacity of 30 spaces, will be third quarter of 2014. The remaining three detention units, required to replace existing buildings on the site, will be delivered in 2015. My officials will continue to work with the OPW to ensure the successful delivery of this project.
In addition to the capital project, my Department is overseeing a further programme of reforms aimed at enhancing the effective management and capacity of services on the Oberstown campus. A recruitment process has recently been carried out for the appointment of a campus manager for the Oberstown site, who will report to the board of management. A candidate is under consideration by the Public Appointments Service and I expect this position will be filled in the near future. I see this appointment as a crucial element of the reform of the child detention service.
I will shortly be presenting to the Oireachtas a set of amendments to the Children Act 2001 which will provide a mechanism for the merging of the three existing child detention schools into a single legal entity. These governance reforms will complement the ongoing work over recent years to develop integrated care policies and share services across the Oberstown campus.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
I wish to further advise that a care staff recruitment programme has been sanctioned by Government and will shortly be commenced in conjunction with the Public Appointments Service, with the aim of deploying the new staff in Oberstown for orientation and training on a staged basis from early 2014.
In addition, a business review process is to be carried out on the Oberstown campus to ensure that all services for young people up to the age of 18 can be delivered in a manner that ensures safe and secure custody. My officials will also shortly be meeting with the Irish Prison Service to establish a Steering Group charged with overseeing the transition of responsibility for 17-year-old males from the prison system to the Oberstown campus over the coming months.
In line with an agreement made at the Labour Relations Commission earlier this year, agreement has been reached with staff representatives on the appointment of a third-party arbitrator to oversee a joint staff-management review of the operation of the campus staffing roster in Oberstown which was implemented in February 2013. I intend to see that this review commences this month and is completed as soon as possible.
The design process which was carried out in consultation with staff for the Oberstown development has fully taken into account the need for safe and robust buildings capable of accommodating children presenting with challenging behaviour. The use of individual buildings will be considered as part of the business review programme referred to above for the Oberstown site. I would note, however, that staff training, professional supervision and individual care plans for each child in detention are at least as important as physical facilities and both aspects will be considered as part of the planning for the new child detention service.
In conclusion, a major programme of change and reform to the child detention service is currently under way, and my Department will continue to work the board of management, staff representatives and other agencies to expand the range and quality of services on the Oberstown campus.
It is good news that we are at the stage at which work is ready to get under way at the Oberstown site. I welcome the Minister’s indication that she intends to introduce legislation to merge the three existing child detention schools into a single legal entity. At what stage is the preparation of this legislation? When will the appointment of the campus manager be made?
I raised this matter with the Minister before the summer recess. While I welcome the information she gave us today, I must raise the issue of disruptive young people in these centres. Within the plans for the Oberstown development, will a unit be designated to deal with difficult cases of disruptive young people?
There is a significant and marked difference between a 13 year old and a 17 year old. Will the new centre be arranged so that there will be a suitable mix of ages?
The key point about detention is that it should be a measure of last resort. We are building a new facility because we do not want 16 and 17 year olds in St. Patrick's Institution but in an appropriate care centre.
Great care been taken with the design of that new building. International best evidence has been taken into account to ensure the mix the Deputy is describing is appropriately met and the facilities allow for the kind of integration needed for the young people, but also that they get the care and attention they need in a secure facility, and this is a secure facility. This is children being kept in detention. Every advanced country, including Ireland, is seeing a reduction in the numbers of children being detained, and I welcome that. Although there has been an increase in referrals from the courts in recent times, the overall trend is downward. As the Deputy rightly says, the young people who come to the attention of the care services and the detention services have very complex needs.
I am pleased to say that a care staff recruitment programme has been sanctioned by Government and will shortly commence in conjunction with the Public Appointments Service, which will help to manage these young people. On the Deputy's question about when the campus manager will be appointed, the interviews have been held, the offer has been made and we are waiting to hear from the individual concerned, so it should happen very shortly, as will the legislation.
The Minister rightly refers to Oberstown as a secure campus, but there have been incidents when the word "secure" would hardly apply. Individual detainees have been able to virtually close down a whole section of the existing structure with the threat of violence against the care staff in that complex. These are very serious matters where staff and other detainees in the entities on that site are being put at very severe risk. Is the Minister aware of the seriousness of at least one recent event? What does she understand is being done to ensure that risk factor is reduced to the lowest possible level in the interests of the safety of all detainees and staff who are entrusted with the oversight and management of the complex?
