Written Answers Nos. 1127-1147
1127. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of new places on the community child care subvention scheme which have been taken up by private providers, in addition to community providers, since the announcement of the expansion to the scheme in budget 2017, by category. [33974/17]
View answerThe Community Childcare Subvention Scheme is divided into two separate grant provision arrangements: the Community Childcare Scheme and Community Childcare Scheme Plus. Both community and private providers can sign up for the latter whereas only community providers can sign up for the former. The forerunner of the Community Childcare Scheme Plus was the Community Childcare Scheme private which was introduced from March 2016 to bring private providers into the Community Childcare Scheme. It is this expansion in 2016, I presume the Deputy is referring to. The last grant agreements ran from Sept 16 to Aug 17.
In total, 914 community providers signed the grant agreement for the Community Childcare Scheme for the 16/17 and 1,320 signed for the Community Childcare Scheme Plus programme. Of the 1,320 providers, 494 are community and 826 are private.
1128. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on the figures presented by the CSO, which suggest that just 52% of children availed of the ECCE scheme during the 12 months prior to being interviewed in Q3 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33975/17]
View answerAs the Deputy will have noted there are number of qualifications with regard to this figure, particularly, that it does not take into account:
- 18% who availed of Scheme in the previous year
- 15% who do not qualify for the scheme within the given timeframe.
It is worth noting that the growing up in Ireland survey reported that “95% of children who started school in September 2012 had availed of the Free Preschool Year.” At that time the scheme was only available for 38 weeks for children between the ages of 3 years and 2 months and 4 years and 7 months.
Notwithstanding this I am concerned to note that a small number of parents stated that they were either unaware of the programme or had no access to a local childcare provider. My Department and the local City/County Childcare Committees are actively working to highlight the availability of childcare provision and supports available to parents.
My Department has been running a multi-faceted information campaign to raise awareness amongst childcare providers, parents and the wider sector with regard to the availability of increased childcare subvention taking effect from September 2017. While not focused on ECCE at this time, it provides key resources and contacts for parents to inform themselves with regard to childcare including key contacts for the city/county Childcare Committees.
1129. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of existing family resource centres that are fully operational. [33976/17]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency has advised that there are currently 108 Family Resource Centres that are fully operational.
Tusla values the work of Family Resource Centres (FRCs) and recognises the positive impact of their work in supporting families and local communities. FRCs provide a holistic service of child, family and community support and advocacy to all children and families in their community.
1130. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount Tusla spent on community programmes, by county, in each of the years 2014 to 2016 and to date in 2017; and the spending on family resource centres, school completion and area-based childhood ABC programmes, broken down by programme. [33977/17]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that the following information is a breakdown of funding by the ABC Programme showing each county as requested. ABC is a four year time bound prevention and early intervention initiative which is co-funded between my Department and The Atlantic Philanthropies for the period of 2013-2017:
|
ABC Programme |
ABC Grant to 31/12/17 |
Development Funding |
Total |
County |
|
YoungBallymun |
€5,635,090 |
€5,635,090 |
Dublin |
|
|
Northside Partnership |
€3,744,843 |
€3,744,843 |
Dublin |
|
|
Tallaght West CDI |
€4,926,750 |
€4,926,750 |
Dublin |
|
|
Better Finglas |
€1,328,927 |
€1,328,927 |
Dublin |
|
|
Clondalkin Blueskies Initiative |
€1,275,331 |
€43,969 |
€1,319,300 |
Dublin |
|
Ballyfermot Partnership |
€818,126 |
€25,686 |
€843,812 |
Dublin |
|
DIT Grangegorman |
€1,055,698 |
€25,000 |
€1,080,698 |
Dublin |
|
NCI Early Learning Initiative |
€1,516,620 |
€1,516,620 |
Dublin |
|
|
Genesis Programme |
€1,790,529 |
€12,850 |
€1,803,379 |
Louth |
|
PAUL Partnership |
€1,597,653 |
€21,265 |
€1,618,918 |
Limerick |
|
SPECS Bray |
€838,000 |
€6,804 |
€844,804 |
Wicklow |
|
Young Knocknaheeny |
€1,800,000 |
€25,000 |
€1,825,000 |
Cork |
|
Total Allocation to ABC Sites |
€26,327,567 |
€160,574 |
€26,488,141 |
With regard to the School Completion Programme, the allocation for each of the years concerned has been €24.76m. Operational responsibility for the programme transferred to Tusla on its establishment in 2014.
