Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 8 Apr 1997

Vol. 477 No. 2

Written Answers - Child Care Services.

Ray Burke

Ceist:

94 Mr. R. Burke asked the Minister for Health if he will have arrangements made for a co-ordinated, reasonably priced advice service to assist pre-school providers in meeting the registration requirements within the tight time limits set by his regulations, in order that this important community service can continue in September 1997. [9081/97]

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Mr. Currie)

Part VII of the Child Care Act, 1991, provides for a system of notification by pre-school providers to their local health board. Under Article 9 (1) of the Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations, 1996, a person carrying on a pre-school service is required to give notice in writing to this effect to the local health board by 30 June 1997. A person proposing to carry on a pre-school service is required to give notice in writing to their local health board at least 28 days prior to the commencement of the service.

My Department has published an explanatory guide to requirements and procedures for notification and inspection under the regulations, a copy of which will be sent to the Deputy.

Advice on the notification procedure and the regulations generally will also be available from the health boards.

Batt O'Keeffe

Ceist:

95 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Health the number of foster parents operating in each of the health board areas; and the number of children in care, particularly the number in each of the respective health board areas who need to be placed with foster parents. [9161/97]

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Mr. Currie)

The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the number of foster parents-places in each health board area is not readily available in my Department. However, it is being collected from the health boards and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

The most recent information available to my Department in relation to the number of children in care is set out in the following table:

Number of Children in care by Health Board

Health Board	No. of Children in Care
Eastern	1,214
Midland	215
Mid-Western	307
North-Eastern	249
North-Western	149
South-Eastern	282
Southern	463
Western	211
Total	3,090

* These figures do not include children in day care or day fostering, children living with their mothers in sheltered accommodation or women's refuges or children living at home who are being supervised by the health boards.

While there is an ongoing need for foster parents, health boards employ a variety of approaches aimed at meeting the needs of individual children and their families. These include the provision of emergency care, assessment, short-term and respite care, support to families or foster parents in difficulty, hostels as well as medium to long-term care.