The Child and Family Agency was established on 1 January, 2014. It involved bringing together nearly 4,000 staff from three separate organisations, the Health Service Executive, the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board. The establishment of the new Agency with a budget of over €600m represents one of the most ambitious and far reaching public sector reforms undertaken by the Government. The Agency, in discharging its functions, is placing a strong emphasis on prevention, early intervention, family support, therapeutic and care interventions, all of which are key to the provision of integrated, multi-disciplinary services for vulnerable children and families.
Psychology services for children are currently being provided by the HSE. The Agency and the HSE have in place both a Memorandum of Understanding and a Joint Protocol for inter-agency collaboration which underpins the provision of these services for children. The purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding is to set out the partnership agreement between the HSE and the Agency to continue pre-establishment levels of service across both organisations. The objective of the Joint Protocol is to specify a pathway and associated responsibilities for children and families whose needs cross between Health Service Divisions and the Agency.
Both the Memorandum of Understanding and the Joint Protocol are subject to regular monitoring and review to ensure that they are working effectively in the best interests of children and families. Additionally, the Agency and the HSE are working to finalise a service level agreement to underpin the provision of psychological services by the HSE which will assist the Agency in fulfilling its statutory obligations. The service level agreement with the HSE will determine the quantum of service needed to meet the Agency's requirements and will be an interim arrangement pending the Agency providing the service directly.
Clinical psychology services are directly provided by the Child and Family Agency within multi-disciplinary teams deployed by the Assessment, Consultation and Therapy Service (ACTS). Services provided include assessment and focused interventions for children and young people with complex clinical needs and high risk behaviours. They also provide support to other professionals in order to guide interventions to children and families.