As the Deputy is aware, residential care in detention centres is very demanding work. We have appropriate practices in place to deal with those violent incidents, as Deputy has described them. They take place in every detention centre. We want to reduce these to a minimum, ensure staff are supported and that appropriate interventions are in place to support both staff and young people and ensure best practice is immediately implemented when there is an incident like that. I have appointed a very highly skilled board, led by the chairman, Mr. Joe Horan, whose members are very experienced in the law and young people. Great care and attention is being given to the issues the Deputy has described in order that they are handled in the best possible way and staff are supported.
There is very active union engagement on the campus over a long period. There has been much involvement with the Labour Relations Commission. Yet another roster assessment is going on at the recommendation of the Labour Relations Commission to examine the question of rosters and staff ratios. It has been a very troubled issue on the campus but progress has been made. It should be a great source of support to the staff that the Government has made the investment in building and staff recruitment to ensure the kinds of issues the Deputy described are kept at a minimum and the support services are in place, which both the staff and children need.
Early Child Care Education Standards
Robert Troy
Question:1. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding the measures for quality of care in early years services she announced in the wake of the Prime Time programme on creches; the legislative plans she has to underpin this agenda; if any new legislation will be introduced in Dáil Éireann before Christmas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38913/13]
As I have outlined in previous replies, my Department and I, in conjunction with the HSE and other stakeholders, are progressing a preschool quality agenda involving a range of actions in eight key areas aimed at improving quality within early years services and enhancing the regulatory regime. The actions include improving the qualifications for all staff in preschool services to a minimum standard at FETAC level 5; improving the quality and curricular supports for preschool services when implementing the Síolta framework and Aistear curriculum, which they need to do; implementing the new national preschool standards; introducing a registration system for all preschool services; taking steps to make the inspection system more consistent and robust; publishing inspection reports online; ensuring appropriate action is taken when we find non-compliance such as we saw on the "Prime Time" programme; and increasing and widening sanctions for non-compliance.
Since July, 914 preschool inspection reports have been published on the Pobal website. I thank everybody who was involved in publishing those reports. There have been many insurance and inter-agency issues to be sorted. I also thank Early Childhood Ireland, whose representatives had some concerns but who recently said they recognise the value of those inspection reports being online, as do the public and families.
In July, the Government approved the heads of new legislation to amend the Child Care Act 1991. This legislation will increase the penalty for an offence under the Act to a maximum class A fine. More significantly, this legislation will provide a statutory basis for registration of preschool services and will introduce a range of new enforcement powers for inspectors at pre-prosecution level, and the availability of this pre-prosecution level is very important. Under the proposed new system, all preschool services will have to be registered to operate. Inspectors will be empowered to specify improvement conditions with which a service must comply, and the threat of removal of registration will be available to them.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
This system will, for the first time, provide for timely and effective regulation and enforcement of standards in preschool services, backed up by statutory registration. This legislation is being finalised in conjunction with the Parliamentary Counsel and it is my intention to bring it before the Oireachtas during the current term.
In addition, my Department, in conjunction with the preschool inspectorate, is working to develop new protocols on regulatory compliance to provide greater clarity and consistency of approach in the way inspection reports deal with findings of serious non-compliance as opposed to minor breaches and full compliance. New national quality standards for preschool services will be launched before the end of the year. These standards will complement the existing preschool regulations, replacing previous explanatory notes, and will set out the quality outcomes and supporting criteria against which inspection under the preschool regulations will be measured. Discussions are continuing in the context of budget 2014 on additional resources for the inspection system.
I have decided to introduce new qualification requirements for child care services starting in September 2014. The current minimum requirement of level 5 for preschool leaders delivering the preschool year will be increased to level 6. In addition, all preschool assistants and all other staff caring for children in a new preschool service will be subject to a minimum requirement of level 5. These requirements will be effective from September 2014 for new services and from September 2015 for existing services. My Department is examining measures to support training for child care staff in line with the increased qualification requirements.
I apologise for being late. The Minister has reiterated what she has told us on previous occasions about the eight key areas she sees in this area. The registration process was to be introduced in September this year. I hope the Minister can confirm that this will still be the case.
In July, the Minister approved the heads of a Bill to increase the penalty for non-compliance. When will that Bill come before the House for us to debate it and support the Minister in her efforts? This is warranted, but I hope it will be forthcoming soon.
