Written Answers Nos. 104-122
104. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps being taken to support and ensure adequate staffing of children's disability network teams; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31579/23]
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.
105. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if consideration is being given during the process ahead of Budget 24 to the issues of wages and job progression in the childcare sector; if consideration is being given as to how costs can be reduced for parents in the same context; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32457/23]
View answerAs early learning and childcare services are private businesses, the State is not the employer. As a result, my Department cannot set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector.
My Department has provided a range of supports to service providers to enable them to improve wages and working conditions. In particular, there is now, through the independent Joint Labour Committee process, a formal mechanism by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate pay rates.
With effect from the 15th September 2022, two new Employment Regulation Orders for Early Years Services negotiated through the JLC came into effect, which provide for minimum hourly rates of pay for different roles.
The Orders are supported by Core Funding, which has an allocation of €259 million in its first year, to support improvements in staff wages, alongside a commitment to freeze parental fees and sustainability of services. As announced in Budget 2023, the Core Funding allocation will increase by €28 million for the second year, which runs to summer 2024. I understand the JLC is continuing to meet to discuss possible changes to the EROs.
I am also committed to addressing other challenges which may impact on recruitment and retention of staff. In 2021, I published Nurturing Skills, the Workforce Plan for the sector. This Plan includes specific actions for moving to a graduate-led workforce by 2028, establishing a career framework for staff, and strengthening career pathways.
My Department has made a number of recent enhancements to the National Childcare Scheme to reduce the cost of early learning and childcare for parents. These include:
• Removal of the practice of deducting hours spent in pre-school or school from NCS awards, meaning that parents are able to use their full awarded subsidised NCS hours regardless of whether their children are in pre-school or school.
• Increase in the upper age eligibility for the NCS universal subsidy from 3 years to all children under 15 years.
• An increase in the NCS minimum subsidy from €0.50 to €1.40 per hour.
The NCS is specifically designed to allow for rapid changes to subsidies, income thresholds and certain other eligibility criteria as Government decisions are made and Exchequer funding becomes available.
Any further changes to Core Funding, the NCS or other funding schemes will be considered as part of Budget 2024.
106. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to improve access to personal assistant hours this year; if there are plans to improve national standards for allocation, provision and data collection for a full evaluation of the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32322/23]
View answerThe Personal Assistant (PA) service was developed to provide a service for adults with physical disabilities that enables them to live their lives as independently as possible and take decision making control. The person with the disability either directly employs the PA or is involved in the process of selecting the PA to work with them. The person with the disability determines the support they need and the activities they need support with. PA and Home Support Services are provided either directly by the HSE or through a range of voluntary service providers.
In accordance with the National Service Plan 2023, the HSE will deliver an additional 70,370 personal assistant hours to expand and enhance the supports for people to live self-directed lives in the community.
The HSE have advised that they are establishing a Working Group to address issues in PA services, which will develop a model of service, scope and access criteria. This group will include representatives of the primary stakeholders including disabled people.
As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
108. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps being taken to ensure recruitment and retention of staff in the disability sector, particularly in section 39 organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32070/23]
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).
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.
109. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on disability services for children in both Cavan and Monaghan; if there are plans to increase services in these counties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32504/23]
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.
110. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the Autism Innovation Oversight and Advisory Group; when the next public consultation to finalise the Autism Innovation Strategy will take place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32245/23]
View answerThe Programme for Government contains a commitment to action on autism. The development of a new national strategy, the Autism Innovation Strategy, is currently underway. This is an important priority for me as Minister of State.
The Autism Innovation Strategy will aim to identify ways to address the bespoke challenges faced by Autistic people and provide the building blocks for a more autism-inclusive society.
A number of steps have been taken to progress development of the strategy and I have been very clear that I want the Autistic community to be at the centre of this process. This has included the appointment of the Autism Innovation Strategy Oversight and Advisory Group, following an application process.
This group, which is majority neurodiverse, will play a key role in monitoring implementation of the strategy, and in providing constructive advice based on the lived experience and expertise of group members.
The group was formally appointed and met for the first time in December 2022 and subsequently in April 2023. I was delighted to chair these meetings. Further meetings will be arranged as the development of the strategy progresses.
An initial public consultation was held in April/May 2022 to capture the views and priorities of the Autistic community. A report summarising the feedback received was published in April 2023. This is being carefully considered as part of the drafting process for the strategy.