I have referred the question to Tusla for direct response to the Deputy in relation to the remaining elements.
1131. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the level of capital funding allocated to Tusla in each of the years 2014 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in comparison to the capital spending outturn by the agency in these years. [33978/17]
View answerThe Deputy might note that the following amounts of capital funding were allocated to Tusla for the period 2014 to 2017. Included in the table are the amounts drawn down by Tusla in the same period:
|
Tusla Capital |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
|
€m |
€m |
€m |
€m |
|
|
Allocation |
6.841 |
12.386 |
16.060 |
13.560 |
|
Outturn |
4.846 |
6.863 |
16.054 |
5.685* |
* year to date
1132. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount her Department spent on aftercare for children not in foster care or in the direct care of the Health Service Executive in each of the years 2014 to 2016 and to date in 2017; and the number of children in this regard. [33979/17]
View answerAs these are operational matters, I have asked Tusla – The Child and Family Agency to respond directly to the Deputy with the most up-to-date information.
1133. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the standard payment that Tusla pays private residential care companies for each child in their care, weekly and annually; if payments are made to these providers on a per child basis or a per bed basis; and the average cost to Tusla of providing a care place in State provided care and in a voluntary provided care setting. [33980/17]
View answer1134. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of private residential care companies contracted by Tusla to operate in the care system; and the number of children in this type of care. [33981/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1133 and 1134 together.
The latest figures from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, indicates that, at the end of April 2017, there were 6,291 children in care. Of these, 356 (6%) were in a residential placement of whom 214 were in a private residential placement.
Latest figures received from Tusla state that there are currently 21 private providers under contract with the private placement team.
Tusla have provided the following information in respect of the approximate average weekly cost of providing care to a child in a private residential centre, a statutory residential centre and a voluntary residential centre.
Approximate average weekly cost of residential care by care centre type
|
Centre Type |
Approx. Average weekly cost |
|
Private Residential Centre |
€5,000 |
|
Statutory Residential Centre |
€7,538 |
|
Voluntary Residential Centre |
€3,458 |
A child is placed in a residential setting only when they have an identified need that can only be met by this service, or for an intensive assessment or provision of specialist services. In general, these centres are based in domestic style homes in the community, and staffed by social care workers to attend to the needs of the child. Specialist supports are also made available, as needed, and many centres have specialist skill-sets and therapeutic modalities.
1135. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount her Department has spent on guardian ad litem services, broken down by county and provider. [33982/17]
View answerSection 26 of the 1991 Child Care Act provides for the appointment of a guardian ad litem in respect of care proceedings where a child is not a party to those proceedings and where the court is satisfied that it is necessary in the best interests of the child and in the interests of justice to have a guardian ad litem appointed. Section 26 also obliges Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to pay costs (fees, travel and legal representation) incurred by a guardian ad litem in the performance of his/her functions.
In 2015, a total of €14.148m was expended on guardian ad litem arrangements i.e. €8.189m on guardian ad litem fees and €5.959m on legal representation. In 2016, a total of €15.222m was expended i.e. €8.15m on guardian ad litem fees and €7.072m on legal representation.
