Written Answers Nos. 1145-1164
1145. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when an application by a person (details supplied) for equipment and works will be funded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35804/18]
View answerThe Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), is a programme of supports to enable children with a disability to access and fully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. It was introduced in June 2016 and is administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department. AIM supports children with disabilities to attend mainstream pre-school where they can learn and socialise with their peers. It includes 7 levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted. The degree of support provided depends on the needs of the child in the context of the pre-school setting they are attending.
In relation to this particular child, Pobal has advised that the orders for the Wall Mounted Changing Table and the Shelf Unit with Doors have been sent to the HSE and are being processed by them. As soon as they have processed the requests, both items will be ordered and delivered directly to the Centre. The items will be paid for directly by Pobal on behalf of my Department, and there will therefore be no requirement for funding to the Service in relation to these items.
1146. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will consider, further to correspondence, amending the early childhood care and education scheme and removing a restriction (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35900/18]
View answerFrom September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months will be eligible for a full two programme years on the Early Childhood Care and Education programme (ECCE). This measure adds to previous enhancement of the programme and increases the duration of each registered child on ECCE from the original 38 weeks to a potential duration of 76 weeks (two programme years). This delivers on a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government that is good for children and families.
It must be noted that age limits have been used to determine eligibility since the inception of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme in 2010. These rules are a necessary component of any Government scheme and ensure that Exchequer funding is used for its intended purpose.
The upper age limit for the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme was set in consultation with the Department of Education and Skills. It ensures that children transition into primary school with their peers and limits the age range of children beginning primary school. Limiting the diversity in age ranges in children beginning primary school education is considered generally to be in the best interest of children, in relation to peer interaction in junior infants, as well as other educational considerations.
My Department does its best to ensure, in so far as possible, the equitable treatment of all children and families who apply for childcare funding under the ECCE Programme. In order to ensure objectivity and fairness, it is essential that clear rules exist for the scheme and that they are applied evenly. An essential component of the ECCE programme rules is an eligibility start date to ensure that the programme can be administered and budgeted for in an appropriate manner. As stated above, the Department of Education and Skills informed the policy which these rules support.
1147. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if a unit (details supplied) in Castleblaney, County Monaghan, will be reopened; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36264/18]
View answerI am advised by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, that the Unit to which the Deputy refers was closed a number of years ago, and the buildings are currently in use by Tusla community services. Tusla have advised that there are no plans to reopen the Unit.
1148. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to increase support for childcare costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36910/18]
View answerOver the last three budgets (2016, 2017 and 2018), Government has increased investment in childcare by approximately 80%. It is critical that the Government continues to invest in the early years sector to benefit all children and family types and I am very much committed to continuing to push for this investment. The Affordable Childcare Scheme we are developing will provide us with a great infrastructure from which to support childcare costs for parents. Other initiatives introduced this year and last such as the expansion of the free pre-school scheme to two years and the introduction of universal payments for children under 3 are already having an impact.
Further investment in childcare is currently being considered in the context of the budget/estimates process. As this process has not yet been finalised, the Deputy will appreciate that I cannot go into specific detail on my plans.
1149. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if an application by an organisation (details supplied) for an early years and school-age grant will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35415/18]
View answerThis year saw a significant increase in demand for Early Years and School Age Childcare Capital grants with nearly 2,000 applications received and appraised. I secured €6.86 million in funding for capital projects; however the level of demand and high quality of applications meant that unfortunately there were services that despite the obvious quality of their applications still missed out on funding.
The Early Years and School Age Capital Programme for 2018 was designed to target the areas of most need in the childcare sector by providing vital funding to services to complete capital projects. This year has seen an improvement in the timeline for delivery with the initial notifications reaching applicants by early June. This will give successful applicants more time to complete their capital projects and will also facilitate a more timely review process.
There has been a review process put in place for services that wished to receive feedback and a review of their application. This process, like the appraisal process, is being managed by Pobal on behalf of my Department. The review process is on-going and every service that applied will be treated in a fair and impartial manner. The service in question has already applied for a review and will be informed of the outcome directly when Pobal have concluded the process.
1150. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if Tusla is operating its own internal complaints policy and procedures; and if there are published guidelines for same. [35420/18]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency, recognises the right of all employees to be treated with dignity and respect and is committed to ensuring that all employees are provided with a safe working environment, which is free from all forms of bullying, sexual harassment and harassment. Tusla has advised that all employees are encouraged to raise genuine concerns about possible wrongdoing at the earliest opportunity, and in an appropriate way.
