Written Answers Nos. 472-488
472. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will received their approved home support package; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32587/23]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
473. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to respond to concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32606/23]
View answerAs the query relates to service matters, I am referring it to the HSE for direct response to the Deputy.
474. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what measures will be taken to better protect young people in State care from sexual exploitation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32631/23]
View answer522. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what measures his Department will take to better resource the State care system to protect minors in State care from sexual exploitation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32632/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 474 and 522 together.
Children in the care of the State are some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and my Department are committed to promoting safe and high quality practice in all areas of Alternative Care.
In 2021 Tusla implemented its Child Exploitation Procedure in partnership with An Garda Síochána, which provides Tusla staff and carers with information on how to recognise indicators of child sexual exploitation, how to make appropriate referrals and how to respond to cases where children may be at risk of sexual exploitation;
All staff in childrens' residential centres have undergone Children First training which provides guidance for the protection and welfare of children. This training assists staff to assess the children in their care and to act in the appropriate manner if concerns arise;
The joint working protocol between Tusla and An Garda Síochána forms a critical part of the response to child abuse and neglect, and particularly in relation to child sexual exploitation. There are regular meetings by Tusla local area and also by Tusla’s national children’s residential service with An Garda Síochana in respect of child sexual exploitation referrals.
Additionally, Tusla has established an anti-trafficking working group in readiness for the Department of Justice, National Action Plan for Human Trafficking which includes the area of child sexual exploitation. My Department has also recently established jointly with Tusla a working group looking at institutional and organisational abuse. This work is ongoing, including reviewing criteria for definition of such abuse and reviewing further supports and guidance for staff around any potential indicators of child sexual exploitation of children in State care.
My Department is also leading an inter-departmental group on the national implementation of Barnahus which is a multi-agency approach to the provision of intervention and services to children subject to child sexual abuse. A pilot has been operational in Barnahus West (Galway) for the past number of years with additional centres planned to be established in the east and south of the country.
More generally, the Child Care Act 1991 is the statutory framework for child welfare and protection in Ireland. The legislation places a statutory duty on Tusla to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. It sets the legislative provisions in relation to taking children into care, and the responsibilities of the Sate in that regard, which aim to improve outcomes for looked after children.
The placement of children in Residential Care is governed by the National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres 2018, and underpinned by the Child Care (Placement in Residential Care) Regulation 1995, and the Child Care (Standards in Children’s Residential Centres) 1996. Similar frameworks of standards and regulations also exist in relation to foster care and special care. All settings are inspected against the relevant standards and regulations.
As budget holder for Tusla’s core annual funding budget, my Department co-ordinates and submits an Estimates bid to the Department of Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. Tusla develops and submits a detailed Estimates bid, in its bid Tusla includes any estimated requirements for funding to enhance existing services to meet current and expected demand, or for new developments in services, should funding be available.
My Department will work closely with Tusla in the coming weeks and months to identify areas that are priorities for investment across the broad range of services that Tusla deliver.
475. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide in tabular form the number of children waiting to be seen by children's disability network teams in counties Roscommon and Galway. [32777/23]
View answerAs this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
476. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a detailed timeline of the planned delivery of a neurorehabilitation centre for CHO 6; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32811/23]
View answerAs the query relates to service matters, I am referring it to the HSE for direct response to the Deputy.
477. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for the up-to-date outline of predicted staff levels and specialities needed for the planned neurorehabilitation centre for CHO 6; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32812/23]
View answerAs the query relates to service matters, I am referring it to the HSE for direct response to the Deputy.
478. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason there are only six members of the community neurorehabilitation team in CHO 3 despite the recommended staffing number being 13; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32846/23]
View answerAs the query relates to service matters, I am referring it to the HSE for direct response to the Deputy.
479. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware of any assistance available to childcare providers or summer camp operators, or directly to parents, for children with additional needs who receive supports in school and who wish to access after-school, childcare or summer camps during school holiday periods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32027/23]
View answerThe Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme and reap the benefits of quality early learning and care.
