Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2023
97. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what engagement he has had with staff representatives in the CDNT sector in terms of pay and conditions [32058/23]
View answerMy Department recognises that many organisations funded under Section 39 are experiencing challenges in the recruitment and retention of staff. These challenges are mirrored in many of the health and social care professions across the State. The sustainability of the sector who deliver valuable services through their staff on our behalf is a concern for both the Department and the Health Service Executive (HSE).
Children’s disability services in the Republic of Ireland have been reconfigured into 91 Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) to provide services on an equitable basis for all children with complex needs arising from their disability, regardless of where they live or what type of disability they have.
A Children’s Disability Network Team is a team of health and social care professionals supported by administration staff, who provide services for children with complex needs in a specific geographical area. Each team is led by a children’s disability network manager on behalf of a Lead Agency which can be the HSE or a Section 38 or 39 provider. Out of the 91 teams in place nationally, the HSE are the lead agency for 41 teams, while the remaining 50 are led by 11 different providers. This is an illustration of the absolutely crucial role played by section 38 and 39 providers and their staff in the delivery of children’s disability services.
Notwithstanding that the employees of Section 39 organisation are private sector employees with no employment relationship with the HSE, Tusla or my Department, a process of engagement to examine the pay of workers in community and voluntary organisations was committed to by the Government in October last year and we remain fully committed to the process.
Prior to the summer recess I intend to bring proposals to Government, jointly with the Minister for Health, seeking to effectively support section 39 and section 56 service providers to address the staff recruitment and retention issues currently affecting the sustainable provision of services by these organisations.
In terms of ongoing engagement, I also want to highlight to role of the Dialogue Forum with Voluntary Organisations was established in 2019 by the then Minister for Health with the aim of building a stronger working relationship between the State and the voluntary healthcare sector for the benefit of patients and service users. The Forum facilitates regular dialogue with the voluntary sector on future policy and strategic developments. The Forum recently developed and agreed a set of Partnership Principles. These provide the foundation for the future relationship between the State and the voluntary sector and demonstrate a shared commitment to strengthening this relationship.
