Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2015
425. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children in County Wexford who have been assessed as being in need of a social worker and are currently waiting to be allocated or reallocated one; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15588/15]
View answerThe Child and Family Agency, Tusla, collects information on unallocated cases in respect of the Wexford/Waterford administrative area.
As at 31st December, 2014, there were a total of 1,853 open cases in the area, of which 586 cases were awaiting allocation to a social worker, with 161 deemed to be high priority cases.
Where a child does not have an allocated social worker assigned to their case there is a system of oversight by social workers to ensure that any change in the child's circumstances is addressed. It is important to note here that "high priority" should not simply be equated with risk. For instance children in care for less than six months who do not have an allocated social worker but who are in stable placements are included in this category.
Tusla deals immediately with emergency cases, including for instance, a child who has been abandoned or is in immediate physical danger or at immediate risk of sexual abuse. Social work duty teams keep high priority cases under review by regular checking to ascertain risk to the child, and where necessary will reprioritise the case.
As part of Tusla's Business Planning process for 2015, I requested that an Action Plan be developed, setting out the proposed measures to tackle the issue of unallocated cases. Tusla is undertaking a national review of cases awaiting allocation to determine if additional social work posts may be required to meet existing demand and I look forward to the outcome of this review.
There has been a welcome downward trend in the number waiting to be allocated a social worker nationally, including an almost 50% reduction of high priority cases awaiting allocation for less than three months in 2014.
Tusla is also committed to producing a Workforce Development Strategy by the end of Quarter 2 this year. This development presents Tusla with a significant opportunity to continue to improve their service to vulnerable children and families. The Plan will consider issues relating to recruitment, retention, skill mix and turnover.
I look forward to receiving the Action Plan and Strategy and I will support Tusla in their ongoing work to deliver a safe and quality service.