All hours of early learning and childcare and school aged care accessed outside of the ECCE programme hours - either within term or out of term (i.e. during the summer months) - may be subsidised by the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) for a maximum of 45 hours per week.
Furthermore one of the commitments in First 5, A Government Strategy for Babies and Children, is to undertake an end of Three-Year Evaluation of AIM. That evaluation has been undertaken and the draft report has been reviewed by the Cross Sectoral Implementation Group (CSIG), with the final report due to be published later this year.
Subject to evaluation findings and other relevant developments, we will be considering potential enhancements to, and/or extensions of AIM including expanding to children of school-going age who require childcare in after school.
My Department does not have policy responsibility for summer activities that may be organised by local communities or are provided through the private sector. Funding from the Department's Youth Division is to youth groups and clubs around the country, some of which will operate in the summer months.
480. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of unfilled positions for speech and language therapists in each of the community disability network teams in CHO 5, broken down by area. [32032/23]
View answer481. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of unfilled positions for occupational therapists in each of the community disability network teams in CHO 5, broken down by area. [32033/23]
View answer482. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of unfilled positions for physiotherapists in each of the community disability network teams in CHO 5, broken down by area. [32034/23]
View answer483. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of unfilled positions for psychologists in each of the community disability network teams in CHO 5, broken down by area. [32035/23]
View answer484. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of filled clerical and administrative posts in each of the community disability network teams in CHO 5, broken down by area. [32036/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 480, 481, 482, 483 and 484 together.
As this refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
485. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will re-examine the decision not to grant an earlier date of payment for a core funding application for a childcare service provider (details supplied) given the circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32092/23]
View answerThe Core Funding programme year began on 15 September 2022, underpinned by the commencement of Employment Regulation Orders for the sector. The service in question completed the first stage of their application on 26 August and submitted their Core Funding Application Module and contracted for Core Funding on 13 October 2022, and was paid from that date forward. After contracting for Core Funding on 13 October, the service contacted Pobal to request backdated payments in respect of the 4 weeks from the beginning of the programme year on 15 September.
Backdating payments prior to the contracting date were only considered in cases of delayed application where there was documented evidence that the issue had been raised in advance with Pobal. In this case, as the service provider did not make any contact with Pobal during the period between 26 August and 13 October, backdated payments were not awarded. Decisions on backdating payments are underpinned by an audit trail of contact between the provider and Pobal’s Early Years Providers Centre. Decisions on backdating of Core Funding payments are final.
If the service is experiencing any financial difficulty, they are encouraged to contact their local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) who can provide case management supports.
486. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to confirm that a child (details supplied) who will be two years, seven months and three weeks in September 2024 will be available to avail of the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme in September 2024 as he will be only seven days short of the criterion of being two years and eight months of age under the ECCE guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32136/23]
View answerThe Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme is a universal two year pre-school programme available to all children within the eligible age range. A child must have reached 2 years and 8 months of age on or prior to 31 August of the relevant programme year to be eligible.
Children born between January and December 2022 are eligible to begin ECCE in September 2025 and avail of a second year in September 2026. There are no exceptions to the eligible start dates however It is important to note that all children are eligible for 2 years of free pre-school under the ECCE programme.
In order to ensure objectivity and fairness, it is essential that clear rules exist for the scheme and that they are applied evenly. I accept that the use of age limits in a scheme such as ECCE creates a situation whereby a child can fall just outside the age range, however, my Department have to place an age cut-off at some point, and in the interests of fairness and consistency there can be no discretion in this regard.
I have appointed Stranmillis University College, Belfast to undertake an independent review of the ECCE programme. The review will assess whether the ECCE Programme is meeting its core objectives and will identify any changes or improvements that can be made to the Programme, based on international evidence and experience to date. The final report is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. I will then consider the review fully and consider any policy changes that may need to be made to the programme.
487. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to confirm what action his Department will take following reports that teenage girls in the care of the State are being targeted and sexually exploited by co-ordinated gangs of predatory men, according to a new study (details supplied) which calls for an immediate investigation into the problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32138/23]
View answerChildren in the care of the State are some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and my Department are committed to promoting safe and high quality practice in all areas of Alternative Care.
