Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 July 2012
60 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the details of evaluation that will take place of the two pilot projects providing out of hours social work assistance to children; and the timeframe during which this will take place. [33331/12]
View answerTwo out-of-hours pilot projects, one in Donegal and the other in Cork, were commenced by the HSE in 2011. The Donegal project started mid-year and the Cork project started in the third quarter. Both projects were internally evaluated by the HSE, which then commissioned an independent external assessment, undertaken by Trinity College Dublin. This external assessment has been completed and is now being examined by the HSE. The outcome of this assessment process will inform further decisions in the coming months on progression to a national out of hours service model. Clearly whatever model emerges will need to address the challenges of varying demographic demands in both rural and urban settings.
What is important is that children in crisis, no matter where they are, have access to 24 hour social work assistance, and this is what the HSE's National Director for Children and Family Services and I are working towards. It should be noted that at present the Health Service Executive provides out-of-hours emergency services for children at risk in the greater Dublin area through the Crisis Intervention Service, and outside the greater Dublin area through the Emergency Place of Safety Service.
The Crisis Intervention Service provides out-of-hours emergency social work assistance to young people aged under 18 years. The service operates across the greater Dublin area (Counties Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow). Referrals are made by service providers outside of normal working hours i.e. Gardai, hospital and ambulance service personnel. Outside the greater Dublin area, the HSE operates an Emergency Place of Safety Service whereby Gardai can access an emergency placement for children found to be at risk out-of-hours. This service involves the placement of a child in a family setting until the next working day, when the local social work service assumes responsibility for the case. As part of this service Gardai have access to advice and information from a non-HSE social work off-site resource which is provided on a contract basis.