On the 914 inspection reports, only five or six counties have managed to put their inspection reports online. Has the Minister sought and received permission from Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, to hire additional social inspectors? At a committee meeting before the summer, we heard there were only 37 full-time social welfare inspectors inspecting 4,700 crèches. Has the Minister sought permission to increase the number of inspectors? The Minister said the Children First legislation was one of her key priorities on assuming office. Can she assure the House that this legislation will be debated in the Houses of the Oireachtas before Christmas and that childminders will be included in this legislation?
Let us look at the big picture. For the first time we have national inspection and inspection reports online. They were never available before except under freedom of information requests from parents. We are bringing in national standards for the first time and frameworks that will be applied consistently. This is a huge number of changes. There will also be legislation, which I hope to introduce shortly. The legislation is well developed. I got permission for the drafting of it, a huge amount of work was done over the summer and I expect to introduce it shortly. It is being finalised in conjunction with the Parliamentary Counsel, and I intend to bring it before the Oireachtas this term.
In addition, we are bringing forward new protocols on regulatory compliance to provide greater clarity and consistency in inspections. Registration on a non-statutory basis was introduced from 1 September and as soon as the legislation is enacted it will become statutory. Inspectors will have powers to take action immediately, including withdrawing registration. As the withdrawal of registration will mean that the service cannot continue, it is a powerful tool where inspectors are not satisfied with what is happening in preschools.
Work is ongoing on the Children First legislation, which is very complex in terms of sanctions and reporting. As it will be onerous on services, I want to be sure it is high quality legislation. Earlier this week I met an international expert in this area who told me that every state in Australia has provided for mandatory reporting. If one has concerns that a child is being abused, it is right that one should be required to report them. The key issues are training and the thresholds of reporting significant harm so that the services are not overwhelmed with inappropriate referrals. These issues are being taken into account in the drafting of the legislation and I will bring the Bill to the House at the earliest opportunity.
Sometimes one would think nothing was done in the child care setting prior to the Minister's appointment. I accept that certain areas needed to be strengthened. Fianna Fáil proposed legislation in this regard during the last Dáil session. I welcome that legislation is being drafted but the issues involved are mainly technical in nature and they should be addressed in weeks rather than months. The Bill needs to be prioritised. We would support the Minister by sitting on a Friday to ensure the Bill is debated and passed through the House.
The Minister did not answer my question on additional resources for inspectors. She acknowledged that the inspectors are under resourced in terms of personnel, support and training. Has she obtained the much needed additional resources to ensure her plans proceed? Can she confirm that child minders will be included in the Children First legislation? She was wary about this previously. Perhaps she now sees the benefit of including them after speaking to her colleagues and the experts from Australia.
Gordon Jeyes is putting in place a national inspection system for preschool facilities for the first time. I am in discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on allocating sufficient resources to employ an inspector in every area. That will be a budgetary decision but my Department and I are involved in key discussions in that regard. It is clear that we need more inspectors and I want to ensure that inspectors are available on a consistent basis around the country.
In regard to the Deputy's question about the number of inspections, they have been completed in a number of counties, including Limerick, Clare, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal. As there are 4,400 services, a significant number of reports must be prepared. Approximately 30% of the reports have issued thus far. The agencies involved have done well to start the process but it is resource intensive and we want inspectors to be inspecting rather than concentrating on putting the reports online. Their work has to be balanced.
I have not made a final decision on the issue of child minders but it is under consideration. We will have to think carefully about the implications of including, for example, those who mind children under the age of three versus all child minders.
Social Workers Recruitment
Thomas Pringle
Question:3. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the action she will take to address the situation whereby social work teams are considerably understaffed resulting in lengthy delays for children in need of their services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38725/13]
I acknowledge the challenges facing our child welfare and protection services and the pressures facing social work teams around the country. The service is operating in a climate of increased demand, particularly in the area of child neglect. Since 2006 the number of referrals on child protection and welfare reports has almost doubled from 21,000 in 2006 to 40,000 in 2012. It is not that long ago when there were 240 referrals to child protection services in one year. The increase in 2012 was almost 10,000 above the 2011 level. In addition, the numbers of children in care have increased by 21% from 5,307 in 2007 to 6,421 as of April 2013. By international standards, the numbers of children in care are relatively low. They do not exceed international norms and we have the advantage that most of our children in care are in foster homes as opposed to residential settings. That situation has been reversed dramatically in recent years.