Attention has now turned to drafting of the strategy. My Department is engaging in bilateral negotiations across Government to identify actions in the strategy. The focus is on identifying autism specific actions that can make a meaningful difference to people’s daily lives within the 12-18 month time frame of the strategy.
It is my intention to convene a further public consultation later in 2023. This will give all interested stakeholders a further opportunity to have their say on the strategy prior to its finalisation.
111. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on the progress of the Neuro-Rehabilitation Strategy Implementation Framework; an update on the two demonstrator projects within CHO6 and CHO7 to assess the feasibility of the model to inform national roll-out and how these will provide learnings for the expansion of the service across the country; an estimated timeline of when a full national roll-out will occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32246/23]
View answerThe Programme for Government – 'Our Shared Future’ - includes a commitment to advancing neuro-rehabilitation services in the community.
The Health Service Executive is leading on the implementation framework in respect of the recommendations of the National Policy and Strategy for the provision of Neuro-Rehabilitation Services in Ireland 2011-2015.
The Neuro-Rehabilitation Strategy Implementation Framework (IF) was launched in February 2019. The aim of the Strategy is the development of neuro-rehabilitation services to improve patient outcomes by providing safe, high quality, person-centred neuro-rehabilitation at the lowest appropriate level of complexity.
This must be integrated across the care pathway and provided as close to home as possible or in specialist centres where necessary. These services are to be configured into population based managed clinical rehabilitation networks (MCRNs).
The overarching aim is the development of these networks around the country.
In order to test the feasibility of this new MCRN model in the Irish context, a decision was made by the Neuro-Rehab Steering Group to run two demonstrator projects within CHO6 and CHO7 to assess the feasibility of the model to inform national roll-out.
The recruitment process within CHO6 and CHO7 is well advanced and teams are planned to be operational in Q4 2023.
Moving forward with the strategy, the plan will be to roll out these services on a national basis.
112. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps being taken to support the provision of allied health services to children with a disability within the community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31578/23]
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.
113. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if exit interviews were being carried out with those leaving Community Disability Network Teams in CHO 7; the results of these interviews; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32506/23]
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.
114. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the return of therapists to special schools in Cork. [31631/23]
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.
115. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to a study (details supplied) which expressed concerns over the sexual exploitation of children in care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32081/23]
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.
My Department was informed of the recent report by University College Dublin, entitled ‘Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young People in Ireland’ on the day prior to its publication. The issues raised in the 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 these 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 Síochána 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.
Finally, in relation to responding to the UCD study, my Department will seek a response from Tusla to the issues raised in the report. In addition, my Department will ask Tusla to liaise with An Gardaí Síochána in relation to the issues raised in the study’s findings. 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.
116. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide details on the €700,000 in dormant accounts funding to Tusla; what this funding will be used for; what organisations will benefit from this funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32244/23]
View answerI recently announced the allocation of €700,000 in Dormant Accounts funding for Tusla to fund additional counselling and therapy supports for children and young people.
