Vol. 541 No. 2
150 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if additional probation and welfare officers are to be recruited to enable the Children Act, 2001, to be brought into operation; the steps taken by him to date regarding this issue; if it is intended to provide special training to members of the probation and welfare service; the training provided to date; and by whom such training has been or is to be provided. [22303/01]
936 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if additional probation and welfare officers are to be recruited to enable the Children Act, 2001, to be brought into operation; the steps taken by his Department regarding this issue; if it is intended to provide special training to members of the probation and welfare service; the training provided to date; and the person or organisation by whom such training has been or is to be provided. [22284/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 936 together.
The probation and welfare service has, as part of its planning for implementation of the Children Act, 2001, engaged trainers from the Department of Child, Youth and Family, New Zealand, for the intensive training of all senior probation and welfare officers as facilitators for family conferences to be convened and managed in accordance with the requirements in sections 80 and 81 of the Act as well as providing day seminars for all probation and welfare officers. This training was completed in October 2000. The service will provide ongoing training through its staff development unit as required.
My Department is in consultation with the Department of Finance in regard to the provision of additional probation and welfare staff to assist in the implementation of the Children Act, 2001. Decisions in the matter will be made in the context of settling the estimates for next year.