Tusla’s Dignity at Work Policy has a strong preventative focus and emphasises that every employee has a duty to maintain a working environment in which the dignity of everyone is respected.
Tusla has advised that where an employee has a concern regarding his/her terms and conditions of employment, working environment or working relationships may be dealt with under the Grievance Procedure. This procedure enables employees to raise complaints concerning work-related matters so that the issue may be addressed promptly and as close as possible to the point of origin.
1151. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if an investigation will be launched into whether the threshold for the reporting of child abuse was reached in the cases shown in a programme (details supplied); and if instances of child abuse not featured in the programme but brought to the attention of the company concerned through content moderation activity and which reach the reporting threshold have all been reported to the appropriate authorities. [35509/18]
View answerChild protection is everyone’s responsibility. In order to keep children as safe as possible it is important that people across society can recognise when the children that they are in contact with are being harmed and that they are aware of what action to take in response.
The Children First Act 2015, which was fully commenced in December 2017, provides for a number of key child protection measures, including raising awareness of child abuse and neglect, providing for reporting and management of child protection concerns and improving child protection arrangements in organisations providing services to children.
Section 10 of the Act requires that providers of relevant services to children ensure, as far as is practicable, that each child availing of the service from the provider is safe from harm while availing of that service. Section 14 of the Act imposes a specific obligation on mandated reporters to report child protection concerns above a certain threshold, i.e. that a child has been harmed, is being harmed or is at risk of being harmed, to Tusla. Harm is defined in the Act.
The statutory obligations under these two Sections of the Act and the determination in any set of circumstances as to whether to refer a report to Tusla lies with the mandated reporter or with the provider of a relevant service to children, as, or if, applicable.
The Act operates side-by-side with the non-statutory obligations provided for in Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children. The guidance, which was revised last year to include reference to the provisions of the Act, describes the main types of abuse and signs for its recognition and sets out what action should be taken to help ensure that a child who may be at risk is protected from harm. It describes how to report a child protection concern and what happens when a report is made to the Child and Family Agency, Tusla.
The key principle of Children First is that child protection issues are the responsibility of all and that child safety and welfare concerns must be dealt with as and where they arise. In this regard, my colleague, the Minister for Communication, Climate Action and Environment, met with representatives of the company concerned to discuss the issues raised in the programme referred to by the Deputy.
A 90 minute e-learning training module was developed by Tusla to support the implementation of Children First. The module, which is universally available free of charge on the Tusla website www.tusla.ie, includes information on how to recognise and report child abuse.
Following the broadcast of the programme in question I called on all social media providers to ensure their moderator and subcontractor staff undertake the online Children First training. I understand that Tusla will meet with the company concerned next month to discuss this issue further.
The provisions of the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 are also relevant.
1152. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if an investigation will be launched into whether the threshold for the reporting of child abuse was reached in the cases shown in a programme (details supplied); and if instances of child abuse not featured in the programme but brought to the attention of the company concerned through content moderation activity reached that threshhold in these cases. [35510/18]
View answerChild protection is everyone’s responsibility. In order to keep children as safe as possible it is important that people across society can recognise when the children that they are in contact with are being harmed and that they are aware of what action to take in response.
The Children First Act 2015, which was fully commenced in December 2017, provides for a number of key child protection measures, including raising awareness of child abuse and neglect, providing for reporting and management of child protection concerns and improving child protection arrangements in organisations providing services to children.
Section 10 of the Act requires that providers of relevant services to children ensure, as far as is practicable, that each child availing of the service from the provider is safe from harm while availing of that service. Section 14 of the Act imposes a specific obligation on mandated reporters to report child protection concerns above a certain threshold, i.e. that a child has been harmed, is being harmed or is at risk of being harmed, to Tusla. Harm is defined in the Act.
The statutory obligations under these two Sections of the Act and the determination in any set of circumstances as to whether to refer a report to Tusla lies with the mandated reporter or with the provider of a relevant service to children, as, or if, applicable.
The Act operates side-by-side with the non-statutory obligations provided for in Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children. The guidance, which was revised last year to include reference to the provisions of the Act, describes the main types of abuse and signs for its recognition and sets out what action should be taken to help ensure that a child who may be at risk is protected from harm. It describes how to report a child protection concern and what happens when a report is made to the Child and Family Agency, Tusla.
