Anne Rabbitte
Question:1150. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if Tusla has published a revised child protection and welfare handbook in line with Children First requirements. [34174/17]
View answerThursday, 13 July 2017
Questions (1150)
Written answers
The Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children sets out non statutory obligations in relation to the recognition and reporting of child welfare and protection concerns. The Guidance has been in place since 1999 and was last printed in 2011.
The Child Protection and Welfare Practice Handbook was published in 2011 by the HSE as a practice resource to support best practice in frontline child protection and welfare work. It is based on the Children First National Guidance and sets out the key issues in the areas of recognising abuse, responding to referrals, risk factors, assessment, planning and intervention. It is written primarily for social work practitioners, with Sections 1 and 2 dedicated to allied professionals and volunteers who work with children and their families.
The Children First National Guidance is currently being revised in preparation for the full commencement of the Children First Act 2015, following which Tusla will review and update the Practice Handbook as necessary.