Written Answers Nos. 11-18
11. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she has engaged with the Department of Social Protection on the effect that cutbacks in community employment schemes are having on the community childcare sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40671/12]
View answerThe purpose of the Community Employment (CE) schemes is to help people back to work by offering part-time placements in jobs based in local communities. CE participants should have a learning plan to identify their development needs, their posts should be supernumerary and they should work under supervision.
Private providers may not participate in CE schemes. The CE schemes operate only in community creches, some of which cater for particularly disadvantaged children. It is therefore essential that these creches employ suitable staff with the capacity to develop skills that will help them support the children in their care. At the same time, I recognise the importance of ensuring that CE staff receive the training and support they need to follow a career path in childcare.
Up to this year, CE workers could continue to claim their previous benefit while being paid to be on the Scheme. In Budget 2012, and as part of the overall move to standardise welfare payments, a decision was made that workers on a CE scheme would get a single payment.
A number of issues have arisen in relation to the Community Employment Scheme which are under discussion between my Department and the Department of Social Protection.
My priority focus is on ensuring that the interests of children are kept to the forefront and that a focus is maintained on the suitability of CE applicants to work with children.
In July following some discussions with County & City Childcare Committees, my Department commenced a new phase of engagement with the Department of Social Protection to seek to reform the Childcare CE Scheme with a view to improving the quality of care in community crèches and to providing a proper career structure that would benefit the participants. Work is ongoing in this regard.
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) recently discussed this issue with my Department and the Department of Social Protection. A positive meeting was held covering a range of areas and both Departments updated ICTU on the consideration being given to employment and training of CE workers within the childcare sector.
12. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on a report published by the Irish Refugee Council on 18 September 2012 which catalogues over ten years of enforced child poverty, malnutrition and social exclusion caused by the system of direct provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40660/12]
View answer35. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will ensure that a creche at a centre (details supplied), Dublin, receives the funding it needs in order that the residential treatment centre for women and children will remain open. [40662/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 35 together.
The centre referred to provides services to persons with alcohol and drug problem. Issues relating to funding of alcohol and drug services provided by this centre are a matter for the Department of Health.
My Department provides funding for the provision of early childhood care and education through three support programmes - the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme and the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme. The funding provided under all three programmes is targeted directly at parents who satisfy the qualifying criteria for the particular programme. There is no other funding available to my Department to support pre-school services over and above that provided under these programmes. The creche that is attached to the drugs and alcohol centre only applied to become part of the ECCE Programme for the first time for the year 2012-13. The Centre is in contract with my Department to provide childcare places under the CETS programmes.
The Deputy might note that in addition to these funding programmes my Department also administers the application based National Lottery Funding Scheme under which grants are made available to support groups and organisations with an involvement in the provision of supports and services for children and young people. Full particulars of the funding scheme, which has an overall resource allocation of just €500,000 this year, are available on my Department's website - www.dcya.gov.ie
I understand that the Centre may be considering the submission of an application to my Department for funding from this Scheme and in this regard it might be noted that the closing date for the submission of completed applications is Friday, 28th September 2012.
13. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will outline her views on expanding the role of the Ombudsman for Children as per the recommendations of the Ombudsman contained in her report of March, 2012. [40714/12]
View answerThe Ombudsman for Children produced a report in March this year entitled ‘A Report by the Ombudsman for Children on the operation of the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002’. This was in accordance with her role under Section 7 of the 2002 Act to review the operation of the legislation and she laid the report before the Houses of the Oireachtas in accordance with Section 13 of the Act.
This report contains a number of recommendations on a range of topics, some particular to specific sectors, including Justice and Education, and others with wider implications. One of the recommendations was to extend the remit of the Ombudsman for Children to complaints in respect of boys detained in St. Patrick's Institution. Having consulted with Minister Shatter in this regard, I made an Order by Statutory Instrument No. 210 of 2012 with effect from 1st July 2012 that removed this exclusion. In relation to other recommendations I wrote to a number of my Ministerial colleagues in July seeking their preliminary views on the recommendations which impact on their respective Departments.
