Vol. 880 No. 1
1. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on the number of unaccessed files found in protection and welfare services in the Laois-Offaly area; the measures being taken to address these shortcomings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19881/15]
Some years ago, citizens voted to enshrine children's rights in the Constitution. This morning, as a result of a Government decision, the time available to Deputies to question the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Reilly, has been reduced by 50 minutes.
It is hiding the cuts.
We wanted to question him on cuts being implemented by his Department, child protection issues in Laois-Offaly and the reduction in funding for the school completion programme.
I note the Labour Party Whip is running out of the Chamber.
When I raised these issues two weeks ago in the Topical Issue debate, instead of answering my questions, the Minister showed more interest in pointing out to the Chair that I had exceeded the two minutes' speaking time available to me. It is not surprising, therefore, that he does not want to answer questions and the Government has ordered business in this manner.
It is hiding the cuts.
Does the Deputy have a question?
Last month, the Minister briefed the Select Sub-Committee on Children and Youth Affairs on the scandalous position in Laois-Offaly where it has been found that in excess of 1,000 files have not been assessed. He set a date of 21 May for the completion of an initial review of the matter. Will he indicate what has been the outcome of the review and what action has taken place and will take place in the coming weeks to ensure all the issues highlighted are resolved?
I wish to correct a number of points made by Deputy Troy. The school completion programme has not been cut.
DESSA has been cut.
Deputy Troy repeatedly alleges there have been cuts to the programme and I repeatedly assure him of the Government's intentions in this regard. I have also made clear to Tusla that we hold this scheme in high esteem and do not wish to see its funding cut. The Deputy alleges its funding has been cut but has failed to produce any evidence to support his allegations. Funding for the programme has not been cut.
May I make a point?
I will not be interrupted by Deputy Keaveney. I am entitled to protection from the Chair. Deputy Keaveney should sit down.
Deputy Keaveney will have an opportunity to speak.
Priority Question No. 6 explicitly sets out details of cuts.
We are discussing Question No. 1.
The Government has denied me the opportunity to seek the reversal of these cuts. Children with disabilities are-----
The Deputy is out of order.
The Minister is out of order.
The Deputy's party leader delayed Question Time by almost an hour. I cannot understand the reason the Fianna Fáil Party does not want this debate to take place.
The Government, not the Opposition, sets the order of the day. It is disingenuous of the Minister to argue the Fianna Fáil Party set the order. The Government is curtailing business in the House and failing to answer questions on serious issues related to the welfare and protection of children.
Please, Deputy Troy.
Shouting will not help. The correct position is that a vote was taken on the Government's proposal for the Order of Business, yet the Deputies opposite continue to disrupt Question Time by engaging in argument. I do not know what it is they are afraid of but there will be a full debate. In any event, I would like to answer the questions.
This Government established, for the first time, a full Cabinet position for the Minister with responsibility for children.
It did so to concentrate cuts in that area.
I am pleased to take questions on children. As Deputy Troy noted, I raised this issue initially at the select sub-committee. I did so to place as much information as I could in the public domain at the earliest opportunity. Before proceeding, I remind Deputies that we need to have due regard to fair procedures for any individuals who may be involved.
I have received an action plan from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, which addresses the short-term and medium-term requirements to manage the referrals that were not processed as they should have been. This plan includes longer-term objectives for local and national management to ensure this is not repeated. The first step in the action plan was to obtain a clear view of the scale of the problem, and this has been done.
The time for the Minister's response has concluded.
The IMPACT trade union claims that senior management were well aware of the position for months, if not years. Is that true or false? Some 127 children were identified as requiring urgent attention. For how long was that the case? Have the children in question now received the urgent attention they require? It is also alleged that 660 children required a social worker. Has a social worker been assigned to each of these 660 cases?
The chief operating officer of Tusla, Mr. Fred McBride, stated the following:
A clear weakness identified in the Laois/Offaly area has been that relating to filing and records management. It is with regret that Tusla acknowledges its lack of capacity to readily access information which would have given a clearer picture of the operation of social work in Laois/Offaly.
What steps has the Department taken to ensure an adequate, functioning information technology is in place in Laois-Offaly?
