Written Answers Nos. 881-900
881. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to provide figures on the percentage of working days lost to Tusla due to sickness absence through certified and uncertified leave in each year since its establishment. [23753/16]
View answerAs this information is not readily available in my Department, I have asked Tusla to reply directly to the Deputy with the information required.
882. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the notice period in advance of the closure of a child care facility which operates the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme that must be given by the child care provider to parents whose children are in the facility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23830/16]
View answerEach childcare provider that operates the ECCE programme must have a Service Agreement with my Department. One of the terms of this Agreement is that the Agreement may be terminated by either party by serving 3 months written notice to the other party. It follows that the childcare provider should inform the parents as soon as is practicable after serving notice to my Department.
Closure of facilities is a normal factor of the administration of the ECCE programme. Childcare providers find it necessary to close or relocate for many reasons. My Department funds 30 City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) to assist both parents and childcare providers in matters relating to childcare such as closures and relocation of facilities. Ordinarily, when notice has been given of a closure, a CCC immediately carries out an assessment of local availability of childcare places in other services in the proximity of the affected services and works with parents to assist them in making alternative childcare arrangements. It is a priority of my Department that all children registered in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) free pre-school year receive their full entitlement during their period of entitlement.
My Department is working with the childcare sector to prepare for the significant expansion to pre-school provision under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme announced in Budget 2016, commencing September 2016. The Department is in the process of rolling out a number of measures to increase the supply of ECCE places across Ireland from that time. This expansion will see the number of children benefitting from the Programme rise from around 67,000 to around 127,000 in a given programme year. From September 2016 both the standard and higher rates of capitation for the ECCE programme will increase by €2 per child, per week; and the rules relating to higher capitation rates will also be reformed to enable more services to benefit from the higher rate.
My Department made detailed information available to the CCCs at the beginning of this year indicating the number of children, by every electoral division across the country, who would be eligible for an ECCE place in September 2016, January 2017 and April 2017. The Department is working closely with the CCCs to match these data against reported capacity in the sector to meet the increase in demand, and to develop action plans for areas where a shortfall in supply may be identified.
883. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the degree to which she expects to be in a position to ensure that children or young adults at risk or deemed to be at risk do not remain in or are not allowed to return to the accommodation where the risk has occurred; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24038/16]
View answerWhere there is an obvious ongoing risk to a child, whether in their family home or in a care placement, the child has to be made safe. That involves either removing the risk or removing the child. The impact of removing a child from their home is a serious one with possible adverse implications for them, and so should only be done where there is no alternative and where it is based on an assessment of the best interests of the child.
In the case of young adults, Tusla works with young people who are in receipt of an aftercare service. Tusla aftercare staff endeavour to guide and advise young adults regarding safety, but they cannot compel a young person. Tusla also works closely with other care providers, including the HSE, in respect of access to primary care services, child and adolescent mental health services, disability and other services.
Children First legislation, enacted but not yet commenced, places an obligation on organisations providing services to children, to identify risks to the protection of children, and to take steps to modify such risks.
884. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which her Department has access to and information on all circumstances in which children have been at risk or continue to be at risk; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24039/16]
View answerMy Department has a range of systems in place to ensure it is informed of risk to children and families. Tusla, within its national office, has a dedicated Quality Assurance Team. This team produces monthly, quarterly and annual reports in respect of Tusla's functions, and includes detailed reporting on key performance indicators on waiting times for cases to be allocated. Tusla also provides me with information on children in care, their placement type, care status and allocation of social workers. Tusla has operational responsibility for individual cases and holds the data for individual cases. My Department does not, nor should it, have access to this information but a requested briefing can be provided where the circumstances warrant it, and on occasion Tusla has alerted the Department on certain issues through the 'Need to Know' notification route.