I have requested further information from Tusla for 2015 and 2016, by county and provider, and I will revert to the Deputy once I have been furnished with the Agency’s response.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 42A.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has informed me that the total amount paid to guardians ad litem in 2015 was €8,189,175 and in 2016 €6,569,115. The following is a breakdown of that amount by vendor:
|
GAL Costs |
Actuals 2016 |
Actuals 2015 |
|
BARNARDOS - BEACON |
3,422,780 |
3,822,950 |
|
THE INDEPENDENT GUARDIAN AD LITEM |
1,834,553 |
1,304,482 |
|
CEILI O'CALLAGHAN CONSULTANCY LTD |
239,482 |
251,624 |
|
CHILD AND FAMILY CONSULTANCY LTD |
237,330 |
272,096 |
|
CHILD FORENSIC SERVICES LTD |
223,241 |
162,622 |
|
JIGSAW TRAINING SOLUTIONS LTD |
209,451 |
268,305 |
|
CELBRIDGE COUNSELLING SERVICE |
193,420 |
220,740 |
|
RENEE HANLEY |
165,799 |
141,468 |
|
MAEVE DRUMMEY |
138,237 |
153,304 |
|
CHILD ADVOCACY SERVICES |
128,959 |
226,819 |
|
NATIONAL CHILDRENS WELFARE SERVICES |
114,499 |
171,574 |
|
JC GAL SERVICES LTD |
101,102 |
94,174 |
|
SOCIAL WORK CONSULTANCY IRELAND LTD |
92,462 |
114,513 |
|
PAT DONNELLY |
68,100 |
34,402 |
|
SARAH TREACY |
59,885 |
60,684 |
|
CARMEL MURPHY |
55,861 |
245,259 |
|
INDEPENDENT SOCIAL WORK SERVICE |
45,854 |
170,740 |
|
PATRICIA MCKAY LTD |
44,699 |
59,841 |
|
INDEPENDENT GUARDIAN AD LITEM SERVI |
42,637 |
181,084 |
|
CLARE OHARE |
29,542 |
34,026 |
|
CLAIRE QUINN |
27,128 |
307,465 |
|
ANTHONY JAMES MACKLIN |
25,691 |
|
|
MARY BIRD, GUARDIAN AD LITEM |
18,893 |
15,981 |
|
PATRICIA MCKAY |
12,000 |
|
|
CLAIRE OCONNOR G.A.L. LTD |
9,500 |
|
|
INDEPENDENT SOCIAL WORK |
8,752 |
40,699 |
|
TERESA MONICA SHANNON |
5,306 |
|
|
CHRISTINE JENKINS |
3,894 |
13,002 |
|
FOLEY CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES LTD |
3,705 |
|
|
JOHN P MURPHY |
3,456 |
|
|
ALPHA GUARDIAN AD-LITEM SERVICES |
111,204 |
|
|
LE CHEILE CHILDCARE SERVCES LTD |
125,181 |
|
|
RAYMOND MCEVOY |
3,956 |
|
|
MIEKE RYAN - MDR CHILD AND FAMILY |
26,368 |
|
|
TMM GUARDIAN AD LITEM LTD |
158,601 |
|
|
DAVID KENNEDY T/A |
117,415 |
|
|
MARY O'SHEA T/A MARY MOLLOY |
62,353 |
|
|
Net Accruals/Prepayments/Journals |
-993,650 |
-787,211 |
|
GAL Costs Total |
6,569,115 |
8,189,175 |
Please note the 2016 total includes accruals for refunds of VAT due from GAL vendors who had charged VAT in 2014 and 2015. The value of these refunds at end 2016 was €1,581,000.
Tusla has advised me that as these costs are all posted to one Legal Office cost centre, it has not been possible to break down the costs by county.
I trust this information is of assistance.
1136. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of her Department's review of the ABC scheme; her views on its effectiveness; her plans to continue funding these centres after December 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33983/17]
View answerThe Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a prevention and early intervention initiative led by my Department. The Programme commenced in 2013 and was designed as a time-bound co-funding arrangement for the period 2013 to 2017 in conjunction with The Atlantic Philanthropies.
The aim of the ABC Programme is to test and evaluate prevention and early intervention approaches to improve outcomes for children and families living in 13 areas of disadvantage in Dublin and throughout the country.
