Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 November 2012
569. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of new social workers that have been appointed since she has taken office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49580/12]
View answerThe HSE compiles a monthly census of employment in the public health and social care sector. Figures supplied by the HSE indicate that the number of whole-time- equivalent (WTE) social workers employed in the Children and Families Service area of the HSE was 1,300 at the end of July 2012. The number of social workers employed in the Children and Families Service area at the end of February 2011 was 1231. This represents an increase of 69 whole-time-equivalent (WTE) social workers since the end of February 2011. The total number of individual social workers employed in child and family services has increased by 86 in the same period.
The HSE has made considerable progress over recent years in recruiting additional social workers, with 260 social workers recruited under the Ryan Implementation Plan at end 2011. A further 10 social work posts are currently at various stages of recruitment, with four already in position.
The National Director of Children and Family Services, Gordon Jeyes, will continue to apply his discretion to the filling of social work vacancies, taking account of identified need and subject to services being delivered within available resources.
It is important to emphasise that work is ongoing within the HSE on the disaggregation of the Children and Families resource base from the HSE as part of the process of establishing the new Child and Family Support Agency next year. Consequently the number of social workers assigned to the Children and Families Service area will continue to be subject to change as the mapping/classification of posts into care groups is further refined between now and year end.