Each referral received by the Agency is assessed and dealt with on an individual basis by the relevant social work team. Preliminary screening is aimed at establishing the appropriateness of the referral to Tusla services and, if necessary, is followed by an initial assessment of the concern to determine the best course of action for the child and their family. Over half of all referrals received by Tusla are welfare concerns and Tusla's policy is to refer these to relevant family and community support services. At any stage, if a determination is made that there is abuse, whether physical, emotional, sexual or neglect, from which there is an ongoing risk of harm, the child protection pathway is followed. A social worker works with the parent/s to support them to provide safe care for their child. In a minority of cases this may lead to the child being placed on the Child Protection Notification System (CPNS) or the child being received into care. I wish to assure the Deputy that Tusla deals immediately with emergency cases, including for instance, if a child has been abandoned or is in immediate physical danger or at immediate risk of sexual abuse.
As required under Section 8 of the Child Care Act 1991, my Department also receives the annual 'Review of Adequacy' report compiled and published by Tusla, which reviews the adequacy of the child and family services provided by the Agency.
885. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which her Department has the necessary resources to protect children at risk in various institutions, including unaccompanied minor refugees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24040/16]
View answerTusla has been provided with additional funding of €38m in Budget 2016, including additional funding of over €6 million to reduce the number of cases awaiting allocation of a social worker. As part of its Business Plan for this year, Tusla has committed to a number of key targets to achieve by the end of 2016 to reduce the number of cases waiting to be allocated a social worker. It should be noted that unaccompanied minors seeking asylum are treated the same as any other child in care, and are placed in foster and residential care placements. In 2015 there were a total of 82 unaccompanied minors placed in care in Ireland.
Key to reducing the number of cases awaiting allocation to a social worker, and the associated risk, is the recruitment of staff, including additional social workers and support personnel. Tusla has been provided with additional resources to do this. Tusla has set a target to recruit an additional 168 WTE additional social workers this year and the recruitment campaign is now well underway.
Officials in my Department meet with the Tusla senior management team on a monthly basis and review progress in the recruitment and retention of social workers and other key personnel. My Department has already commenced discussions regarding Tusla's budget requirements for 2017.
The Health Information & Quality Authority (HIQA) has been resourced to inspect all Tusla Child Welfare & Protection services, Foster Care services, including non-statutory providers, and all Tusla-run residential centres. It should be noted that HIQA has inspected all Child Welfare and Protection services in the 17 areas, with the final two inspection reports awaiting publication.
886. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her vision for the provision of comprehensive child protection services in the home or State-supported institutions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24041/16]
View answerThe shared vision of the Government in relation to child welfare and protection is that children are safe and protected wherever they are. While my Department has a key role in this, as does Tusla, responsibility for children is shared by all sectors of society, including parents, Government departments, statutory and non-statutory agencies and service providers.
There have been recent key developments in relation to child protection. The Children First Act 2015 (the Act) was signed into law on 19 November 2015. The introduction of this legislation was in line with a key Programme for Government commitment, and it represents an important addition to the child welfare and protection system as it will help to ensure that child protection concerns are brought to the attention of Tusla without delay, and will place an explicit responsibility on providers of services to children to keep children safe, and to put in place procedures to manage any risk.
The Act provides for mandatory reporting by key professionals; comprehensive risk assessment and planning for a strong organisational culture of ‘safe’ places for all services provided to children; a provision for a register of non-compliance; and the statutory underpinning of the existing Children First Interdepartmental Implementation Group which promotes and oversees cross-sectoral implementation and compliance with Children First.
The legislation will operate side-by-side with the existing non-statutory obligations provided for in Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2011. The Guidance is currently being revised and updated to take account of the new legislative obligations so as to provide in one place a comprehensive reference resource for individuals and organisations.
A Children First Implementation Inter-Departmental Group was established to promote the importance of Children First compliance across Government and to ensure a consistent approach is adopted. The legislation includes a provision to place this Group on a statutory basis and to expand its membership to include all Government Departments. This reflects the importance that is being attached to all Departments, sectors, agencies and services fully complying with the ethos of Children First, and their specific statutory and non-statutory responsibilities.
Taken together, the Children First Act and the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012, along with the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012, represent a significant legislative framework to promote the welfare and protection of children.
887. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which her Department monitors children in fosterage who may have been subject to abuse; if she is satisfied that adequate protective measures have been taken; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24042/16]
View answerChildren coming into care have been subject to abuse, including neglect, or are in need of care due to welfare reasons. It is a priority of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, that children in care are safe and have opportunities to thrive. Tusla's arrangements for the monitoring of the safety of children in care is based on the following:
- Comprehensive assessment of foster carers;
- Vetting of foster carers, as well as the adults residing in the households;
- Allocation of a Link Social Worker for the supervision and support of foster carers;
- Allocation of a dedicated social worker to the child in care to support the child and allow for a Care Plan to be implemented and reviewed;
- Training of all social workers, social carers and foster carers in child protection and the Children First guidance (2011); and
- Social workers engage directly with children and talk with them about their rights, safety and future.
Where an allegation or concern is made to a social worker by a child, it is their responsibility to ensure the concern is listened to and to respond accordingly. The immediate safety of the child is always central in responding to any allegation of physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect. Following an allegation the overall safety of the child is considered. Where there is an obvious ongoing risk to a child, whether in their family home or in a care placement, the child has to be made safe. That either involves removing the risk, or removing the child. The impact of removing a child from their home is a serious one with possible adverse implications for them, and so should only be done where there is no alternative and where it is based on an assessment of the best interests of the child. The allocated social worker will also review the child's care plan and arrange for specialist assessments to determine what therapeutic or medical services are required.
Allegations of abuse can be made against anyone, including biological parents, family members, foster carers, friends, professionals, other children and in some cases, people unknown to the child. It is important to note that any child welfare or protection issue raised by a child should be dealt with under Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2011).
888. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the degree to which juvenile offenders are adequately protected and segregated from other offenders; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24043/16]
View answerThe Oberstown Children Detention Campus, located at Oberstown, Lusk, Co. Dublin, currently provides a total of 54 detention places for young people ordered to be remanded or committed by the courts. This comprises 6 places for girls up to the age of 18 and 48 places for boys up to the age of 18 who are remanded in custody and up to the age of 17 for those serving a sentence of detention. Boys aged 17 who are serving a sentence of detention are currently detained in Wheatfield Place of Detention which comes under the remit of the Department of Justice and Equality. They are accommodated in a self-contained facility which is completely separate from adult prisoners. It is my aim to assign responsibility for 17 year old boys who are serving a sentence of detention to the Oberstown campus this year. This will end the practice of detaining children in adult prison facilities.
889. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the degree to which she has evaluated and identified incidents of child poverty with a view to achieving satisfactory support and intervention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24044/16]
View answerIn recognition of the higher risks and life-long consequences of child poverty, the Government set a child-specific poverty target in Better Outcomes, Better Future: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People to reduce consistent child poverty by at least two-thirds by 2020. This figure currently represents 100,000 children.
In order to understand and improve the lives of our children, my Department commissioned the Growing Up in Ireland study. The study examines the lives of Irish children from a wide range of perspectives including economic vulnerability. My department is also developing a national indicator set to track progress against the five national outcomes in Better Outcomes, Brighter Future including Outcome 4: Economic security and opportunity, which covers the issue of child poverty.
The Government acknowledges the challenge in successfully achieving the child poverty target, but remains committed to meeting it. I believe that having an ambitious target and actively monitoring this will provide a roadmap towards which we can develop and implement a strong multi-dimensional policy response.
The Department of Social Protection has the lead role in coordinating government strategies on child poverty. It also has lead responsibility for the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion and has identified child poverty as a key cross-sectoral priority to be addressed. Officials in my Department are working very closely with the Department of Social Protection in informing the plan for this cross-sectoral priority.
As part of its role in implementing Better Outcomes Brighter Futures, my Department has identified prevention and early intervention as a key cross-sectoral priority to be addressed in conjunction with a sub-group of the Advisory Council.
My Department addresses this priority through three levels. Firstly, it co-finances, with The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme (2013-2017) to the combined value of €29.7m. The ABC Programme is designed to prevent inter-generational poverty through area based programmes with a strong prevention and early intervention focus. The ABC Programme has a strong evaluation component allowing us to identify the programmes, initiatives and approaches which impact positively on children's outcomes. Secondly, it is developing the Quality and Capacity Building Initiative that aims to mainstream existing and emerging learning from initiatives such as ABC Programme and secure a system-wide change in children and young people services. Thirdly, it also supports the implementation of priorities by other Departments such as homelessness and child poverty that are relevant in the context of preventing and reversing poor outcomes among children.