I assure the House that the action plan includes steps to address the management of the intake of cases; engage in liaison with An Garda Síochána; use external child care expertise to ensure appropriate management and prioritisation of the backlog of cases; and put in place the resources needed to support the process. Tusla has in place a mechanism to monitor the progress of the action plan and I have required regular updates in this matter. I have met Tusla management for updates on progress on three occasions and will meet it again later today.
Independent of my involvement, the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, has formally written to Tusla. In a similar way to my requests to Tusla, the authority has asked for an update on the steps being taken to mitigate risks to children and provide adequate oversight and to outline the mechanism that will provide assurance that no similar risks are being experienced elsewhere. I appreciate the speedy response from Tusla and the plans to ensure that any other areas with potentially similar issues are speedily identified and an appropriate action plan put in place.
The Minister did not answer my question. The chief executive of Tusla, Mr. Gordon Jeyes, is on record as stating that funding for the operation of his organisation is inadequate. Has Mr. Jeyes requested additional funding in the context of the cases highlighted in Laois-Offaly and, if so, will this funding be provided?
Some 127 children were found to be in need of urgent attention. For how long has this been the case and have the children in question been provided with the attention they require? Has a social worker been assigned to each of the 660 children who were found to require a social worker? Is the number of social workers in the system adequate?
The Minister indicated he will work with a number of agencies. Will he confirm that the information technology system in place in the Child and Family Agency is not fit for purpose and Tusla continues to rely on the Health Service Executive's information technology system? Does the Department intend to fund a new, efficient information technology system in this important agency?
The action plan involved establishing an oversight team in Tusla; commissioning a review of the backlog of referrals using Tusla staff from another area; reducing the backlog through the use of agency staff and the reassignment of staff from another area; using independent child care expertise to support the assessment and address the backlog; and communicating the current position to the Health Information and Quality Authority and Department. A subsequent action plan elaborated on these steps and identified further steps to establish the root causes of the issue and lessons to be learned.
Key actions identified included liaison with the Garda Síochána regarding notifications on retrospective abuse cases; risk assessment and prioritisation of the backlog by an external child care expert; planned allocation of all outstanding cases; diversion of referrals, where appropriate, to local area pathways and the meitheal model; recruitment of ten additional social workers; assessment of ICT systems and addressing the related risks; training and management of supervisory skills; and, management review of Tusla risk-management arrangements.
Therefore, a lot of work has been done and is ongoing. Those at immediate risk are being addressed as we speak.
2. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the interdepartmental group which was established by his Department to address the child care crisis is addressing the issue of low wages for early childhood professionals whose work is critical during this key foundation stage of child development; and his views that Government must take responsibility for the issue of training and upskilling professionals in the sector. [19984/15]
Before I begin, I want to register my objection to the fact that Question Time to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has been cut by 50 minutes this morning on such an important issue.
Hear, hear.
That said, I want to ask the Minister if the interdepartmental group, which was set up by his Department to address the child care crisis in this State, is addressing the issue of low wages of early childhood professionals whose work is critical during this key foundation stage of child development. Does the Minister believe that the Government must take responsibility for the issue of training and upskilling of professionals in this sector?
My Department currently provides approximately €260 million annually to early years and school-age care and education services. This funding is directed towards a number of programmes, which aim to improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of early years and school-age care and education.
To ensure that all the benefits of this and future investment are fully realised, it must be evidence-based and strategically co-ordinated. It is critically important that any investment is designed to achieve the best outcomes for children and their parents. Accordingly, I have established an interdepartmental group to develop a coherent whole-of-government approach to investment in early years and after-school care and education.
This group, which includes representation from seven Departments, including Public Expenditure and Reform, Finance and An Taoiseach, is tasked with developing a series of options for future investment, and is required to report to Government by next month.
I recognise the difficulties being faced by providers and the concerns of early childhood professionals in relation to levels of remuneration in the early years sector. Salary levels are a matter for agreement between providers and their staff. I am aware that staff salaries make up the greater proportion of costs and that an increase in capitation and subvention payments through the child care support programmes would assist providers to address this and other cost issues.
I have indicated that if resources become available, I will review the scope for increasing the level of payments. Any decisions in this regard will be informed by the recommendations of the interdepartmental group.
As regards upskilling, my Department has provided support to early years professionals to meet new qualification requirements that I plan to introduce. Under the Learner Fund, €3 million was allocated in 2014 and 2015 to almost 2,500 early years professionals who have or are currently in the process of upskilling.