The latest HSE employment census indicates that the number of whole-time equivalent social workers employed in the HSE children and families service area was 1,397 at the end of June 2013. The census numbers reflect the outcome of a process of re-classification of social workers within the HSE into individual care groups, including children and families, to support the process of establishing the new Child and Family Agency.
Child welfare and protection services have faced particular challenges in recent months arising from a high number of vacancies due to maternity leave and, to a lesser degree, sick leave. In response to these pressures a new panel of professionally qualified social workers was established in June 2013 to allow for the filling of vacancies in social work teams. I am advised that the HSE has recently filled 114 vacancies, with a further 102 posts are at various stages in the recruitment process. Implementation of the provisions of the Haddington Road agreement will also assist HSE Children and Families in responding to current demand through additional working hours, revision of overtime arrangements, flexible working arrangements, revised work practices and other initiatives. It is important to note also that due to the importance of child welfare and protection responsibilities the current recruitment moratorium does not apply to the social worker grade.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
All child protection and welfare referrals are managed through the HSE children and families standardised business process. Such reports of concern for the safety and well-being of a child come into the duty intake team for assessment. All staff receiving such a referral are trained in the duty system and are obliged to treat seriously all child welfare and child protection concerns whatever their source. Once a child protection referral is received and screened by the HSE, a decision will be taken as to whether an initial assessment is required. Following initial assessment decisions will be made on the type of intervention required, including drawing up a child protection plan and family support interventions, as well as decisions regarding supervision orders or whether a child may need to be taken into care for a short term or longer period. The child protection plan will have identified the key risk factors in the case such as the risk itself; how it will be reduced, including specific actions; and how the agencies working with the family will measure the reduced risk within a specific time-scale. A supervision order is sought from the courts if the family does not co-operate with the child protection plan.
As part of the reform process within children and family services, the development of the local area pathway approach is an important new tool. This approach is about the creation of a collaborative network of community, voluntary and statutory providers so as to improve access to support services for children and their families and the operation of a case co-ordination process for families with additional need who require multi-agency intervention but who do not meet the threshold for referral to social work after screening at intake. In addition to the identification of needs process in Sligo-Leitrim and the Limerick identification needs process, a number of areas in the country are advancing their implementation of the local area pathway model, including. Waterford and Carlow-Kilkenny.
The above initiatives are illustrative of the substantial programme of work underway to increase the effectiveness of our child protection services in meeting growing demand due to demographic and societal factors.
I thank the Minister for her reply. If the moratorium does not apply to social work posts, why are there so many vacancies and why are vacancies created by maternity leave not being filled? The reason is probably that local health managers are deciding not to recruit in order to keep budgets down. I am aware that physiotherapists are also exempt from the moratorium but local management in County Donegal have decided not to recruit for these positions in order to keep costs down. It is a serious matter given that more than 4,000 children are waiting three months or more for their cases to be dealt with and for social workers to be assigned. The Irish Association of Social Workers suggests that 2,900 social workers are required to deal with current caseloads. It is vital that these positions are recruited because although the service is prioritising cases and arguing that the children who are waiting longer are not high risk, these are the very children who might benefit from early intervention. We run the danger of children being kept in dangerous situations because they are deemed not to be a priority even though early intervention could save them from harm.
I acknowledge the Deputy's point. The age and gender profile of social workers mean that their numbers are constantly in flux. Recruitment is ongoing, however. The Deputy asked a valid question about maternity leave given that the workforce is young and largely female. One area in County Kildare recently had nine vacancies because of maternity leave. This issue probably also arises in other areas. I have asked that a panel be created in order to fill those positions on a temporary basis. Clearly that will have implications for other sectors, however, and I have entered discussions to determine whether the posts can be filled more rapidly. The vacancies puts considerable pressures on teams. Studies on the problem of retaining social workers have been carried out all over Europe. I recently attended a launch of one such study in UCD.
Very often we find inexperienced social workers working on the front line. To answer the question, it is not simply about filling vacancies, although that is extremely important. We have a complement which includes the 170 extra posts that were filled in line with the Ryan report. There has not been a delay and it has been done over the past two years. We have an ongoing issue with retention of staff. It is not just about the vacancies; it is about supporting staff and working with voluntary organisations. Much work is going on, and in reply to a later question I will discuss the work being done to train social workers, give them more support and have better management. The HIQA reports highlight other areas that need attention.