The key principle of Children First is that child protection issues are the responsibility of all and that child safety and welfare concerns must be dealt with as and where they arise. In this regard, my colleague, the Minister for Communication, Climate Action and Environment, met with representatives of the company concerned to discuss the issues raised in the programme referred to by the Deputy.
A 90 minute e-learning training module was developed by Tusla to support the implementation of Children First. The module, which is universally available free of charge on the Tusla website www.tusla.ie, includes information on how to recognise and report child abuse.
Following the broadcast of the programme in question I called on all social media providers to ensure their moderator and subcontractor staff undertake the online Children First training. I understand that Tusla will meet with the company concerned next month to discuss this issue further.
The provisions of the Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 are also relevant.
1153. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she is satisfied that a company (details supplied) is suitable to act as a major recruiting agent for Tusla; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35511/18]
View answerI wish to advise that this is an operational matter for Tusla and my officials have requested that they respond directly to the Deputy.
1154. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the steps she is taking to prevent crèches operating under the affordable childcare scheme from increasing the fees they charge to parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35645/18]
View answerIn determining their fees childcare providers must take account of amongst other things, rates, rent, labour costs, and insurance. The cost to parents to access childcare is set by childcare providers who must factor in these overheads.
Notwithstanding this, I am committed to ensuring that childcare is affordable, accessible and of a high quality.
My Department monitors the cost of childcare closely and will continue to do so. Research from a sampling of services showed that fee increases across all services delivering full-time childcare rose by €7.13 or 4.3% per week on average between 2015/16 and 2016/17 following a number of years of price stagnation. Further more up to date information is currently being compiled in respect of the 2017/2018 programme year. This will be published in November and I do not expect a significant increase in the average fee figure.
In addition €18.65m was allocated to providers in Programme Support Payments in June and July 2018. The Programme Support Payment is intended to recognise the important role that childcare providers play in the delivery of childcare subvention schemes to families within their services. This may include for example costs associated with administrative work, time spent assisting parents in understanding how they can most benefit from the DCYA-funded schemes or other non-contact activities. Programme Support Payments were made available for both the ECCE programme and the targeted CCS related schemes.
1155. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the gender breakdown of the senior management positions in Tusla; and her views on the gender breakdown in her Department in view of the over representation of women in the more junior roles. [35679/18]
View answerThe gender breakdown of senior management positions in Tusla is set out in the following table.
Managers Grades VIII+
|
Gender |
Amount |
|
Male |
69 |
|
Female |
109 |
|
Total |
178 |
Tusla has advised it is compliant with its obligations under the Employment Equality Acts, ensuring no employee or candidate is unlawfully discriminated against and individuals are treated fairly and with dignity and respect regardless of:
- Gender
- Civil Status
- Family Status
- Sexual Orientation
- Religious belief or lack of religious belief
- Age
- Disability or the nature of their disability
- Race, colour, nationality or ethnic or national origin
- Membership of the Traveller Community
Furthermore, I am informed that Tusla Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (TEDI) was established in 2018 to implement a strategic vision for equality, diversity and inclusion across Tusla. TEDI, which is led by the Health and Wellbeing Department, supports the review and development of inclusive practices and the integration of equality and diversity issues into all aspects of Tusla’s work.
TEDI is comprised of representatives of all staff grades throughout the Agency, harnessing insights and ideas to incorporate into policies and working practices to support a diverse and inclusive workplace.
In respect of my own Department, I am satisfied that the gender breakdown in senior and junior grades is adequate and is broadly in line with the civil service wide norm. There are more women than men at each level in my Department: clerical, middle management and senior management. This is not an over-representation of women but a reflection of the overall representation of women across the civil service.
The most recently available figures to me (end July 2018) indicate that the total gender split across all grades of the civil service is 57.5% female to 42.5% male.
The gender split at senior management level in my Department is 59% female to 41% male. At middle management level, the split is also 59% female to 41% male. At clerical level, the split is 61.5% female to 38.5% male. The overall gender split in my Department is 59.5% female to 40.5% male.
1156. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of family resource centres in County Donegal offering family contact centre services; the process by which they can be accessed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35746/18]
View answerTusla, the Child and Family Agency administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme, which is Ireland’s largest family support programme, delivering universal services to families in disadvantaged areas across the country. Each Family Resource Centre (FRC) operates autonomously, working inclusively with individuals, families, communities, and both statutory and non-statutory agencies.
