Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 October 2015
101. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which the welfare of children in State care or in institutions continues to be monitored effectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36772/15]
View answerMy Department receives regular detailed reports on key performance and activity indicators of service provision, including on children in care, from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Officials also meet Tusla management as needed as well as regular meetings on a monthly and quarterly basis. Tusla has internal mechanisms for quality assurance of its services, in addition to the regulatory monitoring requirements, which include regular visits by a social worker to children in care and the inspection of private and voluntary children's residential centres.
My officials use information provided by Tusla to monitor the current status of service provision and the effect as reforms to services take effect. Activity indicators allow for attention to be focussed on areas where further improvement is required. In addition to regular reports, Tusla also provides occasional or special topic reports, as needed, which can then be used for budget and resource planning. It is also the case that Tusla would inform my Department of specific issues where risks are identified and to ensure that effective management responses are put in place.
At the end of July, 2015, there was a total of 6,394 children in care and of those 358 (5.6%) were in residential care. Tusla has responsibility for inspecting all private and voluntary children's residential centres and since the end of September these inspection reports are available on the Tusla website, www.tusla.ie.
In addition to the reporting arrangements with Tusla, my Department also reviews the findings of a number of independent bodies, which are made available in the inspection reports from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), who inspect all statutory children's residential centres and Special Care Units run by the State, as well as Fostering Services and Child Welfare and Protection Services in each area. My Department also receives reports on child deaths and serious incidents from the independently chaired National Review Panel, and reports from the Ombudsman for Children.