This funding will help address unmet need and reduce waiting lists for community-based counselling services.
Community and voluntary organisations which are existing service providers under Tusla’s Family Support Services Counselling funding programme were invited to apply for this funding. 37 organisations were awarded funding following an assessment process. A list of the organisations and details of the funding allocations can be found here:
|
Organisation |
Address 2 |
County |
Total Granted |
|
Barnardos Children's Bereavement |
Dublin |
Dublin 8 |
€ 25,000 |
|
BEACON OF LIGHT COUNSELLING CENTRE |
Neilstown |
Dublin 22 |
€ 20,000 |
|
BRIDGETOWN SCP |
Bridgetown |
Co Wexford |
€ 8,000 |
|
CANDLE COMMUNITY TRUST |
Lynch's Lane, Ballyfermot |
Dublin 10 |
€ 10,000 |
|
CARLOW REGIONAL YOUTH SERVICE |
Athy Road |
Carlow |
€ 30,000 |
|
CARP KILLINARDEN |
Tallaght |
Dublin 24 |
€ 30,000 |
|
CARRICK-ON-SHANNON FAMILY LIFE CENTRE |
Old Dublin Road |
Co Leitrim |
€ 20,000 |
|
CLANWILLIAM INSTITUTE |
Grand Canal Quay |
Dublin 2 |
€ 21,000 |
|
CLARECARE |
Ennis |
Co Clare |
€ 25,000 |
|
CO WICKLOW COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP |
Bridgewater Centre |
Co Wicklow |
€ 20,000 |
|
CORK COUNSELLING SERVICES LTD |
Cork City |
Cork |
€ 20,000 |
|
Curam Clainne LG T/A The Family Centre |
Castlebar |
Mayo |
€ 25,000 |
|
DEANSRATH FAMILY CENTRE |
St Cuthberts Road, Clondalkin |
Dublin 22 |
€ 20,000 |
|
DONEGAL YOUTH SERVICE |
Letterkenny |
Co Donegal |
€ 25,000 |
|
DORAS BUI |
Bunratty Drive |
Dublin 17 |
€ 5,000 |
|
DUNDALK COUNSELLING CENTRE |
Dundalk |
Co Louth |
€ 25,000 |
|
EAST CLARE COMMUNITY CO-OP |
Scariff |
Co Clare |
€ 8,000 |
|
ENNIS SCHOOL COMPLETION PROGRAMME |
Harmony Row |
Co Clare |
€ 7,000 |
|
FERNS YOUTH WORK IRELAND |
Wexford Town |
Wexford |
€ 20,000 |
|
FOROIGE DRUM YOUTH PROJECT & CAFÉ |
Mac Donagh Junction Shopping Centre |
Kilkenny |
€ 5,000 |
|
IRISH SUDDEN INFANT DEATH ASSOCIATION |
4 North Brunswick St |
Dublin 7 |
€ 30,000 |
|
ISPCC |
Dublin |
Dublin 2 |
€ 3,000 |
|
KERRY FAMILY RESOURCE & COUNSELLING SERVICES |
Tralee |
Co Kerry |
€ 25,000 |
|
KNOCK COUNSELLING CENTRE |
Knock |
Co Mayo |
€ 25,000 |
|
LIFELINE INISHOWEN |
Carndonagh, Inishowen |
Co Donegal |
€ 10,000 |
|
MEATH SPRINGBOARD |
Flowerhill, Navan |
Co Meath |
€ 15,000 |
|
NO. 4 YOUTH SERVICES |
4 St Augustine St, Galway City |
Galway |
€ 7,000 |
|
OFFALY TRAVELLER MOVEMENT |
St. Mel's Road |
Co Offaly |
€ 10,000 |
|
PASTORAL CENTRE LETTERKENNY |
Monastery Avenue |
Co Donegal |
€ 10,000 |
|
PIETA HOUSE |
Greenhills Road |
Dublin 24 |
€ 20,000 |
|
RAINBOWS IRELAND |
Crumlin Road |
Dublin 12 |
€ 35,000 |
|
SOUTHWEST COUNSELLING CENTRE |
Killarney |
Co Kerry |
€ 30,000 |
|
ST MICHAELS FAMILY LIFE CTR |
Sligo Town |
Sligo |
€ 15,000 |
|
TEMPLEMORE COMMUNITY SERVICES CENTRE LTD |
Templemore |
Co Tipperary |
€ 20,000 |
|
THE BLUEBOX CREATIVE LEARNING CENTRE |
Roxboro Road |
Limerick |
€ 30,000 |
|
THE CARI FOUNDATION |
Drumcondra |
Dublin 9 |
€ 16,000 |
|
VITA HOUSE |
Roscommon Town |
Roscommon |
€ 30,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
€ 700,000 |
117. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which Tusla can intervene in all situations where concerns have been raised regarding the health and welfare of a child; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32522/23]
View answerUnder the Child Care Act 1991 Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is the statutory body with responsibility to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection.
The Act is the key piece of Legislation whereby the State, as a last resort and for the common good, may intervene to take the place of parents as provided for under Article 42A.2.1 of the Constitution. Tusla can also apply to the court under the 1991 Child Care Act for a number of different orders when it believes that children are at risk or in need of care.
These orders give the courts a range of powers including decision-making regarding the type of care necessary and access to the child or children for parents and other relatives. In such cases, the Court has the power to direct Tusla regarding the care of the child. Under this Act, the Court must regard the best interests of the child as the paramount consideration.
If I or my officials become aware of a situation in which a child is considered to be at risk, that concern is communicated to Tusla as a matter of urgency. Children First legislation (2017) also places an obligation on all professionals working with children as mandated reporter under this Legislation to report any suspected child protection concern , be it physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect to either Tusla or an Garda Síochána.
