Child and Family Agency Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 December 2018

Thursday, 13 December 2018

Questions (1)

Oral answers (8 contributions)

Acting Chairman (Deputy Eugene Murphy)

Good morning to the Minister, Deputies and officials of the House. I welcome you to another day and wish you a productive day's work on behalf of our citizens.

Our questions this morning are to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. I wish to point out that Deputies have 30 seconds to introduce a question and there will be two minutes for the Minister to respond. This will be followed by one supplementary question from the Deputy and a reply from the Minister. Then there will be a final supplementary question and a final reply from the Minister. Yesterday we had some issues with time. Today I am going to strictly stick to the times.

Anne Rabbitte

Question:

1. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to set out the status of the implementation of action 1.4 of the corporate plan of Tusla; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52613/18]

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

You can be assured, Acting Chairman, that all our questions will be on time. Leave it to the women and we will get through it quickly.

Will the Minister set out the status of the implementation of action 1.4 of the corporate plan of Tusla? Will she make a statement on the matter? This is to do with children and homelessness.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (Deputy Katherine Zappone)

I imagine the Deputy will join me in welcoming the children and young people to the Gallery this morning.

Action 1.4 of the Tusla corporate plan concerns several commitments to address specific issues for children and families experiencing homelessness or who are in emergency accommodation. The particular initiatives include co-operation in multi-agency responses, linkage of Tusla child and family support networks with family hubs and the provision of facilities in family resource centres.

Tusla works in partnership with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, DRHE, and is a key partner on several inter-agency groups. Bilateral meetings between the DRHE and Tusla take place monthly. Tusla supports one-stop-shop assessment centres being led by the DRHE. Tusla staff participate as required on issues involving child protection and welfare, educational welfare as well as domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services. A key role in co-ordinating this multi-agency response is played by the Tusla homelessness liaison officer.

While homelessness is not a reason for a referral to child protection services, there may be child protection or welfare concerns for some children. Work is under way to ensure effective identification, referral, tracking and service response processes for children and families experiencing homelessness. Tusla also undertakes visits to family hubs and emergency accommodation providers to ensure they are aware of their requirements under children first legislation and to clarify referral queries. Tusla has progressed plans for the linkage of child and family support networks with family hubs and other homeless accommodation, and this work will continue in 2019. Tusla is liaising with family resource centres to provide facilities where children can do their homework, receive nutritious food, avail of laundry facilities and receive family support services and other relevant supports. This model operates in Mulhuddart, Ballyfermot and Ballymun. Tusla plans to extend this service in 2019.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Eugene Murphy)

I will extend further time for the Minister to develop her points.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

I thank the Minister for her comprehensive response. We are talking about 4,000 children who are in emergency accommodation and who fall under the homelessness category. It is a staggering number of children. Yet, we talk about the multi-agency approach.

I am interested in hearing more about the Tusla liaison officer, visits to the family hubs and the referral and tracking system. How does the Minister drill down with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy? What co-operation is in place between her Department and his Department in getting behind the county councils? How are we supporting the county councils and the social work teams within the county councils? I imagine the situation elsewhere is no different from my council. On Friday afternoon hard cases present to the staff there and they have to try to make decisions or put in place a pathway. I am keen to know more about this linkage with the office of the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, the liaison person within Tusla and how many visits are taking place in hubs.

Deputy Katherine Zappone

I acknowledge the number of children in emergency accommodation. I carry an awareness of that with me each day. I have visited several hubs not only in my constituency but in other places as well.

Deputy Rabbitte's question is important. It spurs me and provides motivation to have ongoing communication with the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy. Some of the things happening relating to children in emergency accommodation are because of our conversations and working together.

In line with the Tusla business plan for 2018 the agency has established the position of the homeless liaison officer. The position facilitates planning, co-ordination and integration of services with other bodies and agencies which are working with families. Since taking up the position in June of 2018, the officer has been involved in several initiatives, including meeting with several children and young people service committee co-ordinators to get an overview of their current work with homeless children and families. Tusla is also establishing an internal forum of senior child protection, harm prevention partnership and family support staff. The forum will be led by the homeless liaison officer to ensure effective identification, referral, tracking and service response, all of which Deputy Rabbitte asked about.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

Recently, Dr. Geoffrey Shannon, the special rapporteur on children, called for stronger action on child homelessness. He outlined several ways in which the rights of the child are being affected by the problem of homelessness. He referred to children's education being compromised, their ability to play being reduced and how their physical and emotional well-being is being damaged. I imagine the Minister would agree with all of that.

I am curious to know one thing. The Minister referred to the Tusla liaison officer. How many do we have in place nationally supporting the good work envisaged by the Tusla corporate plan? I am interesting in hearing about that. What measures is Tusla taking to ensure that children's education is not compromised? That is one point that comes across all briefings. The parent wants to keep the child either in the childcare facility or in education. I know the Minister provided bus passes to ensure that children could attend their local educational facility. It is really about Dr. Geoffrey Shannon.

Deputy Katherine Zappone

I was pleased to present the excellent report of the special rapporteur, Dr. Geoffrey Shannon, to the Cabinet in the past week.

Deputy Rabbitte asked about the homeless liaison officer. One is undertaking individual visits to family hubs and emergency accommodation providers to ensure they are aware of the requirements of the Children First legislation. The position involves networking, oversight, mapping and feeding in to the other work under way in supporting children in emergency accommodation.

Deputy Rabbitte asked about the educational aspect of this issue. Tusla is involved. The educational welfare service is involved specifically in supporting children in emergency accommodation. I have asked those responsible in Tusla to be specifically attentive to that. Tusla is providing several supports to children and families experiencing homelessness. The school completion programme is placing particular emphasis on children from homeless families to help them to continue with full participation in school. There is concerted effort in the context of the education and welfare service on programmes that operate in Tusla to ensure the agency is attentive to the children who are homeless.