The Programme is currently being evaluated at a national level, by the Centre for Effective Services (CES). Data is being collected locally, at the area-level so as to assess the success and effectiveness of the totality of the investment across the five broad outcomes of the Programme.
Three national programme outcomes concern the achievement of outcomes for individual children and their parents participating in ABC-funded services;
I. Improved child health and development;
II. Improved children’s learning;
III. Improved parenting.
The remaining two outcomes are concerned with achieving systems change among service providers, focusing on:
I. Integrated service delivery;
II. Services embedded in mainstream services.
The national evaluation report will be produced in 2018. However, preliminary findings will be identified in the coming months.
A key purpose of the ABC Programme is to identify the learning across the site and transfer this learning into existing and established services. In budget 2016, my department secured additional funding to extend all of the existing ABC Programme to the end of December 2017. It is the intention of my Department to seek additional funding in this year’s estimates process, to extend the ABC Programme to the end of August 2018, to align with the national evaluation.
My Department is working to ensure that we take full account of the learning from all the interventions across the 13 ABC sites, and the national evaluation, in order to inform the delivery of prevention and early intervention initiatives and to achieve our shared goal of improving the lives of children and families throughout Ireland.
1137. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way her Department is improving services and increasing supports for persons with disabilities during 2017. [34027/17]
View answerI should inform the Deputy at the outset that responsibility for disability services rests with the Minister for Health.
The Department of Justice and Equality leads on the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (NDIS). The Deputy may be aware that the new NDIS for the period 2017-2020 is to be launched later this week and I am strongly supportive of that Strategy. Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People includes a number of commitments across a range of Government Departments and agencies aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people with disabilities. I am confident that the key actions under each theme and objective of the new NDIS, which will identify the lead Department and timeframe for implementation, will deliver on these commitments.
Under the theme of Joined Up Services, my Department will work with the Department of Education and Skills and the HSE to consider how best to facilitate smooth transitions into, within and out of education.
My Department will take a lead role to under the theme of Education to ensure the full implementation of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM). AIM is a child-centred model, involving seven levels of progressive support based on the needs of the child and the pre-school setting. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can fully participate in the ECCE programme and reap the benefits of quality early years care and education. AIM was introduced in June 2016 and has provided targeted support to children with a disability in accessing the ECCE programme in over 3000 instances since then. Funding of €32.42m has been provided for AIM in 2017.
The NDIS also commits to the development and implementation of effective national joint working protocols between Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), disability services and education to ensure that children and young people with disabilities can access CAMHS services.
I have previously outlined to the House the work being done by Tusla to improve interagency working governing children in care and aftercare, and access to disability services. Tusla and the HSE agreed a protocol which will operate to ensure good collaboration between Tusla and the HSE. It will provide clarity for those tasked with ensuring that appropriate services are provided by the relevant agency to the children and young people who need them. Over the past year there has been intensive and productive engagement at official and at Ministerial level to establish the protocol.
In relation to young people transitioning from State care into adult disability services, Tusla has agreed to meet the required expenditure outlay for such young people – even though they are no longer in the care of the State – until the end of 2017. Thereafter all such young people, and indeed future cohorts of children in State care moving into adult services, will transfer to an appropriate HSE-funded service upon turning 18.
My Department operates in accordance with the Disability Act 2005 and the Code of Practice for the Employment of People with a Disability in the Irish Civil Service to promote and support the employment of persons with disabilities. The Disability Liaison Officer in my Department works with staff who have identified a disability to ensure that they are provided with all necessary supports to enable them to integrate and work to their full capacity. The Department also has an Access Officer who is responsible for providing or arranging for and co-ordinating the provision of assistance and guidance to persons with disabilities in accessing the Department's services. Details of the Access Officer are available on the Department's website.
1138. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the investment by her Department since March 2016 in County Louth and parts of east County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34062/17]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that my Department has significant investment across a range of the functions for which I have responsibility, all to improve outcomes for children and families in line with our National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, Better Outcomes Brighter Futures. This includes investment in childcare, family supports, youth programmes and investment in services for children and families by Tusla which is funded through the Vote for my Department. Records in relation to expenditure are not generally recorded on a constituency basis or from a particular month during a year, so I am not in a position to give the Deputy the exact information requested. However, the examples below will illustrate to the Deputy the significant investment by my Department that supports children and families in Louth and Meath.