There are also a number of areas of focus that support our response to child poverty within my Department. These include:
- €345 million invested annually on early childhood care and education and after-school support programmes which provide care to 100,000 children
- €51m allocated to support the provision of youth services by the voluntary youth sector for 2016 and
- in addition, Tusla delivers a range of services focusing on the welfare, protection and support for children, young people and their families which are key to supporting outcomes which assist in reducing the impact of child poverty.
890. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the degree to which her Department continues to monitor incidents of psychological intimidation of minors by way of electronic means or otherwise; the action taken or to be taken to address this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24045/16]
View answer"Psychological intimidation" is a term that would need to be clearly defined for the purpose of understanding its effect on young people.
Under Growing Up in Ireland, the National Longitudinal Study of children's lives, my Department collects information about the extent of bullying reported by children and their parents. Based on the responses of mothers for the 9-year-old cohort, 24% of children had been victims of bullying in the previous year, but 40% of children themselves reported that they had been bullied. The difference between the two figures may reflect under-reporting of incidents by children to their parents, or a differing perspective of what constitutes bullying.
The Deputy will be aware that there is an Action Plan on Bullying published by the Minister for Education and Skills which recognises the need to tackle bullying - and cyberbullying as one aspect of it - in a wide social context.
In relation to cyberbullying, the Office of Internet Safety, under the Department of Justice and Equality, takes lead responsibility for internet safety in Ireland, particularly as it relates to children.
The most important step in addressing bullying, including cyberbullying, is for parents to talk to children about their experiences. The Action Plan published by the Minister for Education and Skills sets out twelve actions to help prevent and tackle all forms of bullying in school. The actions focus on support, teacher training, research and awareness training.
891. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which she expects to continue to provide financial support to youth organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24046/16]
View answerI am committed to the principle of fairness, and would very much wish to allocate additional resources next year to the youth sector as the economy recovers. Any additional amount available will depend on the Budgetary process in 2017. I will be closely involved in the decisions to be taken by Government in this regard.
My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services by the voluntary youth sector, to young people throughout the country. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people. The voluntary youth sector involves approximately 1,400 paid staff, including youth workers and 40,000 volunteers working in youth work services and communities throughout the country.
Budget 2016 provided an additional €1.1m in current youth funding to my Department bringing the total allocation for the youth services to €51m in 2016. This additional funding was a 2.5% increase over 2015. It will be used for programmes that target disadvantaged young people and to assist national youth organisations in their work to support local voluntary youth services.
Last month I announced details of youth work projects that are to receive funding under the new €600,000 Youth Employment Initiative. This initiative and other supports for vulnerable young people are priorities in my plans for the further development of youth work services in line with the Programme for Government.
It will target those young people aged between 15 and 24 years who are most at risk of unemployment and who are not in education, employment or training. It will be provided to voluntary youth services to support the provision of innovative programmes for their young people to enhance their employability skills and competencies.
All of my decisions on funding for youth services will be informed by the National Youth Strategy 2015-2020.
892. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which her Department continues to support Kildare Youth Services throughout County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24047/16]
View answerMy Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people and involve approximately 1,400 youth work staff in 477 projects and 40,000 volunteers working in youth work services and communities throughout the country. In 2016, funding of €51m has been provided to my Department for these schemes. In addition €2.6m in capital funding, also provided in Budget 2016, will be used to support small scale projects, including refurbishment, health and safety fit-outs and accessibility improvements in local youth services.
In 2016, an amount of €500,405 has been allocated for the projects and services under Kildare Youth Services, which operates under Youth Work Ireland. This is an increase of more than €12,000 on the 2015 allocation. My Department provides funding to Kildare Youth Services under the Special Projects for Youth Scheme in respect of six local youth projects in Athy, Naas, Leixlip, Newbridge, the Curragh and Kildare town and a Youth Information Centre in Naas.