In parallel with these developments my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr. Brendan Howlin, is reactivating the Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008. While this Bill relates in the main to the Office of the Ombudsman, rather than the Ombudsman for Children, there are common issues being addressed which have potential applicability to the Ombudsman for Children. Accordingly, my officials have engaged constructively with their colleagues in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and other Departments and with the Ombudsman for Children's office to consider the changes being proposed in the Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill 2008 and their applicability to the comparable provisions of the Ombudsman for Children Act 2002.
I understand that Minister Howlin will be advancing his proposals for Committee Stage amendments to the 2008 Bill shortly. I do not want to anticipate the parliamentary process in relation to Minister Howlin's Bill but I am confident that these proposals will address certain recommendations contained in the Report of March 2012 relating to the remit of the Ombudsman for Children.
I will consider the remaining recommendations of Ms. Logan's Report in consultation with my colleagues in Government and bring forward proposals for legislation, if appropriate, in due course.
14. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she has received the outline for a national model for an integrated out of hours social care service for young persons from the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40683/12]
View answerAs part of the ongoing ‘change agenda’ in Child and Family services I am committed to developing the capacity of our child protection services to appropriately and effectively address the needs of children who present in emergency situations outside of normal working hours.
Two 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 examined by the HSE which is now developing a national out of hours service model. The HSE has also commenced negotiations with the unions involved.
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. Clearly whatever model emerges will need to address the challenges of varying demographic demands in both rural and urban settings. I have discussed this issue with Gordon Jeyes, National Director for Children and Family Services in the HSE and I expect the HSE to bring forward an implementation plan for the roll out of a national service model, later this year, for implementation by the new Child and Family Support Agency.
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.
The Emergency Place of Safety Service, operates outside the greater Dublin area, 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.
15. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when she expects to receive the next report from the Ryan Report Implementation Group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40685/12]
View answerThe Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (the Ryan Report) was published in May 2009. The Report served to highlight the need to strengthen the organisation and delivery of child welfare and protection services nationally.
Following the publication of the Report a detailed Implementation Plan was prepared and published in July 2009. The Plan sets out a series of 99 actions designed to address the effects of past abuse, reform and strengthen service provision and ensure that children and young people have a stronger voice.
Implementation of the Plan is being overseen by a high level group which I personally chair. The group includes representatives from my Department, the HSE, HIQA, the Irish Youth Justice Service (IYJS), the Department of Education and Skills and An Garda Síochána. I also invited the Children’s Rights Alliance to join the group. The next meeting of the high level group is scheduled on 15th October to consider the third annual progress report, which I hope to present to Government and the Oireachtas shortly thereafter.
16. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the preparations being made by her and her Department for the EU presidency with a particular focus on youth affairs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40736/12]
View answerThe substantive area of my Department’s involvement in the EU Presidency relates to youth policy and the EU Youth Council which forms part of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport (EYCS) Council of Ministers configuration. Preparations for Ireland’s Presidency programme are well in hand.
We are working closely with our trio Presidency partners - Lithuania and Greece- and the EU Commission to coordinate our respective national policy priorities for youth under the broad headline theme of ‘Social Inclusion’. This theme will inform the work of the Youth Council over the 18 months period commencing with the Irish Presidency in 2013.
My aim is to ensure that Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of Ministers with responsibility for Youth Affairs is relevant and responsive to current issues affecting young people in the EU and that our Presidency makes a substantial contribution to the development of both national and EU youth policy for the coming years.
Ireland’s priority for our Presidency term will focus on the contribution of quality youth work to young people’s development and wellbeing.
I consider that youth work has a particular relevance and potential when it comes to seeking to support those young people, who may not be in formalised education, in employment or training, the so-called NEET cohort. This group of young people is a significant concern across all Member States.
Our national priority will be to build on Ireland’s work in the area of quality standards, via the National Quality Standards Framework for youth work and the Standards for Local Volunteer-led Youth Groups, developed by my Department. This work programme is well regarded by European institutions and member states. The Irish Presidency provides an important opportunity for Ireland to share its knowledge and learning in this area.