The most significant area of investment is in the area of childcare - Community Childcare Subvention Scheme, ECCE Programme and supports provided to and through the Meath and Louth County Childcare Committees - The total spend for the programmes year 2016/2017, are €10,232,516.46 for Louth and €15,676,150.78 for Meath.
Access and Inclusion Model (AIM)
AIM is a child-centred model, involving seven levels of progressive support based on the needs of the child and the preschool setting.
|
Meath |
Louth |
|
|
AIM Level 7 - Additional Assistance |
€85,279.39 |
€67,622.75 |
|
AIM Level 5 - Equipment, Appliances and Minor Alterations |
€14,724.73 |
€1,277.77 |
|
Total |
€100,004.12 |
€68,900.52 |
Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme
Under the Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme, the Genesis Programme (led by Louth Leadership Partnership) received funding from DCYA and Atlantic Philanthropies. The ABC Programme is a time bound co-funding arrangement for the period 2013-2017. The total agreed grant allocation for The Genesis Programme (2014- 2017) stands at €1,803,379 including development funding of €12,850. In 2016, the programme received €452,837 in ABC funding.
Tusla Monies spent on the Family Resources Centres Programme, Community Counselling Grants, and Services for Victims of Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence in the Louth Constituency (including parts of East County Meath)
|
Organisation |
Location |
Funding |
|
Connect Family Resource Centre |
Moneymore, Drogheda, Co. Louth |
€187,550 (Staff Salaries and Counselling Grant) |
|
Counselling Services (Dundalk Counselling Service) |
Dundalk, Co. Louth |
€211,236 |
|
Community Funding Allocated by the Area Manager |
Various Locations |
€104,950 (Monies Allocated by Area Manager) |
|
Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Services |
Various Locations |
€2,204,000 |
Play and Recreation
|
Meath |
Louth |
|
|
Capital Grants |
€7,500 |
|
|
National Play Day |
€2,350 |
|
|
Information in relation to Comhairle na nÓg Development Fund |
€20,000 |
€20,000 |
|
Total |
€20,750 |
€20,2350 |
Youth Schemes and Allocations related to Counties Louth and Meath for 2016 and 2017
My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country and funding is allocated on an annual basis. The funding allocation for counties Meath and Louth for 2016 and 2017 is outlined as follows:
Special Projects for Youth Scheme (SPY)
|
Louth |
2016 Grant |
2017 Grant |
|
Coxes Demesne Youth Project, Dundalk |
€82,670 |
€86,803 |
|
Craobh Rua Youth Project, Dundalk |
€82,670 |
€86,803 |
|
Southside Community Youth Project, Drogheda |
€88,421 |
€92,842 |
|
Total |
€253,761 |
€266,448 |
|
Projects - Meath |
2016 Grant |
2017 Grant |
|
Youth Work Ireland - Meath Youth Together Project provides youth club support to eleven towns in Co Meath |
€88,421 |
€92,842 |
|
Involve - Meath Youth Traveller Project (Navan) |
€43,758 |
€45,946 |
|
Total |
€132,179 |
€138,788 |
Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund (YPFSF) 1 and 2
|
Louth and Meath ETB |
2016 Grant |
2017 Grant |
|
(Louth element) Dundalk Youth Centre |
€62,926 |
€66,072 |
Local Youth Club Grant Scheme
|
Louth and Meath ETB |
2016 Grant |
2017 Grant |
|
Louth Meath ETB |
€80,899 |
€88,989 |
Capital Funding Louth Meath ETB
|
Louth Meath ETB |
2016 |
2017 |
|
Craobh Rua, Dundalk |
€50,000 |
nil |
Youth Work Function
|
2016 |
2017 |
|
|
Louth Meath ETB |
€94,715 |
€129,640 |
Youth Employability Initiative
|
2016 |
2017 |
|
|
Louth Meath ETB |
€20,150 |
nil* |
* This scheme did not operate in 2017
VFMPR Sample Project
|
2016 |
2017 |
|
|
Louth Meath ETB - Drogheda |
€35,272 |
€100,920 |
1139. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to the recent Private Members' debate in Dáil Éireann on child care, her plans to increase pay for ECCE year from 38 weeks to 42 weeks in view of the fact her Department requires service providers to pay staff for 42 weeks. [34100/17]
View answerI would note to the Deputy that the determination of wage rates, pay and conditions is a matter between each individual childcare provider as the respective employer and their staff.