The difficulty with the retention of social workers probably equates to the workload they have and the fact that the teams are so badly understaffed. Last year when the children's referendum was passed, the Minister stated that it was the start of a process and that we would show through our actions in the coming years how committed we were to the change that had taken place. We must deal with the issue of recruitment and ensure vulnerable children are protected. The recruitment process must ensure demands are met. The Minister must press on very urgently to ensure these demands can be met and fight for and obtain the extra numbers required.
There is a question about case work management which must be answered, and that is how many high-risk cases can be carried by any one social worker in a team. A review of the social work caseload is under way which involves management and staff union input. I eagerly await the results to see precisely what is being stated about the caseloads Irish social workers carry, whether it is a question of extra resources or more social workers, and what are the best ways to handle the demands being made on them.
This morning I attended the children services committees' day-long networking event. The development of the children services committees in every county, including Donegal, is very important in co-ordinating and managing resources at county level so that child protection and family support is not just left to child and family support services but there is integration and other services are involved. If a case is not allocated within a social worker team it does not mean the family does not receive a social work service from other organisations such as family support and family resource centres.
Adoption Legislation
Robert Troy
Question:4. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to amend adoption legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38914/13]
The Adoption Act 2010, which entered into force on 1 November 2010, gives force of law to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The Act was written against the backdrop of the Hague Convention and a commitment to improving standards as outlined in the convention. The Hague principles of subsidiary, support for birth families, free and informed consent for birth parents, and international adoption as a resource for the permanent care of children, are a means for improving standards in inter-country adoption and mitigating against some of the risks.
There are two existing legislative commitments in the adoption area. The adoption (amendment) Bill, which is to be progressed on foot of the children’s referendum, proposes to address the adoption of children of marriage. The second piece of adoption legislation which is being prepared is the adoption (tracing and information) Bill. As I have stated previously, complex issues arise. Recently I received the extra piece of legal advice for which I had asked the Attorney General, and it is my intention to bring the heads of the Bill before the Government at the earliest possible date to seek approval to refer the legislation to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children for discussion. Yesterday I met individuals and organisations representing people who have been adopted, and I told them that referring the Bill to the committee for a full discussion would be very useful. I expect many of the organisations will give evidence to the committee.
The Adoption Act 2010 has been in operation for three years since it was brought in by the former Minister of State, Barry Andrews. This is not a very long time but it is complex legislation and some issues have arisen. It is timely to consider a review of some of the policy matters that arose in the Act.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
Issues that I believe should be addressed in such a review include step-parent adoption; the rights of birth mothers and also birth fathers; issues relating to the right to an assessment; the age limit of prospective adoptive parents; the tenure of declarations of eligibility and suitability; issues relating to the habitual residence of applicants; the possibility of introducing open adoption; and various operational matters such as the composition of the Adoption Authority of Ireland. I accept that many of these issues raise significant legal and policy questions which would need to be resolved not just within the Adoption Act but also within the broader framework of family law relating to parentage and guardianship. In this regard, I am also actively working with my Government colleagues, including the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, to actively examine how legislative changes can be made in this broad area.
Since taking office I have made improvements to the operation of the adoption process without the need to amend legislation following consultation with the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the Health Service Executive. In particular, I have streamlined the assessment process for those seeking to transfer from declarations of eligibility and suitability to adopt which are due to expire before 31 October 2013. Furthermore, I have moved to address the issue of the sustainability and funding of accredited bodies. In this matter, interim funding has been provided to specific bodies and I am seeking agreement from these agencies on a pathway to securing a sustainable model for accredited bodies in the future.
Comments made by the Minister during the summer raised concerns. This is a very sensitive policy area and at every stage we must ensure the best interests of the child are front and centre. I understand this was behind the original legislation in 2010 and I have no reason to believe it is not the intention of the Minister. Has the Minister had an opportunity to read an article on her comments in the Irish Examiner by Nigel Cantwell? I ask her for her thoughts on the issue. What concerns does she have with regard to bilateral agreements with countries that have not signed up to the Hague Convention?
The Minister mentioned the adoption (tracing and information) Bill. A person has a basic right to his or her identity and this legislation is long overdue. I would appreciate it if the Minister gave a more definite timeframe with regard to when it will come before the Oireachtas.