Services provided by FRCs across the country vary considerably, depending on the size of the centre, local demographics, level of service usage, and the extent of other local services.
There are nine Family Resource Centres in Donegal at present, and a new FRC is currently being established in Stranorlar, Co. Donegal. The range of family access facilities available in FRCs in County Donegal is outlined as follows:
- Donegal Family Resource Centre provides an unsupervised family access facility which requires a signed agreement between the centre and the family concerned. Families may be directed by the courts to use the facility or can access it directly.
- St. Johnston and Carrigan's Family Resource Centre provides supervised and unsupervised family access facilities. Use of this facility also requires a signed agreement between the centre and the family concerned.
- Unsupervised family access facilities are also available through the following FRCs:
1. The Forge Family Resource Centre, Pettigo,
2. Meevagh Family Resource Centre, Downings,
3. Dunfanaghy Family Resource Centre,
4. Raphoe Family Resource Centre.
- Family access facilities are not available in Cara House Family Resource Centre, Downstrands Family Resource Centre, or Moville Family Resource Centre.
Tusla has advised that it anticipates that a family access facility will be available in the new Finn Valley Family Resource Centre in Stranorlar when the service is fully operational.
Court-ordered family access arrangements are also facilitated by Tusla social workers in Letterkenny, Buncrana and Donegal town.
Tusla recognises Family Resource Centres as an important component of its service delivery model, and will continue to work with them to provide services to children and families in Donegal and throughout the country.
1157. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the issue of age limits for children (details supplied) on the ECCE scheme will be examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35773/18]
View answerFrom September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months will be eligible for a full two programme years on the Early Childhood Care and Education programme (ECCE). This measure refines the development introduced last year and increases the duration of each registered child on ECCE from a current average of 61 weeks, to a potential duration of 76 weeks (two programme years). This delivers fully on a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government that is good for children, families and Early Years providers.
It must be noted that age limits have been used to determine eligibility since the inception of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme in 2010. These rules are a necessary component of any Government scheme and ensure that Exchequer funding is used for its intended purpose. In 2010, only one ECCE year, or 38 weeks, was available. From September 2018, the additional investment secured in Budget 2018 will enable all children from the age of 2 years and 8 months to be eligible for two full programme years.
The upper age limit of 5 years and 6 months for ECCE was set in consultation with senior officials from the Early Years Education Policy Unit in the Department of Education and Skills and is consistent with the law in Ireland with regard to school start age and the associated policy of the Department of Education and Skills.
Furthermore, it ensures that children transition to primary school with their peers and limits the age range of children beginning primary school. Limiting the diversity in age ranges in children beginning primary school education is considered generally to be in the best interest of children, in relation to peer interaction in junior infants, as well as other educational considerations.
My Department does its best to ensure, in so far as possible, the equitable treatment of all children and families who apply for childcare funding under the ECCE Programme. In order to ensure objectivity and fairness it is essential that clear rules exist for the scheme and that they are applied in a fair manner. An essential component of the ECCE scheme’s rules is an eligibility date to ensure that the scheme can be administered and budgeted for in an appropriate manner.
1158. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to address issues regarding the lack of funding for an organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35875/18]
View answerAs the subject matter of the Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Tulsa, I have referred it to Tusla for a direct reply.
1159. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the consultation process undertaken with parents regarding the age limits for ECCE which was due for completion in June 2018 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35978/18]
View answerLast December, I announced my decision to pause the proposed rule changes on overage exemptions to allow for a consultation process where the voice of parents of children with disabilities could be heard in relation to the proposed change.