The objective of the Learner Fund is to ensure that all existing early years professionals are supported, so that they are in a position to continue to work in the sector when the new qualification requirements are in place. When this is achieved, other measures can be considered which would further support the upskilling of the early years sector.
At a recent meeting of the Committee on Health and Children, a representative from a children's advocacy organisation stated that during the course of their research on the quality of child care in this State, one woman commented that she earned more in her local chipper than she did in her role as a child care worker. It was pointed out that it was common for workers to subsidise their child care wages with income from a second job.
We know that most child care workers are not entitled to sick pay and teachers delivering the ECCE scheme are forced to go on the dole for the summer months. In a sector that is so critical for the development and well-being of children, there is no encouragement to stay in jobs long-term. Many have commented that, as a result, the quality is being bled out of child care.
Pay rates for child care workers in Ireland are extremely low. Hourly pay rates vary from €9.27 per for four years' experience up to €10.03 for ten years' experience. These rates are less than the living wage and the burn-out and turnover rates for such workers is shocking.
The nature of the job and hours demanded of child care workers are intense. The work undertaken, both by providers and workers, is critical in the development of early childhood years. If we recognise these facts, should the Government not be supporting a fairer wage which reflects the input, hours and personal contributions? Does the Minister agree that if we do not have fair wages for child care workers, any plans to rebuild the sector and improve quality will fall flat when there is little incentive to enter the sector as the situation currently stands?
First, I want to place on the record of the House my appreciation of the work that the early years professionals do. They have been very much minded to upskill in the interests of the children they look after. I really appreciate and thank them for that.
In the past, I have made it clear that the issues of the capitation rate and reductions forced upon us by the economic situation we found ourselves in, are matters I want to examine urgently as resources become available. It is a difficulty for us that it is only for 38 weeks per year and therefore we have this long hiatus during the summer when there is no work. All these issues will be addressed by the interdepartmental group in terms of the recommendations it might make or options it might put to the Government. We need to address the issue of the second year versus issues that still exist in the first year.
The interdepartmental group is also examining older school-going children and their care requirements when school is finished, and the different type of setting they need in order to afford their parents an opportunity to enter the workforce if that is what they desired.
I am the special rapporteur for the preparation of an all-party Oireachtas Committee report on child care. During the course of that research we were told that for those who are willing and hopeful to upskill, there is simply no incentive to stay as there are no employment benefits.
Does the Minister agree that the economics of child care have long been skewed? Amid an absence of sufficient Government subsidies, child care providers are being forced to survive partly by keeping their labour costs dangerously low, driving trained, educated, skilled people to abandon the field? Does the Minister also agree that without a significant increase in Government investment, quality will be compromised? Does he have plans to increase the subsidisation of child care providers so they can better invest in their services and workers? The child care crisis is not only one of cost, but also a quality crisis. Does the Minister believe that both are inextricably linked?
I absolutely agree that the issues of quality and affordability are inter-linked and very important to parents. Research will bear that out. We must remember though that in the darkest and deepest of recessions that this country ever experienced, we did protect funding for the ECCE programme. Without that funding, many of these facilities would not exist as it was the only funding available to them when parents were stretched by the general financial considerations they had to deal with.
Child care is critically important and that is why we have put together this interdepartmental group. We have asked that group and experts to come together to evaluate, analyse and cost various options that will be made available to the Government to choose from in plenty of time for the next Estimates.
3. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide an update on his Department's plan for sustaining the work of preparing for life, the Area Based Childhood Programme, from September 2016 onwards in order to improve child and family outcomes in areas of greatest disadvantage. [20625/15]
I wish to ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs about his Department's plans for sustaining the work of Preparing for Life, area-based childhood programme, from September 2016 onwards in order to improve child and family outcomes in areas of greatest disadvantage. Some 138,000 children are now living in poverty. Consistent poverty has increased from 6.8% in 2008 to 11.7% today. Some 37,000 children will be living in poverty in 2020. Some 1,054 children are homeless. When will we see action to come up with practical and sensible solutions to assist these children, particularly at an early stage in their lives?