The issues raised in the recently published University College Dublin report in relation to the potential sexual exploitation of children are concerning. My Department and Tusla continue to progress a number of key developments in this area:
In 2021 Tusla implemented its Child Exploitation Procedure in partnership with An Garda Síochána, which provides Tusla staff and carers with information on how to recognise indicators of child sexual exploitation, how to make appropriate referrals and how to respond to cases where children may be at risk of sexual exploitation;
All staff in childrens' residential centres have undergone Children First training which provides guidance for the protection and welfare of children, this training assists staff to assess the children in their care and to act in the appropriate manner if concerns arise;
The joint working protocol between Tusla and An Garda Síochána forms a critical part of the response to child abuse and neglect, and particularly in relation to child sexual exploitation. There are regular meetings by Tusla local area and also by Tusla’s national children’s residential service with An Garda Síochana in respect of child sexual exploitation referrals.
Additionally, Tusla has established an anti-trafficking working group in readiness for the Department of Justice, National Action Plan for Human Trafficking which includes the area of child sexual exploitation.
My Department has also recently established jointly with Tusla a working group looking at institutional and organisational abuse. This work is ongoing, including reviewing criteria for definition of such abuse and reviewing further supports and guidance for staff around any potential indicators of child sexual exploitation of children in State care.
My Department is also leading an inter-departmental group on the national implementation of Barnahus which is a multi-agency approach to the provision of intervention and services to children subject to child sexual abuse. A pilot has been operational in Barnahus West (Galway) for the past number of years with additional centres planned to be established in the east and south of the country.
In addition, the Child Care Act 1991 is the statutory framework for child welfare and protection in Ireland. The legislation places a statutory duty on Tusla to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. It sets the legislative provisions in relation to taking children into care, and the responsibilities of the Sate in that regard, which aim to improve outcomes for looked after children.
The placement of children in Residential Care is governed by the National Standards for Children’s Residential Centres 2018, and underpinned by the Child Care (Placement in Residential Care) Regulation 1995, and the Child Care (Standards in Children’s Residential Centres) 1996. Similar frameworks of standards and regulations also exist in relation to foster care and special care. All settings are inspected against the relevant standards and regulations.
Finally, in relation to responding to the UCD study, my Department will ask Tusla to liaise with An Garda Síochána in relation to the issues raised in the study’s findings. In addition, my Department will continue to work closely with Tusla's senior management team on the safeguarding framework for all children in care, including in residential care, to ensure that the framework continues to be sufficiently robust to protect children from evolving risks.
488. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when she was made aware that the 24-hour security presence at a location (details supplied) had ceased; if the cessation of security cover is a fundamental breach of the contract that the State has with the facility; if he has investigated allegations that the security staff who were on site may not have had full security licences and were paid cash for their services; how he proposes to resolve the issues outlined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32145/23]
View answer489. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware that the bus service to and from a location (details supplied) has allegedly ceased; if the cessation of this bus service is a fundamental breach of the contract the State has with the facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32146/23]
View answer510. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if officials from his Department and International Protection Accommodation Services are satisfied that an accommodation centre (details supplied) has a properly functioning wastewater treatment system and adequate fire control measures in place that allow for the entire complex, both the main building and adjacent bungalows, to be fully utilised; if he will provide an overview of any remedial works undertaken to address these matters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32439/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 488, 489 and 510 together.
The International Protection Procurement Service (IPPS) have sought clarity regarding the matters outlined in your question.
IPPS have confirmed that there is a regular bus service running from the centre to Ennis each day. Further transport needs for residents are accommodated as necessary.
With respect to security in the centre, there are three fully licenced security guards on site covering periods from 9am to 1am with a night porter on site from 1am to 9am. The IPPS can confirm that the company is paying its security staff employed in the property through the company's payroll system.
The complex does have a correctly functioning wastewater treatment system and an independent contractor has been contracted to maintain the system onsite to ensure its effective functioning.
There are standard fire control measures in place for the bungalows and the entire complex, and the Department continues to engage with the appropriate fire certification authorities to ensure fire certification is up to date.
I trust this clarifies the matters raised.