This consultation process, which was conducted by the National Disability Authority and supported jointly by my Department and the Department of Education and Skills, involved a number of steps to include:
I. Review of the relevant literature and policy;
II. Review of existing data on overage exemptions, including trends in applications and approvals;
III. Profile of children currently in receipt of overage exemptions;
IV. Review of existing data and trends in school starting age;
V. Identification of options for managing exemptions going forward (including the criteria and application, appraisal and appeals processes) and consider the impact of each option identified for: children and families; pre-schools and schools (including practitioners and teachers); the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) (and its respective Agencies, policies and programmes); and the Department of Education and Skills (DES) (and its respective Agencies, policies and programmes)
VI. Development, testing and issuing of a series of questions for parents of children with disabilities and preparation of a report on the results;
VII. Identification of key stakeholders (including parents) for consultation;
VIII. Facilitation of an Open Policy Debate with these stakeholders in conjunction with DCYA and DES.
I am very grateful to the National Disability Authority (NDA) for its assistance in managing this process on behalf of both Departments. The NDA has compiled a report of the evidence, the findings of the survey, and findings of the Open Policy Debate. This report has been received and is now being considered by the DCYA and the DES. I hope to be in a position to bring forward proposals in the very near future.
1160. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the cases of persons (details supplied) will be reviewed; the reason both children are not entitled to two free preschool years; if changes are proposed to legislation to deal with these cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36171/18]
View answerFrom September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months will be eligible for a full two programme years on the Early Childhood Care and Education programme (ECCE). This measure refines the development introduced last year and increases the duration of each registered child on ECCE from an average of 61 weeks, to a duration of 76 weeks or two complete programme years. This delivers fully on a commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government that is good for children, families and Early Years providers.
This minimum age was chosen based on national experience and a review of international practice. It also had regard to the regulatory environment for early years care and education in this country and issues such as child development readiness and adult-child ratios. The upper age limit for the ECCE programme will remain the same (i.e. a child is not eligible if they will be 5 years and 6 months before the end of the programme year).
In order for a child to be eligible to be enrolled for the ECCE 2018/2019 childcare programme to begin on 1st September 2018, they must have been born between 1st January 2014 and 31st December 2015, i.e. they must have reached 2 years and 8 months on or before 31 August 2018.
In the examples cited by the Deputy, these children born in January and March 2016 will not be able to commence their ECCE in September 2018 as they will not have reached the minimum age of 2 years and 8 months on or before 31st August 2018. However, they will be able to commence ECCE in September 2019, and if they decide to do so continue for a further year from September 2020, commencing school in September 2021 thus availing of the full 2 years.
Some families of children born around this time of the year may prefer for their children to start school at 4 rather than 5. These families may therefore opt for one year of ECCE only. This decision is entirely at the discretion of the parent(s) or guardian but it is important to reiterate that two full years of ECCE provision is available to all children.
In such circumstances, it should be noted that the new universal subsidy of up to €1,040 per year, is available to parents of children in registered childcare until the child is eligible for ECCE. Please see affordablechildcare.ie for more information.
1161. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if correspondence from a person (details supplied) has been received and examined; and if a response has been issued. [36283/18]
View answerI can confirm that the correspondence referred to by the Deputy was received in my Department on the 8th of August. While a number of issues raised in the letter fall to be dealt with by other Government Departments, I can inform the Deputy that an official in my Department contacted the correspondent by phone to discuss issues raised in the letter that fall under the remit of my Department. I can also confirm that a written response to the letter was issued on the 4th of September.
1162. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the positions in her Department and the organisations under its aegis that have arrangements in place for lo-call numbers or 1800, 1850 and 1890 telephone numbers for members of the public to contact her Department or organisations under its aegis; the number of these that are completely free to call for persons who use mobile telephones and may incur major bills telephoning such organisations; if the situation will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36393/18]
View answerMy Department does not currently utilise any lo-call or freephone numbers for members of the public to contact the Department directly.
While the use of such numbers by agencies or organisations under the remit of my Department is an operational matter, I can confirm that the Oberstown Children Detention Campus and the Adoption Authority of Ireland do not use lo-call or freephone contact numbers. Tusla has confirmed that its adoption services operate a lo-call 1890 number for information and tracing services.
The Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation has an 1800 free phone number in place which is free from a landline or mobile in the Republic of Ireland.
I have referred the question the Office of the Ombudsman for Children for direct reply to the Deputy.
1163. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the annual rental cost of buildings rented by her Department or organisations under its aegis at a location (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36431/18]
View answerThe Department of Children and Youth Affairs can confirm that the Department or any of the organisations under its aegis does not have any buildings rented at the location referred to by the Deputy.
1164. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of whole-time equivalent social work posts per Tusla region; the number of whole-time equivalent vacancies by region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36444/18]
View answer1170. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of unfilled vacant posts in Tusla by title; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36808/18]
View answer1171. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of social care workers hired in each of the years 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018; the number of social care workers who have left their positions in each of the years 2016, 2017 and to date in 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36809/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1164, 1170 and 1171 together.
