Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2017
1126. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount Tusla provided to the Health Service Executive for the provision of child counselling services in each of the years 2014 to 2016 and to date in 2017; her plans for the agency to take over the direct provision of child counselling services; and if she or the agency have examined providing child counselling services via family resource centres. [33973/17]
View answerTusla has provided approximately €7 million in funding to the Health Service Executive (HSE) on an annual basis for the provision of child counselling services. This funding is provided at the end of the year and reimburses the HSE for the services which it provides on Tusla's behalf.
Ensuring the mental health and well-being of children and young people is critical to reducing risk factors and strengthening resilience factors in their lives. Indeed, it is crucial in supporting children and young people in realising all of the 5 National Outcomes as set out in Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People.
As the Deputy will be aware a range of services exist across policy domains which support child counselling and related interventions. These range from psychological and psychosocial supports in the Health Service Executive, National Educational Psychology Services, Tusla and more broadly in and across the community and voluntary sector.
Under Section 8 of the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, Tusla has specific responsibility for “services relating to the psychological welfare of children and their families”. To advance considerations on this highly important issue I have recently requested an update from Tusla relating to a range of issues on this matter.
My officials will consider this information and will work with Tusla in advancing matters. An initial meeting between my Department, the Department of Health, the HSE and Tusla will examine service provision relating to the psychological welfare of children and their families. In advancing these developments I fully intend to ensure that the needs of children and young people, and the development of optimum responses in this area, are central to considerations.
Child counselling services are already available via a number of family resource centres around the country. Each family resource centre prioritises the services it wishes to provide based on the demands of its community. Funding is made available on an annual basis through Tusla's Counselling Grants Scheme, and many centres have developed a counselling and support service for children and young people through this mechanism.
