Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 September 2018
26. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she is satisfied with the progress made by Tusla with regard to failings identified in the 14 June 2018, HIQA report which included issues such as record keeping, the development of safety plans for children and the handling of allegations, including those made by adults regarding abuse suffered as a child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37917/18]
View answerI understand that the Deputy is referring to the report of the Statutory Investigation into the management of allegations of child sexual abuse against adults of concern by Tusla, which I directed HIQA to undertake, and which was published in June of this year.
I can inform the Deputy that I am satisfied with the progress made by Tusla to date.
Tusla has developed a time bound action plan, as required by recommendation one of the report, to address all areas of non-compliance with National Standards for the Protection and Welfare of Children identified by HIQA, and all recommendations made throughout the report. This includes actions to address the issues raised by the Deputy. Specifically, a records management policy and a module for the National Child Care Information System will be developed to address deficits in record keeping. Safety planning and retrospective cases will be formalised, the terms will be defined and new processes will be implemented throughout the service. A revised policy on managing allegations, including retrospective allegations of abuse, will be implemented nationally.
The report also recommends the establishment of an Expert Assurance Group to support and advise Tusla and my Department on the implementation of the recommendations in the report.
I am pleased to report that I have established this Expert Assurance Group, which is chaired by Dr Moling Ryan. The members of the group have governance, social work, HR, child protection and legal expertise. The group has met and terms of reference are agreed. The group will continue to meet monthly and will formally consider Tusla's progress in implementing its action plan.
My Department will continue to work with Tusla and to support the Expert Assurance Group to progress and monitor the implementation of the recommendations of this important report.
