Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 September 2022
297. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the social care needs of a group (details supplied) are being catered for; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46460/22]
View answerSince the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on 24 February, and the invoking of the temporary protection Directive by the European Union shortly afterwards, my Department has worked intensively as part of the cross-governmental response to the Ukraine crisis.
The operational challenges brought about by responding to the conflict are significant. Our country has never experienced an influx of displaced persons like the one that we have seen over the past months.
My Department’s role is focused on the immediate, short-term accommodation needs of those who have fled here. To date, more than 49,000 people have arrived in Ireland and in excess of 38,000 of those have been referred to this Department seeking accommodation from the State.
Overseeing provision of accommodation on this scale during this timeframe for all those who require it remains immensely challenging. Due to the urgent need to source accommodation, a broad range of accommodation types have been contracted, including emergency accommodation.
In sourcing and securing accommodation, the central consideration is the safety and security of the displaced people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
The Department of the Taoiseach is coordinating a cross-government response with each Department and relevant agency involved. Supports to those arriving and fleeing the war in Ukraine are coordinated at local level by the Community Forum.
Building on structures and relationships that were highly effective during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Response Forum enables all those involved to work together under the stewardship of the Local Authority. The role of the Community Response Forum is to provide a co-ordination point for the community and voluntary response in their area. Supplementing the supports and services being provided by government agencies at local level, the forum provides for communication and information sharing in the coordination of local community and voluntary actions in providing community supports to the new BOTP communities.
Through the efforts of local volunteers, community workers, public bodies and private sector contributions, many recent arrivals are being supported with basic needs such as clothing, access to the internet, transport, English classes and information on how to access local services such as childcare, healthcare and education.
Other areas of my Department are also actively supporting arrivals from Ukraine.
The Early Years Division in my Department has taken responsibility for a number of actions supporting Ukrainian parents and children, allowing them to access preschool and ensuring children’s well-being. These actions have included the development and translation of introductory information on the Irish early learning and care sector. A capacity analysis across the country identified vacant preschool places and work is ongoing to match children to the vacant places and to create additional early childhood care and education, ECCE, places, where possible, in areas of high demand. Information on the access and inclusion model for children with disabilities accessing preschool has been translated into Ukrainian and Russian.
Tusla has also put additional staff into its services around educational welfare too in order to support the work of linking students to school places.
Tusla has a significant role in the State's response to support individuals, particularly women and children, displaced from Ukraine as a result of the war and coming into Ireland. Tusla is committed to balancing the needs of families in a humanitarian crisis with its child protection responsibilities and requirement to support families and promote the welfare of children.
With regard to supports for children, Tusla has compiled a list of 116 community contact centres across the country. These are local family support services which are either provided directly by Tusla or Tusla-funded services.
As a country, we have responded well to assist those relocating to Ireland from the conflict in Ukraine. I and my officials will continue to assist Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection with the services within my remit, and to coordinate closely with other Departments and agencies in providing a whole of government response.
