Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
2352. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 481 of 3 July 2018, her views on whether HIQA should be awarded the power to enforce its recommendations on foster care and child protection services. [34907/18]
View answerHIQA plays a vital role in ensuring that standards and regulatory requirements - across all domains of the wider health family, including social care services for children - are being met and its independence in this regard is one of its key strengths.
HIQA has recently submitted its report and recommendations arising from a statutory investigation into Tusla's management of child abuse referrals which it undertook at my request. One of the recommendations made was that my Department, with the assistance of HIQA, would undertake an international review of best practice in the regulation of children's social services in order to inform the development of a regulatory framework for these services in Ireland. This work is commencing, and the findings of the review will inform the policy direction for the regulation of children's preventative and protective services provided in the community. It is not my intention to pre-judge the findings of this review. I look forward to working closely with HIQA in developing this work towards improved outcomes for vulnerable children and their families.