The flagship event of Ireland’s Youth Presidency will be the EU Youth Conference which I will host in Dublin in March 2013. It is anticipated that over 220 participants, young people together with senior officials from all Members States and the EU institutions will participate in the event. I will bring the findings and recommendations of the youth conference to the Council of Youth Ministers in May 2013.
Our Presidency will also provide an opportunity to respond to the recently published joint Council/Commission report the EU Youth Strategy (2010 to 2018) which calls for a greater youth policy focus on achieving the objective of the Europe 2020 growth agenda, including in relation to youth employment. This report will be considered at the upcoming Council of Youth Minister’s meeting in November 2012, which I will attend. As part of Ireland's Presidency I plan to host a high-level roundtable event in Dublin which will explore youth work’s contribution to achieving the goals of Europe 2020, including issues relating to youth employment.
17. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her policy on children’s bereavement support provision; if support will be provided for the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40495/12]
View answerThe Family Support Agency provides funding to voluntary and community organisations providing marriage, relationship, child and bereavement counselling services. Some 600 organisations are funded each year. These services aim to support people to deal with difficulties they are experiencing in their relationships, to help children whose lives have been affected by parental separation and to support families who have experienced the death of a family member. Over 20,000, individual counselling sessions were delivered within Family Resource Centres in 2010.
In 2011, the Family Support Agency, which is under the remit of my Department, provided €10,000 to fund a scoping study on the feasibility and necessity of a bereavement network. I subsequently launched the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network in July 2012. The Network is a hub for those working with bereaved children, young people and their families, which improves access to bereavement information, allow for the sharing of expertise, knowledge and experience, and improve the range and quality of bereavement support available to children, young people, and crucially, those caring for them. In this respect it is very welcome. The Network is being hosted for an initial period by the Irish Hospice Foundation. It will be the subject of an interim review after 2 years and an evaluation after 5 years.
The Network is in the early stages of development and is currently inviting members, with a target of seventy members set for the first year. I am advised by the Family Support Agency that it provides funding to many of the members of the Network, and that any collaboration which improves efficiencies is to be welcomed .
18. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children who received out-of-hours emergency care services through the Crisis Intervention Service each month since its establishment; the county in which they normally reside; the type and location of care placement that was found for them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40719/12]
View answerAs part of the ongoing ‘change agenda’ in Child and Family services I am committed to developing the capacity of our child protection services to appropriately and effectively address the needs of children who present in emergency situations outside of normal working hours.
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. The service was established in 1992 and originally responded to young people between the ages of 12 and 18 years. Since 2005 the CIS was expanded to include all children up to the age of 18 years.
The remit of the Crisis Intervention Service is to respond to crisis situations whereby a child or young person requires immediate placement, either due to child protection concerns, where there is a breakdown in family relationships, placement breakdowns or due to accommodation issues. CIS aims to prevent children or young people from having to access emergency care unnecessarily. Where it is appropriate, CIS tries to place children or young people with alternative family members or friends or mediate between children/young people and parents where there is a breakdown in family relations. The Crisis Intervention Service put a significant amount of effort into ensuring that placing a child or young person within emergency residential units or foster care is a last resort.
Referrals are received to the Crisis Intervention Service by telephone from service providers working at night, for example An Garda Siochana, Hospitals, Ambulance Services. Referrals are accepted in relation to: concerns regarding the immediate welfare of children; young people in crisis seeking emergency accommodation; young people who are identified by the Garda National Immigration Bureau as separated children seeking asylum.
All details of contacts with children are passed to the local social work team by the start of the working day. The local social work team are the case managers and will follow up on any further assessments or interventions necessary.
The precise information requested by the Deputy is not routinely collected by the HSE. However during 2011, the total number of children who were accommodated in CIS emergency placements was 288. During the 1st and 2nd quarter of 2012, a total of 141 children/young people were referred to the CIS for emergency accommodation.