My Department in conjunction with Atlantic Philanthropies has funded Preparing for Life through 2007 to 2013 via the Prevention and Early Intervention Programme or PEIP, which was established to examine innovative and integrated ways to improve outcomes for children across areas such as literacy, speech and language, parenting, health and pro-social behaviour.
Since 2014, Preparing for Life has been funded by my Department and Atlantic Philanthropies to build on their prevention and early intervention work with children and families living in Dublin 5 and Dublin 17 under the area-based childhood, ABC, programme. The ABC programme 2013 to 2016 is an innovative prevention and early intervention initiative consisting of committed funding for an area-based approach to helping improve outcomes for children and thereby impacting on child poverty. It aims to "break the cycle of child poverty within areas where it is most deeply entrenched and where children are most disadvantaged through integrated and effective services and interventions" in the areas of child development, child well-being, parenting and educational disadvantage.
The ABC programme, which includes Preparing for Life, is currently being evaluated by the Centre for Effective Services under the guidance of an expert advisory group. This evaluation will focus on outcomes changes for children and their families and progress in the implementation of evidence-informed approaches, and it will examine the costs of programme provision. This is critical, as we want to be sure that the money we are spending is getting the outcome we desire. I have no reason to believe that it does not but I value having the hard evidence, as it allows me to make the case at Estimates time to ensure that this can continue to be funded in future.
I commend Mr. Chuck Feeney and Atlantic Philanthropies for its major support over the past couple of years.
Hear, hear.
I know it seemed to get bad press in the recent referendum campaign but it has put much money into very disadvantaged areas on the north side of the Dublin, as the Minister knows. We appreciate that. I am concerned about 2016 but the Minister is essentially saying that the future of the ABC programme depends on an evaluation. From the reports I am getting, the evaluation is very strong. For example, there has been stronger cognitive development and problem-solving skills, fewer externalisation behavioural problems, fewer sleep problems and less aggressive behaviour from children. There are better scores relating to measure of depression and emotional well-being. There are also fewer accidents and hospital visits. These are just a few results.
Will the Minister commit to the prevention and early intervention scheme? Will he invest in childhood futures and do his best to deliver on the national policy framework for children and young people. These children in disadvantaged areas need our support. The Minister knows, deep down, that if we get in early - before the age of four - we can prevent many problems in future. We can stop children getting involved with anti-social behaviour and ending up in Mountjoy. Early intervention and these types of programmes are proof of that.
As the Deputy is aware, we are investing €260 million in improving outcomes for children, and that is not a small sum of money by any means. We are very much convinced, as is the Deputy, of the value of early intervention. The good news that I have from the programme is that its existence has conferred particular advantage to those who come from disadvantaged programmes; an improvement in reading skills is just one measure. It levels the playing pitch for children. I agree with the Deputy in that the earlier the intervention, the better. For every euro spent in that area, we get our greatest return. The value is incalculable.
In parallel with the evaluation of the ABC programme, my Department has convened a task group comprising key stakeholders, including representatives of the ABC sites, to explore how best the mainstreaming of the learning from the ABC programme and related prevention and early intervention initiatives can be progressed. Developments in both of these initiatives will be key to informing considerations regarding the mainstreaming of learning emerging from the ABC programme.
I have some final questions. The Minister is very much in favour of early intervention, preschool education and focusing resources on particular areas of major economic and social disadvantage. That is key. There would be much cross-party support in that regard. Will the Minister go back to the Cabinet and ask it to try to set out a plan over the next three or four years that could end child poverty, for example, by 2020? We have 138,000 children in that position, and that is size of the likes of Galway or Limerick. We can tackle that issue. There were 11,000 children born in 2008, the year of the crash. Many of them are in that position. We have seen a significant waste of human potential and public money in trying to deal with those children as they go further down the track. Child poverty is a major issue. I will make tackling child poverty a key issue in my election manifesto for 2016.
My Department is very concerned about childhood poverty and so is the Department of Social Protection. With respect to the information I have given to date, having these evaluations and task forces in place will very much strengthen my hand when it comes to Estimates time. I will have a real case to make for additional funding and to explore the areas where we feel there can be further possibility and potential to improve outcomes for children. It is in all our interests that all our children thrive and flourish. They are our future. Any time I say this, I am also minded to remind us that these children have a "present" as well, and we need to make this a pleasant present so they can have memories to cherish from childhood. As we know in this House, this is not always the case.