I, and officials of my Department have met, and continue to meet, regularly with many voluntary organisations and groups providing services to children and young people to see how we can work together to bring about the best possible outcomes for young people, having regard to resources available to us and to ensure that the programmes and services being provided are relevant and responsive to young people’s needs. Ongoing engagement and dialogue with the youth sector organisations and with young people themselves are priorities in the development of the policies and services to support young people’s development and learning.
At local level, Youth Officers of the Education and Training Boards have an important support role on behalf of my Department, to local youth services. My Department works closely with them to address issues that arise for local services. Officials of my Department met Kildare Youth Services and have visited their Kildare Youth Service to hear about their work and their proposals for the provision of services in County Kildare. Further investment in the provision of youth services will be considered in the context of the annual Estimates and Budgetary processes and the implementation of the National Youth Strategy 2015-2020.
893. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the fluctuation in the number of children in State care or fosterage over the past five years; the degree to which adequate provision continues to be made for supervision and ongoing review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24048/16]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency, has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection and, if necessary, to receive a child into the care of the State. I am satisfied that Tusla takes its responsibility very seriously regarding the welfare of children in care and that there is a robust framework of regulations and standards, to ensure that children are placed in safe and caring settings. The following table shows the number of children in care at the end of each year and the latest available figure for 2016, the number in foster care (General and Relative) and the corresponding percentage:
|
Number of Children in Care |
Number of Children in Foster Care |
% of Children in Foster Care |
General |
Relative |
|
|
2011 |
6,160 |
5,564 |
90% |
3,776 |
1,788 |
|
2012 |
6,332 |
5,816 |
92% |
3,979 |
1,837 |
|
2013 |
6,460 |
5,998 |
93% |
4,140 |
1,858 |
|
2014 |
6,463 |
6,011 |
93% |
4,137 |
1,874 |
|
2015 |
6,388 |
5,932 |
93% |
4,100 |
1,832 |
|
2016 (30 April) |
6,376 |
5,929 |
93% |
4,136 |
1,793 |
All children in care should have an allocated social worker but it is important to note that if a child has not been allocated a social worker, the cases are reviewed regularly by the principal social worker and are managed by duty social work teams to ensure the necessary needs of the children are being met. At the end of April 2016, over 93% of all children in care had an allocated social worker.
As the majority of children in care are in foster care family settings in the community, indicators of stability of the placement and participation in education are useful in monitoring the performance of Tusla in relation to overall welfare. I am happy to say that Tusla has reported that the results for these indicators are positive and show that placement stability is high and participation in education is on a par with the national participation rates.
Foster carers are selected on the basis of their ability to meet the needs of individual children. In some cases a child may require a foster care placement with additional supports to meet additional needs and in these cases extra supports and respite facilities may be provided when required. Social work support is also provided for foster carers in the form of a link worker. The link worker is a professionally qualified social worker and meets regularly with foster carers to provide training, information and whatever other support that may be required.
I would also note that the Agency provides funding to the Irish Foster Care Association which provides additional supports to carers.
894. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which she is satisfied that the alert facilities to identify children at risk continue to be adequate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24049/16]
View answerI wish to assure the Deputy that Tusla deals immediately with emergency cases, including for instance, if a child 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 regularly checking to ascertain risk to the child, and where necessary will reprioritise the case.
The Child and Family Agency, Tusla, holds the statutory responsibility for child welfare and protection, and is the appropriate body to receive reports of concerns relating to children at risk. Children First sets out the roles and responsibilities for all citizens to report child welfare and protection issues to Tusla, and where criminal matters are involved, the Gardaí. The majority of referrals received by Tusla are from Gardaí, HSE or Tusla officers, family members, schools and voluntary agencies. In 2015 there were 25,361 child welfare concerns and 18,235 child protection concerns received by Tusla. Referrals are made to the local Tusla office. Referrals about a child can come from a number of sources so there are some duplicates in the referral figures. Some referrals will be more appropriate for universal services, such as those provided in the community or health sectors.
