Tuesday, 24 Oct 2017

Written Answers Nos. 356-368

Children and Family Services Provision

Questions (356, 359, 360)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

356. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans for the expansion of contact centre services to facilitate access and similar services for families. [44607/17]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

359. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the action she is taking to ensure that facilities are available to families that are referred from the District Court for supervised access. [44610/17]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

360. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the action she is taking to ensure facilities are available to families that are referred from the District Court for supervised access in County Cork. [44611/17]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

I propose to take Questions Nos. 356, 359 and 360 together.

My Department is committed to supporting and promoting the development, welfare and protection of children, and the effective functioning of families. We recognise that the dynamics of domestic violence and the safety needs of both children and non-abusing parents must be considered in making appropriate arrangements for children's contact with abusive parents in the case of family breakdown.

I wish to acknowledge the valuable work of the child contact centres which were set up under a pilot project operated by Barnardos and One Family from October 2011 to December 2013. The effectiveness of these centres is evidenced in the final evaluation report on the Child Contact Centres Pilot Project, published by One Family in March 2014.

I understand that officials from my Department are shortly due to meet with officials from the Department of Justice and Equality to discuss the potential for establishing Child Contact Centres on a national basis. These discussions will have regard to current infrastructural arrangements such as the establishment of the Child and Family Agency and the proposed Family Courts Service and the availability of financial resources. It will also have regard to the final evaluation report on the Child Contact Centres Pilot Project which considers that an integrated response by my Department and the Department of Justice and Equality, supported by relevant agencies (i.e. The Child and Family Agency, the Courts Service, the Probation Service, the Legal Aid Board, the Family Mediation Service, and COSC) would be the best approach to establishing such a service on a national basis.

I will inform the Deputy in due course of the outcome of these discussions.

Child and Family Agency Services

Questions (357, 358)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

357. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the services available for access and contact centres for families in Munster; and the services available both in circumstances in which a child is in care and not in care. [44608/17]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Question:

358. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the services available for access and contact centres for families in County Cork; and the services available both in circumstances in which a child is in care and not in care. [44609/17]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

I propose to take Questions Nos. 357 and 358 together.

With regard to services available for access and contact centres for families in County Cork and Munster, I have requested information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, on any such services that it provides and I will revert to the Deputy once I have been furnished with the Agency's response.

The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.

Questions Nos. 359 and 360 answered with Question No. 356.

Children in Care

Questions (361, 362)

Denise Mitchell

Question:

361. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children under full care orders and interim care orders with Tusla; and the number of these that have supervised and unsupervised access, respectively, with their birth families. [44612/17]

Denise Mitchell

Question:

362. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children under voluntary care orders with Tusla; and the number of these that have supervised and unsupervised access, respectively, with their birth families. [44613/17]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

I propose to take Questions Nos. 361 and 362 together.

The most recent data available with regard to the legal reasons for children being in care is from the 31st December 2015. A breakdown of the data can be found in the following table:

Legal Reasons	Total 2015*
Emergency Care Order	251
Interim Care Order	711
Care Order	3,154
Special Care Order	16
Other Court Order	21
Voluntary Admission	2,231
Total	6,384

*On 31st December 2015

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has advised me that data regarding supervised and unsupervised access is not collated nationally.

Tusla works to facilitate reasonable access for the parents or other relatives of the children in its care under the Child Care Act 1991, bearing in mind the best interests of the child at all times.

Question No. 363 answered with Question No. 353.

School Expulsions

Questions (364)

Imelda Munster

Question:

364. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the percentage of the 727 students in a school (details supplied) who have been suspended and expelled during the 2016/2017 academic year. [44685/17]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

I have been advised by TUSLA that the percentage of students suspended and expelled in the school in question is as follows:

- 0.4% Expelled (3 Students)

- 9% Suspended (66 Students)

School Discipline

Questions (365)

Imelda Munster

Question:

365. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the percentage of the 322 second level students suspended in County Louth during the academic year 2016/2017 who attend schools based in Drogheda. [44686/17]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

TUSLA has confirmed that 57% of reported suspensions in Co. Louth are from Drogheda.

Please note that reports have been received for 11 of 18 post-primary schools in Louth. From reports received a total of 322 students have been suspended and 184 of those students have come from Drogheda schools.

School Expulsions

Questions (366)

Imelda Munster

Question:

366. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the percentage of the 140 second level students expelled in County Louth during the academic year 2016/2017 that attended schools based in Drogheda. [44687/17]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

TUSLA has confirmed that 60% of reported expulsions in Co. Louth during the academic year 2016/2017 were from schools based in Drogheda.

Please note that reports have been received for 11 of 18 post-primary schools in Louth. From those 11 schools 10 students have been suspended and of those 10 students, 6 have come from Drogheda schools.

I have been advised by TUSLA that it does not hold any evidence stating that 140 second level students were expelled in County Louth during the academic year 2016/2017.

School Discipline

Questions (367, 368)

Imelda Munster

Question:

367. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the differential percentages of the suspension rate for a school (details supplied) in the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 academic years. [44688/17]

Imelda Munster

Question:

368. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the differential percentages of the expulsion rate for a school (details supplied) in the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 academic years. [44689/17]

Written answers

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

I propose to take Questions Nos. 367 and 368 together.

I have been advised by TUSLA that there was a 11% rate of suspensions for 2015/2016, enrolment 637 (75 Students) and a 9% rate of suspensions for 2016/2017. This represents a reduced rate despite 13% increase in enrolment, up to 727 (66 students)

With regard to expulsions TUSLA has advised that there was a 0.7% rate of expulsions for 2015/2016, enrolment 637 (5 students) and a 0.3% rate of expulsions in 2016/2017, enrolment 727 (3 students)