Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 March 2022
396. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the vulnerability assessment process for linking international protection applicants to healthcare services and supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12876/22]
View answerThank you for your question, Deputy. As your question relates to the vulnerability assessment (VA) process for linking international protection applicants to healthcare services and supports, I would like to inform you about stage 2 of the VA process.
As you may know Deputy, Stage 2 VAs are carried out following a referral from a possible vulnerability being identified in a Stage 1 VA, the screening process to determine if an applicant is vulnerable or not.
Stage 2 VAs are conducted by social workers in the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) who embrace an evidenced-based approach to screening and assessment.
Stage 2 VAs seek to refer anyone with identified significant vulnerability/needs to access comparable services to that of the Irish population. The referrals include, among other services, non-governmental organisations such as Peter McVerry Trust, Health Service Executive services including paediatric, mental health, primary care services, specialist services such as Ruhama and Spirasi, and education including TUSLA Education Support Services.
Furthermore, in cases where children are concerned, the guiding principle is the best interests of the child in all decisions that affect them as required by the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, in particular Article 3 on the best interests of the child, and Article 22 on the special protection needs of refugee children.
IPAS social workers carry out Stage 2 VAs for children who are accompanied by their parents/guardians. Unaccompanied minors seeking international protection are the responsibility of the Child and Family Agency, TUSLA.
Importantly, Stage 2 VAs identify and respond to the impact of trauma by referring to specialist services such as Spirasi, as well as ensuring that appropriate follow-up assessments and intervention are undertaken.
Stage 2 VAs make recommendations in relation to accommodation needs. IPAS endeavour to accommodate the needs of international protection applicants who have been deemed vulnerable within the meaning of the reception conditions directive in so far as possible, and to take all appropriate actions required to address those needs.
It is the policy of IPAS to consider any identified vulnerabilities in allocating accommodation to applicants, within the overall constraints of the accommodation available. This means that it is not always possible for IPAS to address all identified vulnerabilities optimally when allocating accommodation. However, where possible, IPAS will improve the alignment between accommodation and vulnerabilities as more appropriate accommodation becomes available.
