Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 November 2012
600. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason no additional posts under Children and Families 2010 - the Ryan Report - were filled in September 2012; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52372/12]
View answerFigures 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. In advance of the establishment of the new Child and Family Support Agency, work is ongoing regarding the disaggregation of the Children and Families resource base from the HSE. Consequently the number of social workers assigned to the Children and Families Service area will be subject to change as the mapping/classification of posts into care groups is further refined between now and year end.
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 as had been committed to. A further 10 social worker posts which were to be recruited after 2011 are currently at various stages of recruitment, with the first 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.