If a child appears to be at risk of harm or neglect, concerns should be reported to Tusla. Anyone can report concerns about a child to Tusla, and information on how to do so is available on its website. If a child is at immediate risk or danger, An Garda Síochána should be alerted without delay
Children who are at immediate risk may be dealt with initially by An Garda Síochána or Tusla but, in the main, both agencies work together on such cases. Tusla has an out-of-hours emergency number that provides advice to An Garda Síochána based on the circumstances and can identify where a child is listed on the child protection notification system. Tusla has a network of emergency foster care placements for children in need of emergency care out of hours.
118. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has examined ways of reducing the level of bureaucracy associated with the National Childcare Scheme for both families and childcare service providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32400/23]
View answerGiven the large amount of public money that is used in funding the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), there needs to be an appropriate level of oversight and accountability. Ensuring that this money is properly accounted for and that as many children as possible benefit from it is a key responsibility of my Department. This creates a certain level of administrative burden.
That said, my Department are taking meaningful steps to reduce the administrative burden placed on both parents, and early learning and childcare providers, where possible.
My Department has recently concluded a series of meetings with a subgroup of the Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Forum (ELCSF). The subgroup, which was largely comprised of provider representatives, was convened to identify potential enhancements that would assist providers in administering the NCS.
My Department is working on a series of enhancements for 2023, taking into account the feedback of this subgroup. This includes two important developments for Programme Year 2023/24, specifically providers will only have to complete one online Fee Table and one Parent Statement per family.
The Parent Statement, which is closely based on the document introduced last year under Core Funding, must be co-signed by the provider and parent/guardian of each family in the service, and kept on file. For services participating in more than one DCEDIY scheme, this will noticeably reduce administration by taking the place of:
• The ECCE Services Fee Information Letter
• The CCSP Saver Programme Service Fees Information Letter
• The Parental Agreement for NCS
• The Parent Statement for Core Funding
This is a substantial improvement in recognition of the feedback put forward by providers, particularly in relation to the NCS, as there will be no need to issue or sign a new Parent Statement if there is an increase in a family’s subsidy or rate. It is anticipated that this will reduce the administrative burden associated with rate changes on both parents and providers.
In tandem, Pobal will be working on the performance of the HIVE to increase performance and access at busy times for providers such as on-boarding and ECCE programme registrations.
Finally, I would note that all schemes are kept under review and the process of conducting an independent evaluation of the NCS will begin at the end of 2023 which amongst other things will look at ways to enhance the NCS including through a reduction in administrative burden for parents and providers.
120. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children waiting on assessment of needs and the average waiting time in each Community Disability Network Teams in Dublin Mid-West; his plans to address these waiting lists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32507/23]
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.
121. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline the proposals, if any, he has to increase substantially the level of grant-aid available under building blocks - capacity grant for the provision of new and upgraded childcare accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32442/23]
View answerSome €69 million has been allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the National Development Plan (NDP) 2023-2025. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare across three pillars:
• Building Blocks - Improvement Grant;
• Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; and
• Building Blocks - Innovation Grant.
The Building Blocks - Improvement Grant is now closed. Under this Pillar, €9 million was allocated earlier this year in grants ranging from €35,000 to €75,000 for energy upgrades and retrofit projects.
Work is currently underway on the design and delivery of Pillar 2, which has an allocation of €20 million in 2024 and €25 million in 2025. The Building Blocks – Capacity Grant will address capacity gaps, fund an expansion in existing services and invest in the development of new services where most needed.
A working group has been established to oversee the design and delivery of the Capacity Grant. The group is conducting a need analysis, which will identify areas of unmet need, by geographical area and by age cohort. The group comprises officials from my Department, representatives of the County Childcare Committees and Pobal.
I hope to be in a position to provide more information on the delivery of this Building Blocks – Capacity Grant in the coming weeks.
A full mid-term review of the NDP will be undertaken in 2025, to allow Government to:
- take stock of progress in terms of delivery of the planned projects and programmes; and - review and reaffirm investment priorities of Government.The review will be carried out in order to prepare and publish a new updated 10-year plan for public capital investment in 2026, covering the period 2026 to 2035.
122. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will comment on the low levels of internal promotion from social care level to social worker level, given the crisis in recruitment and retention within the sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32488/23]
View answerStatutory and operational responsibility for the delivery of child protection and welfare services is a matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. The Deputy is seeking information in relation to an operational matter for Tusla. Consequently, I have referred the matter to Tusla, and requested that a direct response be provided to the Deputy.