The latest information requested by the Deputies is not readily available. My officials have requested the information from Tusla and I will forward the reply to the Deputies once I have been furnished with it.
The following deferred replies were received under Standing Order 42A
I refer to parliamentary question No. 36444/18 of, 7 September 2018, as advised in my response on 7 September, my officials requested the information Deputy Mitchell was seeking from Tusla as this was not readily available when responding to her question.
Tusla has since advised that there are currently a total of 1,442 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) Social Workers employed.
I am informed that the breakdown of Social Workers (Wit) by region is as follows:
|
Tusla CFA - Social Work WTE 31st July 2018 |
Social Work Reported July WTE |
|
Child Resident Service |
6.84 |
|
Corporate/Adoption |
108.23 |
|
Dublin Mid Leinster |
345.38 |
|
Dublin North East |
301.51 |
|
South |
341.54 |
|
West |
338.61 |
|
Total |
1442.11 |
Tusla has also advised that at 31/07/2018 there are 377 vacancies which are identified by region as follows:
|
Social Work Vacancies X Region |
DML |
DNE |
South |
West |
Grand Total |
|
Social Work Practitioner, Senior |
14 |
12 |
9 |
5 |
40 |
|
Social Worker |
78 |
101 |
56 |
46 |
281 |
|
Social Worker, Principal |
14 |
8 |
1 |
4 |
27 |
|
Social Worker, Team Leader |
11 |
12 |
3 |
3 |
29 |
|
Grand Total |
117 |
133 |
69 |
58 |
377 |
I am advised by Tusla that 202 are temporary posts to cover leave such as Maternity Leave, Special Leave Without Payment, Sick Leave and Carers Leave. Furthermore, I understand Tusla has 179 agency Social Workers deployed to ensure continuity of front-line services.
With regard to parliamentary questions Nos. 36808/18 and 36809/18 of 7 September 2018, as advised in my response on 7 September, my officials requested the information being sought by Deputy Broughan from Tusla as this was not readily available when responding to his question.
Since establishment in 2014, and despite significant recruitment activity, Tusla has increased its total whole time equivalent (WTE) staff by 366 (as at 31 July, 2018). As you are aware, Tusla is operating in a difficult recruitment environment. Also, I am informed that from January 2018 to 31 July, 2018, Tusla recruited 276 (WTE) staff, across all disciplines, however, in that same period 166 staff left the organisation.
Tusla has advised me that there are currently 938 vacancies, of which 114 are temporary posts to cover leave such as Maternity Leave, Special Leave Without Pay, Sick Leave and Caters Leave. I am informed that all vacancies arc at various stages of the recruitment process. Tusla Recruit has also created panels for the majority of its grades and will continue with plans to provide panels for all grades and supplement panels in 2018/2019. At the same time, Tusla has employed 494 agency workers to ensure continuity of service Tusla has provided the following table which outlines the breakdown of these posts by staff category:
|
Admin |
Education and Welfare Officers |
Family Support |
Management VIII+ |
Other Health Professionals |
Other Support Staff including catering |
Psychologists & Counsellors |
Social Care |
Social Work |
Total |
|
257 |
7 |
31 |
26 |
15 |
2 |
12 |
211 |
377 |
938 |
Tusla has also advised me that Social Care Workers who started and left their positions in 2016,2017 and as at 31/07/2018 are as follows:
|
Social Care Workers |
2016 |
2017 |
As at 31/07/2018 |
|
Starters |
55 |
70 |
60 |
|
Leavers (Incl. retirements) |
70 |
76 |
36 |
Tusla’s 2018 Business Plan and Recruitment Plan 2018 identifies activities to improve retention and build on initiatives commenced in 2016 such as Continuous Professional Development Strategy and National Transfer Policy, which will facilitate staff wishing to relocate to another part of the country within Tusla’s services. A Retention Study was also carried out in 2017 and, arising out of the Study, a Retention Steering Group has been established to plan and implement an integrated approach to retention throughout the organisation. Tusla expects that these initiatives will assist with retention and increase the attractiveness of Tusla as an employer.
I also look forward to receiving Tusla’s Multi-annual Strategic Workforce Plan later this year which will indicate the future composition of Tusla’s workforce for the coming years, given the resources and skills available in the market.