With regard to the Adoption Act, a predicament is facing a number of families with regard to Russian adoption and I am sure the Minister is well aware of it. Many families have contacted all Members of the House. The Minister could, today, remove the concern of all of these families by simply amending section 41(1) of the 2010 Adoption Act to enable any couple with referral to proceed to have their adoption finalised. It would solve the problem for four or five families. Has the Minister examined this possibility?
My understanding is that when the former Minister of State, Barry Andrews, introduced the legislation in 2010 we became the only country in the world to introduce adoption legislation stating that in order to continue adoptions in non-Hague countries a bilateral agreement would be required. This is my concern and it requires investigation. I have read the article to which Deputy Troy referred and I believe it was a misunderstanding. There is no question of not applying Hague standards. Hague standards are the gold standard on adoption. Far too many informal adoptions and private adoptions have taken place and we have seen the problems to which they have led. These, along with illegal registration, cause huge personal trauma. The question of having to negotiate bilateral agreements is extremely complex. We have gone from a less restrictive international adoption regime in Ireland to one that is extremely restrictive. This is the point I made. It is not that I want to depart in any way from Hague standards, but it is interesting that we are the only country that demands the negotiation of bilateral agreements for inter-country adoption to take place. Such agreements are very complex. Many countries that have signed up to the Hague Convention continue to allow adoptions in countries with which they do not have bilateral agreements. This is simply the point. I want to maintain Hague standards and I want to make that very clear.
With regard to the particular cases to which Deputy Troy referred, another question has been tabled on this.
There is a paradox. On the one hand, we are signing up to a treaty designed to protect children's rights and their best interests, but on the other hand we are looking to countries which, for whatever reason, have not agreed to be bound by these rules. Bilateral agreements were initiated to ensure proper procedures were put in place with countries that had, for whatever reasons, not signed up to the Hague Convention. I do not for one minute doubt the Minister's sincerity in this area, but it has raised very serious concerns. She cited the fact that bilateral agreements are complex as a reason for moving away from them. Does the Department or the Adoption Authority of Ireland wish to move away from them?
This seems to be an aspiration of the Minister. Why has she chosen to move from this area? Can she alleviate the fears and concerns that are out there in this regard?
I must point out the paradox in the Deputy's question in that he is asking me to deal with particular cases in regard to a country with which we do not have a bilateral agreement and which is a non-Hague country, namely, Russia. At the same time, the Deputy is questioning why I might want to examine the implications of bilaterals.
First, there is no question of moving away from the Hague standards. Second, the Deputy asked what are the other areas in regard to the 2010 legislation. This is one part on which I commented but many other areas are just as critical, such as dealing with step-parent adoption, which has thrown up many anomalies in this country, the rights of birth mothers and birth fathers, issues relating to the right to an assessment, the age limit of prospective adoption parents, the ten years of declaration of eligibility and suitability, and issues relating to the habitual residence of applicants.
As the Deputy said, adoption is a very complex area and this is the range of issues which have been brought to my attention. I did not say I was going to change the section in regard to bilaterals. I merely raised the point that we are the only country that has this in our legislation and it is extremely restrictive because, for example, I am currently trying to negotiate with Russia and there are constitutional issues which arise in regard to some of the demands the Russians are making of us concerning post-placement reports. I am merely highlighting that these are the countries Irish parents adopted from for so long, and the Deputy is making representations today about a non-Hague country - Russia. I am simply pointing out the difficulties.
Youth Services Funding
Maureen O'Sullivan
Question:5. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will outline the cuts in the previous budgets to youth services; if her attention has been drawn to the impact of these cuts on the youth communities where these services are based; and the way she intends to prevent further cuts in budget 2014. [38915/13]
My Department provides a range of funding schemes and supports to the youth sector. In 2013 funding of some €53.5 million has been made available for these schemes. This funding will support youth work programmes and youth services serving some 400,000 young people, delivered by over 1,400 youth work personnel, who in turn support a large volunteer base of some 40,000 individuals.
The Deputy is aware that my Department, along with all other Departments, has been required to achieve significant savings on schemes and services in line with the reductions set out in the comprehensive review of expenditure, in line with which there was a cumulative reduction of €7.5 million over the course of the subsequent two budgets.
Obviously, in looking at the determination process for youth allocations, I have sought that the front-line services are protected as much as is possible, particularly services for vulnerable young people. We have asked the bigger organisations to consider the scope for reducing administration costs and overheads. I have also asked the youth sector to co-operate and work together to ensure they can deliver services in local areas so there is no overlap, if at all possible, and we can maintain front-line services for young people.