Each referral received by the Agency is assessed and dealt with on an individual basis by the relevant social work team. Screening and preliminary enquiries are aimed at establishing the appropriateness of the referral to Tusla services and, if necessary, a preliminary enquiry is followed by an initial assessment of the concern. This will determine the best course of action for the child and their family. Over half of all referrals received by Tusla are welfare concerns and Tusla's policy is to refer these to relevant family and community support services.
895. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of incidents in respect of which rehabilitative support has been offered to and taken up by juvenile offenders in each of the past three years to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24050/16]
View answerIt is important to note that a range of rehabilitative supports is offered to every child entering the children detention school as part of an overall programme, focused on their individual needs. The extent to which each child avails of these services depends on the individual profile in each case.
On admission, every child is assigned a specific member of staff who acts as the child’s "keyworker". The focus is on developing supportive relationships with the main emphasis placed on education and rehabilitation rather than on control and security. Each child is screened to determine any clinical services required, such as psychology, psychiatry or speech and language therapy. A “Placement Plan” is developed and reviewed at regular intervals during each child’s stay in detention. This ensures that all relevant supports that may be available in the community on a child’s release are put in place. The plan identifies responses to the identified needs of a child on release and names persons willing to assist in the rehabilitative process.
In addition, a strong ethos of school attendance, education and training is in place in the children detention schools, tailored to each child's needs. Education and training services are provided by the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board.
The key principles of the Children Act 2001 are that detention of a child should only be imposed as a last resort. Among the other options that may be considered are the programmes provided by the Probation Service and Garda Youth Diversion Programme. From the most recent data currently available, the effectiveness of this policy can be gauged when one sees that in 2013 a total of 10,420 young people were referred to the Garda Diversion Programme and a total of 106 children either remanded or sentenced to a period of detention in the children detention schools. In 2014, 9,991 children were referred to the Garda Diversion Programme and a total of 142 children were either remanded or sentenced to a period of detention in the children detention schools. This would indicate that when all children in contact with the criminal justice system are considered, there is an emphasis on the promotion of non-custodial options as a first priority.
896. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the cost of implementing a living wage of €11.50 for all employees directly employed or in agencies funded by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24156/16]
View answerA suggested living wage of €11.50 per hour would equate to an annual salary of €22,203. This is based on a standard civil service net working week of 37 hours. The annual additional cost of introducing the suggested living wage for those civil servants in my Department currently under this threshold would be in the region of €6,500 per annum. It should be noted that the staff concerned are currently on the first point of a scale and with incremental credit their annual salary will progress past the living wage in due course.
As the information requested is not readily available in respect of the agencies under my Department's remit, I have asked the Adoption Authority of Ireland, the Ombudsman for Children's Office, the Children Detention School and the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) to furnish this information directly to the Deputy.
897. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the discussions her Department has had with suppliers or service contractors to her Department or to agencies of her Department to ensure that employees of such suppliers and contractors are paid the living wage of €11.50 per hour; the cost of implementing this wage for these employees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24171/16]
View answerIt is important that Ireland’s statutory National Minimum Wage and the Living Wage concept are not conflated. The Living Wage is a voluntary societal initiative centred on the social, business and economic case to ensure that, wherever it can be afforded, employers will pay a rate of pay that provides an income that is sufficient to meet an individual’s basic needs, such as housing, food, clothing, transport and healthcare.
The Living Wage is voluntary and has no legislative basis and is therefore not a statutory entitlement and cannot be imposed on suppliers or contractors by either my Department or its agencies. In the circumstances, my Department has not had discussions with suppliers or service contractors regarding the payment of the living wage to their employees.
It is different to the National Minimum Wage which is a statutory entitlement and has a legislative basis. The previous Government established the Low Pay Commission to annually assess the appropriate level of the National Minimum Wage. The national minimum hourly rate of pay increased to €9.15 per hour on January 1st this year following acceptance of the Low Pay Commission recommendation of July 2015 to increase the rate from €8.65 per hour. More recently, the Commission’s second report on the national minimum wage was submitted to Government on 19th July last and the recommendation made by the Commission that the hourly rate for an experienced adult worker be increased by 10 cents will be considered by Government in the context of Budget 2017.
