Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 July 2021
395. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which he has plans to expand or improve facilities for children with particular reference to children at risk or potentially at risk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36470/21]
View answerThank you for your question. My department and the agencies under it's remit are continuously looking to improve services and facilities available to children, especially vulnerable children.
For 2021, I increased the allocation to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, to a total of €878m, an increase of €61m over 2020 (€817m).
The additional resources will allow Tusla to:
- Continue work to reduce the number of children awaiting the allocation of a social worker (reduce number of unallocated cases),
- Address significant demand led cost pressures in residential care,
- Provide care and protection through quality services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender based violence,
- Continue to improve organisational and service performance to achieve better outcomes for vulnerable children, young people and their families,
- Support Tusla to meet commitments to transfer additional separated children to Ireland as quickly as possible,
- Manage and safeguard records following their transfer from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes to the Child and Family Agency (Tusla),
- Improve and embed robust processes to adhere to GDPR regulations and address the Data Protection Commissioner’s concerns.
- Increase capital investment to support Tusla services, and advance the Agency’s Estates Strategy
Tusla’s annual Business Plan 2021 outlines funding allocations and key priorities for 2021. including:
- An additional 100 front-line staff
- Further support for DSGBV services
- Increased funding for, and ability to take in more children under the refugee programmes
- Support for additional Tusla residential services
- Funding to address new developments in the areas of ICT, GDPR, Organisation Reform and to facilitate the transfer of mother-and-baby home records to Tusla
As well as it business plan, Tusla has released it's three year corporate plan covering 2021- 2023.
Tusla's strategic goals and key objectives over 2021 - 2023 include:
- Ensuring children, young people, families and communities receive a consistent, quality and integrated response from all Tusla services
- Delivering an independent regulatory service focused on the safety and wellbeing of children and young people through continuous improvement and partnership with stakeholders
- Ensure that Tusla staff and leaders are supported and empowered to continuously learn and improve so that children, families and communities benefit from their service
- Ensure our local teams and services are facilitated and supported by national systems and resources that promote integration and accountability
More information on the progressive targets and initiatives in the corporate plan can be found here:
opac.oireachtas.ie/Data/Library3/Documents%20Laid/2021/pdf/CEDIYdocslaid130521_130521_142550.pdf
In addition to the work Tusla undertakes my Department also has numerous initiatives enacted to monitor and improve the welfare of children. For example, Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures (BOBF), the first overarching national policy framework for children and young people (aged 0-24 years). Almost all policy areas have a direct or indirect effect on children and young people’s lives. The purpose of this framework was to coordinate policy across Government to achieve better outcomes. A follow on to the good work of BOBF is being derived at the moment.