When introduced, the ECCE scheme provided free-preschool for 38 weeks of the year, the 38 weeks broadly mirrored the primary school academic year. When ECCE was expanded as a result of Budget 2016, it enabled all children to attend ECCE from the age of three, entering at one of three entry points after their third birthday, September, January or April, and remain there until they started in primary school, with the exception that they could not be more than 5 years and 6 months when they finished ECCE in June. This followed a recommendation from the Expert Group " Right from the Start".
Any changes to the current scheme’s duration would require revision of rules around eligibility and enrolment dates and would need to look at issues of capacity with regard to physical space, staffing capacities and other associated matters.
1140. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to examine service providers in areas of high levels of disadvantage and high deprivation with a view to introducing a scheme similar to DEIS in primary and secondary schools. [34101/17]
View answerIn recognition of the higher risks and life-long consequences of disadvantage and child poverty, the Government set a child-specific poverty target in Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014-2020 to reduce consistent child poverty by at least two-thirds by 2020. This figure currently represents 102,000 children.
Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures is a whole of government policy framework, which requires all Departments and Agencies to work collaboratively to improve outcomes for children and young people . The Children and Young People’s Policy Consortium, which I chair, has responsibility for whole of government implementation, and includes representatives from all government Departments and Agencies.
The Department of Social Protection has the lead role in coordinating government strategies on child poverty and deprivation. 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 closely with the Department of Social Protection in informing the development of this cross-sectoral priority.
My Department is developing a Single Affordable Childcare Scheme to provide families with quality childcare at a cost they can afford. Budget 2017 provided additional funding for the scheme’s development and initial roll-out, to include both a targeted and a universal element. Subsidies will be available for children aged from 6 months up to 15 years and will meet families’ full-time and part-time childcare needs, including outside of school hours and during school holiday time. The highest levels of subsidy will be provided to those on low incomes, helping families to overcome disadvantage and contribute to a reduction in child poverty.
The Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a prevention and early intervention initiative led by my Department. The Programme commenced in 2013 and was designed as a time-bound co-funding arrangement for the period 2013 to 2017 in conjunction with The Atlantic Philanthropies.
The aim of the ABC Programme is to test and evaluate prevention and early intervention approaches to improve outcomes for children and families living in 13 areas of disadvantage in Dublin and throughout the country.
The Programme is currently being evaluated at a national level, by the Centre for Effective Services (CES). Data is being collected locally, at the area-level so as to assess the success and effectiveness of the totality of the investment across the five broad outcomes of the Programme.
Three national programme outcomes concern the achievement of outcomes for individual children and their parents participating in ABC-funded services;
I. Improved child health and development;
II. Improved children’s learning;
III. Improved parenting.
The remaining two outcomes are concerned with achieving systems change among service providers, focusing on:
I. Integrated service delivery;
II. Services embedded in mainstream services.
The national evaluation report will be produced in 2018. However, preliminary findings will be identified in the coming months and these findings will inform any future considerations regarding the development of targeted responses to issues of deprivation and disadvantage.
I and my colleagues in Cabinet are committed to advancing these efforts and actions in our collective response to addressing child poverty and disadvantage.
1141. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the first and full year cost of restoring the school completion programme to pre-2011 levels. [34165/17]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, responsibility for the National Educational Welfare Board which included the School Completion Programme was transferred to my Department on its establishment in 2011.
