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Child and Family Support Agency Remit

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 December 2012

Tuesday, 18 December 2012

Questions (578)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

578. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs based on the experiences of her Department over the past year and a half, the extent to which she has identified the most issues affecting children and youth; her plans to address these matters in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57036/12]

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Written answers

My Department was set up to drive the delivery of key commitments in relation to children and young people. The Department was established in June 2011 with a mandate to put in place a unified framework of policy, legislation and provision across Government in respect of children and young people.

Following on from the work done to date I will continue my work to implement the relevant Programme for Government commitments including:-

- The establishment of a Child and Family Support Agency on a statutory basis in order to fundamentally reform the delivery of family support, child welfare and protection services and remove responsibility for these from the Health Service Executive (HSE).

- Implementing the recommendations of the Ryan Report, including the inspection of child protection services and putting Children First: National Guidance on a statutory footing.

- Maintaining the free Pre-School Year in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and improving its quality as resources allow.

- Enacting legislation to consolidate and reform the law on adoption.

- To adopt a new area based approach to child poverty, which draws on best international practice and existing services to tackle every aspect of child poverty.

- Continued progress on ending the practice of sending children to St. Patrick’s Institution through the project to develop new children detention facilities at Oberstown, Lusk, Co. Dublin.

In addition, a new Children and Young People’s Policy Framework is being developed in a holistic way to comprehend the continuum of the life course from infancy, through early and middle childhood, to adolescence through to early adulthood, in keeping with my Department’s responsibilities for children and young people. It will be the overarching Framework under which policy and services for children and young people will be developed and implemented in the State.

Ireland will assume the Presidency of the European Union in January 2013 and in my role as Chairperson of the EU Youth Council, Ireland’s national priority themes for the Youth Council Presidency will aim to promote understanding of the contribution of quality youth work to young people’s development, well-being and social inclusion and maximise the potential of youth policy and youth services in attaining the goals of Europe 2020, in particular in addressing youth employment.

Subject to finalisation of matters in relation to the constitutional amendment of children a top priority for my Department for 2013 will be to implement the necessary changes to policy and legislation arising from the amendment, both within my own Department and, in consultation with my Cabinet colleagues, across all relevant Government Departments. Finally, the Deputy will be aware that the recent Budget made additional provision for two new initiatives in relation to an area based approach to child poverty and provision for a new school age childcare scheme. My Department will be working on the detailed arrangements to support the roll out of these initiatives next year.

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