Separately, wage rates and other conditions of employment are provided for in Employment Regulation Orders for the Contract Cleaning and Security sectors. These statutory Orders came into effect on 1st October 2015 and provide for minimum rates in excess of the National Minimum Wage, with €10.75 per hour payable to workers in the Security sector and €9.75 per hour payable to workers in the Contract Cleaning sector.
Statutory minimum rates of pay may also be supplemented by social transfers such as Child Benefit, Family Income Supplement or health, education or housing assistance payments where the need arises and to reflect family circumstances.
898. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the cost of increasing the number of weeks covered under the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme from 38 to 40 and 42, respectively, from September 2017 onwards. [24226/16]
View answerIt is estimated that the costs of extending the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme to the number of weeks specified by the Deputy, assuming 60% of children will attend higher rate services and 40% of children will attend standard rate services, would be as follows:
|
No of Weeks |
Estimated Cost |
|
40 Weeks |
€17,520,704 |
|
42 weeks |
€35,041,408 |
The expansion of the ECCE programme into a second year, from September 2016, will see the number of children benefitting from the Programme rise from around 67,000 to around 127,000 in a given programme year. For the 2016/17 programme year, it is estimated that 89,500 children will be eligible to enrol in the Programme from September 2016, an additional 22,000 from January 2017 and a further 15,500 from April 2017. From September 2016, the standard weekly capitation rate for each eligible child will be €64.50, and the higher weekly capitation rate will be €75.
899. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount allocated and drawn down in respect of the learner fund in 2016. [24227/16]
View answerFunding of €1.5m was allocated for Learner Fund 4 in Budget 2016 to support up to 1,000 early years practitioners to undertake and complete the Level 6 qualification, which is a requirement for pre-school leaders delivering the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. As of July 20th, funding of €548,760.00 has been approved, and €181,090.80 has been drawn down. The remainder of allocated funding will be drawn down over the course of the year as fees fall due. The Learner Fund remains open for new applications until July 31st, 2016 and I would encourage providers seeking to complete a level 6 qualification to apply without delay. Once this closing date has passed, officials in my Department will examine options for re-opening the Learner fund to additional childcare staff later in the year.
In 2014, the Learner Fund was introduced to support childcare staff to meet the new qualification introduced as part of The Early Years Quality Agenda. In order to further improve quality in pre-school services, one of the items to be progressed, as part of The Early Years Quality Agenda, was the introduction of a requirement that all staff working with children in early years services should hold a qualification in early childhood care and education at a minimum of Level 5 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) or equivalent and that pre-school leaders in ECCE services would be required to hold a minimum Level 6 qualification, or equivalent. The Learner Fund has already allocated €3.5 million to over 3,000 staff for the purpose of up-skilling to the minimum qualification of Level 5.
900. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to address the need for greater supports and resources for family resource centres throughout the country; her views on Tusla's inadequate levels of support for such centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24273/16]
View answerFamily Resource Centres have an important role in offering early intervention and support to families in difficulty. The level of funding provided in 2016 demonstrates the Government's support for child and family services around the country.
There are currently 108 communities supported through the Family Resource Centre Programme funded by Tusla. In 2016, Tusla is providing €13.5m in core funding to the Family Resource Centre Programme, an increase of some €422,000 over 2015. In addition, Tusla is providing funding of €595,000 to 75 Family Resource Centres for low cost counselling services under the Agency's Counselling Grants Scheme, an increase of €45,000 over the 2015 provision.
Family Resource Centres are supported by two Regional Support Agencies, which are funded by Tusla. These support agencies play a key role in promoting good practice, providing technical support, advice and training to Family Resource Centres.
Tusla also provides funding to the Family Resource Centre National Forum which is a support network working with all the Family Resource Centres throughout Ireland providing networking and training opportunities, and information and support.
Tusla intends to build on the strengths of the Family Resource Centre Programme in the years ahead in meeting its mandate for community-based early intervention and family support.