It should be noted that, under the comprehensive review of expenditure, there has been no cut to the voluntary youth clubs. This funding plays an important role in supporting volunteer-led youth groups and in promoting and leveraging valuable voluntary activity in youth work. In addition, €1.5 million is being provided in 2013 for youth cafes and youth projects. Earlier this year, I outlined the new capital funding scheme for youth cafes and over 90 applications were received by the Department. This shows the demand for these very good initiatives for young people at local level, which the young people themselves suggested were needed in their areas. We are currently reviewing those applications.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
Officials of my Department have recently met with representatives of all the national organisations that are funded under the youth service grant scheme to share information and to hear from the organisations about the impact of the reductions in funding on the services that they provide. In addition, I have met with, and continue to meet with, many youth projects and organisations from around the country to try and see how we can work together to ensure the most effective use of the public funding invested in youth services. Only this week I attended a meeting of the National Youth Work Advisory Committee in County Wexford, which was attended by senior representatives of the National Council of Ireland and national youth work organisations.
Finally, my Department is also undertaking a value for money and policy review of youth funding and the findings of this report will inform the future development of youth programmes and services.
I thank the Minister but the reality on the ground is very different from what she has outlined in her reply. I want to focus on the youth clubs and youth projects in the inner city. We know the statistics. There are areas with over 60% of parents being lone parents and pockets with 40% unemployed. We know of the serious misuse and abuse of alcohol and drugs and of areas of really serious deprivation. There are areas where there is disposable income for after-school activities but that is not the reality for young people and teenagers in some of these inner city areas.
In July, I attended an event organised by the youth projects, where the young people themselves spoke. There was a great quote from one of the young people: "In an area where young people might not have had many opportunities to achieve and shine, this club celebrates their achievements, holds their proud moments and keeps alive the memory of what they have done and what is yet to be achieved, big or small". They are providing the services for early school leavers, for those in schools, for young parents and particularly for those in crisis situations. The reality is that the cuts have seen programmes having to close, a reduction in contact hours with young people and the loss of innovative programmes, not to mention the 22% salary cut for some of the youth workers. I accept what the Minister is saying but the reality is very different.
I suppose that if the Deputy asked any Minister in this House about the budgetary situation over the past few years, he or she would have to agree there has been an impact because of the overall financial situation we face. We are prioritising managing the public finances, improving our rates of growth and dealing with unemployment because that is what will make a difference in the overall context.
Of course, there has been some impact on youth services, where there have been reductions. However, to take the Deputy's own area as an example, in 2013 some €2,175,079 has been invested in services, ranging from the East Wall-North Port Youth Development Group, which is getting €115,000; Bradóg Regional Youth Service, which is getting €419,538; the Stoneybatter Youth Service group, which is getting €423,134; the adventure sports project, which is getting €129,000; and Cappagh for Youth, which is getting €103,000 - all amounting, as I said, to over €2 million.
I take the point that if there is any cutback at all in those services, there is an impact. However, we are trying to protect the front line. In the forthcoming budget, I will certainly be doing everything to ensure youth services are protected because I recognise, as the Deputy said, the contribution made by youth work, particularly in disadvantaged areas. Youth workers are doing a wonderful job and there are superb initiatives all over the country. I would like to support them as much as possible but it is dependent on the overall budgetary situation.
The youth clubs and youth projects are very significant preventative measures. The Minister spoke earlier about Oberstown. We know there is a disproportionate number of young people and older people from areas such as Dublin 1, 3 and 7 going into Oberstown, Mountjoy and St. Patrick's. These youth clubs and youth projects are doing great work to prevent that. When the young people's facilities and services fund was set up back in 1999, I chaired the group for the north inner city so I know the projects the Minister has mentioned and I know the difference this funding made. I am just wondering about the current position.
Another part of this was the small grants fund. While it was small, it had a very good impact for those projects that were in need of just a small amount of money to run or develop a programme or for somebody in a crisis situation. I would love to see that small grants fund coming back in, if the Minister could find the money for it.
Perhaps the Deputy will correspond with me further on that suggestion about the small grants fund. If there are particular services she feels are being unduly affected, perhaps she would bring those to my attention and I would be very happy to examine that. We are genuinely trying to protect front-line services as much as possible.