Upon the establishment of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency on January 1 2014, operational responsibility for the School Completion Programme was transferred to the Agency.
The School Completion Programmes are funded in line with the academic year commencing in September each year. The funding available to the School Completion Programme for the school year 2017/2018 stands at €24.756m. An increase in funding of €6.24m per annum would be required to bring funding levels back to the pre 2011 funding level which stood at €31m.
1142. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide a detailed breakdown of planned expenditure on the child care measures that will be put in place in September 2017. [34166/17]
View answerOn 11 April, I made an announcement that this September a range of measures will be introduced by my Department to make childcare more affordable for thousands of families throughout Ireland. These include:
- A new universal subsidy will be available for all children aged between 6 months and 3 years of age (or until they are eligible for ECCE e.g. 3 years 3 months) in registered childcare. This will amount to as much as €80 a month or €1,040 per year for children in full time childcare.
- Subsidies provided under existing childcare schemes, specifically the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) and Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) Schemes will be increased significantly, in some cases by as much as 50%.
I would note to the Deputy that as these schemes are entirely demand led, any figures can only be estimated and would be based on the number of potential beneficiaries and the level of service they will avail of. The estimated number of beneficiaries by scheme is set out in the following table for the 17/18 programme year:
|
Scheme |
Expected number of beneficiaries |
|
Targeted CCS bands (current) |
25,000 |
|
Targeted CCS bands (additional) |
5,000 |
|
TEC (current) |
7,000 |
|
Universal CCS |
33,000 |
|
TOTAL |
70,000 |
The cost of these provisions will be within the envelope previously allocated to the Affordable Childcare Scheme, a figure of €150m for 2018.
1143. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 669 of 9 May 2017, the number of whole-time equivalent social workers in each of the years 2011 to 2016, and to date in 2017, in tabular form; the whole-time equivalent social worker target for these years; and the funding that was allocated for the provision of these posts for the years in question. [34167/17]
View answerI have asked my officials to forward the question to Tusla so that they can correspond with you directly on this matter.
1144. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the steps she has taken to develop data collection within Tusla and her Department. [34168/17]
View answerMy Department collects and disseminates a wide range of data in relation to children and young people.
From 2011-2016 the National Strategy for Research and Data on Children’s Lives (NSRDCL) guided and supported my Department’s approach to the development of data relating to children’s lives. The final implementation report on this strategy will be published later this year. Key actions relevant to data development and collection in my own Department under the Strategy include:
- The publication of biennial State of the Nation's Children Report (SONC) which presents a wide range of disaggregated administrative, survey and Census data on children and on factors relevant to children’s lives. The recently published 2016 report is the sixth in this biennial series.
- The development of the Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures (BOBF) Indicator Set (arising from a review of national indicator sets on children’s lives). This indicator set has been developed by my Department to track the progress of children and young people aged 0-24 across the five outcomes outlined in Better Outcomes Brighter Futures (BOBF), the whole of government policy on children and young people. A report on the indicator set, containing over 110 indicators and related aggregate data, will be published in Autumn 2017. The development of a disaggregated data set for each indicator is also underway and will be published subsequently.
- My Departments ongoing commitment to and management of the Growing Up in Ireland Study: The National Longitudinal Study of Children in Ireland. Since 2006 GUI has been tracking the development of almost 20,000 children across two nationally representative cohorts of children. So far over 45 reports have been published by the GUI research team at the ESRI and Trinity College Dublin using the GUI data. GUI data is also used frequently by DCYA to inform policy development and service provision.
A dedicated Statistician post has recently been filled within the Research and Evaluation Unit of my Department and with a second post to support ongoing data and statistical requirements recently sanctioned. A Departmental data needs analysis is currently under way, the results of which will contribute to the development of a proposal and project plan to support the implementation of a centralised departmental approach to the storage and management of data for monitoring, planning and evaluation purposes. The information collected will serve the following key purposes:
- Inform the development of a centralised approach to the storage and management of DCYA and DCYA relevant data for analytic purposes.
