Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 July 2015
5. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the spend for Túsla-Child and Family Agency in 2014; if there will be increased investment for the coming year; and his views on whether Túsla-Child and Family Agency is in need of a reassessment and review of how funds are currently being allocated to it. [27367/15]
View answerMy question concerns the funding of Tusla. What was the total spend for Tusla last year? Will there be an increase in investment for the coming year? Does the Minister agree that the Child and Family Agency is in need of reassessment and a review of how funds are currently being allocated to it?
The Government is delivering the most comprehensive reform of policy and provision for children, young people and families in the history of the State and our commitment to continuing that work remains very strong. Tusla's accounts for 2014 show total expenditure of €627 million. In accordance with the establishing legislation for the agency, I will be laying its full 2014 accounts before both Houses of the Oireachtas over the coming weeks.
In 2015, Tusla has a total budget of €643 million, which accounts for 63% of the Department's total Vote allocation and includes €631 million in current funding and €12 million in capital. This represents an increase of €34 million and is a 5.6% increase on the allocation to Tusla's in budget 2014. This funding increase demonstrates that, despite the budgetary constraints, the Government remains strongly committed to delivering the critically important support and reforms needed to support Ireland’s children and families. This additional funding is helping drive key priorities in the reform of services and assists Tusla to deliver on its mandate from Government.
Like all State agencies, Tusla has reviewed the scope to make savings across various areas of expenditure and to ensure that services are developed where possible. It has identified areas where resources need to be provided and it has also identified areas where available funding can be used to better effect to support service delivery. The key focus has been on ensuring that services are streamlined and rationalised where necessary, with any overlap in service provision and duplication of costs eliminated. I have specified to Tusla that it should do everything to defend front-line services to children. I am very supportive of the approach Tusla is adopting in terms of the reform of services, the targeting of funding at front-line services and the work being done in developing a new approach to the commissioning of services.
I put it to the Minister that the Taoiseach was incorrect when he stated recently during Leaders' Questions that Tusla was well funded. Our recent crisis in child protection, the lack of social workers and misappropriation of case files all point to a system that is not adequately funded. If so, there are serious flaws in the system. Changes in our child protection regime will take time and will require resources. All children stakeholders and many of those working with children today will attest to an acute lack of resources for social work, mental health and family support and early intervention services for children in this State. As stated recently by the ISPCC, the lack of a countrywide, funded, 24-hour social work service is a national scandal. Does the Minister believe it is acceptable that a child presenting with urgent child protection needs on a Friday afternoon will, in the vast majority of cases, have to wait three nights to have his or her case passed to a social worker, as outlined by the ISPCC?
I will finish what I was saying in my opening statement. Officials in my Department are working closely with the board and senior management of the agency to ensure the continued provision, within the significant resource provided, of high quality and responsive services to vulnerable children and families. A key component of this engagement is associated with the 2016 Estimates process and it is to determine the resources required to ensure the agency can continue to provide and develop the important supports and services to children and young people.
I take issue with the Deputy if she believes what happened in Laois-Offaly is purely a resource issue. It certainly is not. A number of issues have been identified there concerning how protocols were followed and the lack of uniformity in how reporting is carried out through the ranks. There is no question or doubt but that there is further support required for social workers in terms of staffing levels, staff supports and IT. All these matters are being addressed through a business case by Tusla, which will report shortly.
On the issue itself, the chief operating officer, Mr. McBride, has taken personal control of the matter and was in the area regularly to offer support. He brought in a team to address the backlog. A similar operation has taken place in Louth and Meath.
The ISPCC childhood support staff have reported that children as young as nine are using drugs in some areas. These are children in acute need. The ISPCC reports that in some parts of the country, a child in need must wait 18 months to see a psychologist. This is not a picture of a well-resourced child protection and child welfare regime.
Despite the resource constraints, Tusla has begun preparations for the Children First law but the professionals working with children, including my colleagues in the ISPCC, are more than a little frustrated over the lack of momentum in the Dáil. I refer again to my points made during my priority question alluding to the Children First Bill. There is concern that the Bill will be passed but not enacted for some time due to the lack of resources being allocated to Tusla. We believe Tusla should be sufficiently supported to cope with current demands and the extra workload likely to arise with the passing of the Bill. Can the Minister guarantee sufficient resources will be provided?
To ensure that people are very clear, notwithstanding statements made here and by the ISPCC, I must state all cases involving immediate risk are dealt with immediately. They would not be left over the weekend. If a child is at serious risk, the matter is dealt with. If a teacher is worried about a child in the morning, a social worker will have arrived by the afternoon. That is not to say there are not problems in the system and in respect of other priority cases at different levels of priority. It is not to say there are not substantial numbers of children who have an unallocated social worker. While Tusla is recruiting aggressively, this still remains an issue. It is for the Estimates process to deal with this problem by having a proper business plan put together to help us address it. Tusla received increased funding, as I pointed out in my initial answer, but there is no doubt that further resources will be required. There is a real need for the reorganisation of some of our services, as previous questions indicated, so we will be able to spend the money in the places where we can get the outcomes we need and so we will look after those most at risk in the first instance. However, I must remind the House that I am the Minister for all children and all youth affairs and that there is a broad remit involved, with many needs to be met and priorities to be recognised.