- Serve the action from the Open Data Strategy that commits Government Departments to conduct an audit of their datasets.
- Help assess any needs arising following the impending introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- Provide information on how DCYA data is positioned in relation to the National Data Infrastructure, which involves the use of permanent unique identifiers on public data sources so as to enable linkage of data sets.
This will be the first phase towards fulfilment of Output 33 of the Department’s Statement of Strategy, i.e. “a statistical data reporting system developed to support the work of the Department and its stakeholders”. It will also contribute to Government Commitment G57 of BOBF, by disaggregating data and indicators “by important demographic characteristics to allow for improved evidence-based policy-making, implementation and monitoring, and in the delivery of service".
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has recently announced the establishment of a new project, Outcomes for Children, National Data & Information Hub. Tusla requires optimum data management, utilising reliable data tools to ensure effective planning services for children. The project will ensure that Tusla can better fulfil its responsibilities by establishing state of the art data platforms through which it can plan its services.
The project will involve the building of an interactive area based geo mapping system to provide information for policy makers, service providers, Tusla management, practitioners, information managers and local communities so that planning and delivery of services are informed by the best available data.
It is being co funded between my Department and Tusla under the Quality and Capacity Building Initiative (QCBI) and is being piloted with eleven Children and Young People's Services Committees (CYPSC) this year, with the aim of rolling it out across all CYPSC areas in subsequent years.
This project is a prime example of collaboration between different statutory bodies and stakeholders, and my Department is providing its full support to both Tusla and the CYPSC as they continue to improve the well being and outcomes for children in Ireland.
I have referred your question to Tusla to provide information on other steps taken to develop data collection within Tusla, for direct reply.
1145. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the procurement process for a training partner for Tusla to implement the CPW strategy. [34169/17]
View answerMy officials have inquired with Tusla regarding the procurement process for a training partner for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to implement their Child Protection and Welfare Strategy and I have asked Tusla to revert to the Deputy with the details requested.
1146. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children in foster care that have not been allocated a social worker, broken down by priority level and the number of weeks waiting. [34170/17]
View answer1147. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the average waiting time for a child to be allocated a social care worker. [34171/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1146 and 1147 together.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has informed me that, at the end of April 2017, there were 5,810 children in foster care (general and relative). Of these, 293 (5%) did not have an allocated social worker. It is important to note that if a child has not been allocated a social worker, their needs are reviewed regularly by the principal social worker. Tusla does not collate a breakdown of children in foster care awaiting allocation of a social worker by wait time or priority level.
I can tell the Deputy that there were 5,948 open cases awaiting allocation nationally at the end of April. An open case is one which is assessed as needing a dedicated (allocated) social work service.
Of these, 903 were designated as high priority, 3,607 as medium priority and 1,438 as low priority.
The following table displays waiting times for the allocation of a social worker for the open cases awaiting allocation at the end of April 2017:
Table 1 *
No of open cases by length of time awaiting allocation
|
<1 week |
377 |
|
1-2 weeks |
307 |
|
2-3 weeks |
464 |
|
3-4 weeks |
426 |
|
1-2 months |
1,082 |
|
2-3 months |
677 |
|
> 3 months |
2,615 |
*Data as per the last day of April 2017.
Addressing the number of children who are awaiting the allocation of a social worker is a priority for me. I secured additional funding for the purpose of addressing this issue in 2017, and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is now in the second year of a 3-year plan to provide for the allocation of a dedicated social worker to all children who need one. The Deputy should note that all urgent and emergency cases notified to Tusla are dealt with immediately. Urgent and emergency cases could involve cases of abandonment, allegations of physical and sexual abuse, parental ill health leading to the need for an immediate placement, or threat to the safety or life of a child by a third party.
My Department will continue to closely monitor progress in this regard. I attach a high priority to tackling this matter and I will continue to engage directly with the Tusla Board and senior management team, over the course of the year, to review progress.
