Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 September 2011
48 Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the resources and systems to implement the promised Children First legislation, when enacted, are in place or in preparation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26128/11]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn July, I launched the revised Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children. The guidelines deal with the recognition, reporting and management of child safety concerns. They emphasise the need to safeguard and protect children, that the safety and welfare of children are everyone's responsibility and that children will have safer lives where everyone is attentive to their well being. People who work with children across a range of areas must be clear in understanding their responsibility for safe practice and the reporting of concerns.
It is important to recognise that the original Children First guidelines have been in place for more than a decade. In that period, they have been used by the key agencies and their staff involved in the care and protection of children.
The Government has committed as a priority to the introduction of legislation to underpin Children First. It is my intention that the legislation will reflect a broad-based approach to compliance with obligations extending beyond reporting to one of safeguarding children at risk. The objective will be to ensure the greater protection of children by strengthening the existing system for reporting and responding to suspected child abuse.
It should be noted that the HSE as the statutory body responsible for promoting the welfare of children has in place a network of personnel to provide training, information and advice on the implementation of Children First. The HSE is providing a programme of information and training on the new guidance across the country. This includes the publication of the new child protection and welfare practice handbook, which was launched last week. The handbook will facilitate implementation of the Children First guidelines and achieve greater consistency in child protection practice throughout the HSE.
I am attending meetings with social work personnel and other staff in each of the four HSE regions to promote the Children First guidelines. We have already held two such meetings with an attendance of several hundred front line staff. The Garda also attends these meetings, reflecting the close working relationship it has developed over the years with the HSE in protecting children. Quite a deal of training is under way. This work has received a positive welcome and it is clear that the revised guidance enjoys widespread support, as I am sure the Deputy has found.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
Beyond the HSE and the Garda Síochána, the Children First guidelines have been disseminated widely, including to every school. The consistent implementation of the guidelines in every sector is a priority. My Department is chairing an interdepartmental committee to oversee implementation of the guidance across Government. I will be meeting this committee in early October.
As to staffing resources, the number of social workers was increased in 2010 by 200. This additional resource will be of particular assistance to the HSE in driving forward the process of implementation. The necessary funding has been provided to the HSE to complete the recruitment of an additional 60 social workers by year end. The House will be aware that the Ryan report implementation plan contained commitments to place Children First on a statutory basis and to recruit an additional 270 social workers. By the end of this year, some 260 of these social workers will have been recruited and, together with the detailed implementation process for the revised guidelines, I am confident that these actions will provide a sound basis for Children First on a statutory footing.
Does the Minister accept that the main concern expressed about legislating for Children First — I confirm my and my party's support for what she intends in that regard — is that it will create an administrative burden and a further burden on front line staff and care providers in light of the fact that they cannot sustain the current degree of demand and expectation, given the level of staffing and other resources? The focus of my question is on resourcing and support staff in terms of the implementation of the legislation on Children First.
Does the Minister accept that the number and deployment of social workers are inadequate to deal with the level of reports of children in danger, which will be expanded with other legislation that we intend to see in place? Where the question arises, there will be a responsibility and a duty to highlight.
I must call the Minister.
On 21 July, the Minister indicated that the 260 additional social worker posts would be filled by the end of this year. In her previous response to Deputy McConalogue, she did not provide the full data on the numbers currently in place. She referred to 168 of the posts having been filled. Deputy McConalogue and I would like to know whether the staff are in place or awaiting placement. How many of the 168 are in service at present?
The Deputy said he supports the legislation to put Children First on a statutory basis. As I stated before, doing so is not simply about reporting but about inter-agency working. Just this morning, I attended the meetings of the local children's services committees. We see at county level that we need those who are working with children to work together. Inter-agency work is required to give the best and most effective service to children and families.
Part of the legislation is about sharing information effectively. The research indicates agencies should work together but that they must do so in a particular way and well. They must know precisely what they are trying to achieve. It is not just about agencies working together but about them working well together to an effective formula. The legislation is about reporting, sharing information and inter-agency co-operation.
If one supports the legislation, one must ask when one would not want a case to be reported. The Deputy's answer would be that he would want a case reported. This leads to the question of resources, in respect of which I will put some facts before the House. There was a €16 million budget overrun in the HSE child and family service in 2010. The previous Government reduced the budget allocation, by at least €14 million, without saying where the cuts were meant to occur. There is, therefore, huge pressure on the system. I have said before I am shocked with some of that pressure. Social work, child protection and fostering services are under pressure.
In the current financial climate, we must examine how we can have more effective management. As a consequence, I have asked for an audit of what is happening regarding cases awaiting allocation. I have asked that we be able to compare areas. Not enough work has been done on data collection to date. There is a new system in place now so we can get a full picture and base our policy decisions on proper information.
I thank the Minister of State for her response. We need capacity within the child protection service and we also need consistency of response, as the Minister indicated in her reply to me and other Deputies on 21 July. We need to have certainty in that across the State. In her reply the Minister said a regulatory impact analysis would be carried out and the results presented to the Government. Has that been done? What is the current status thereon?
Regarding the Minister's shock about discovering the reality in terms of funding support for what is currently available and what we hope to have in place, can she give us any assurance that the establishment of her Department will bring about ring-fencing, even of what is currently provided, such that we will not see a further contraction regarding the commitments made heretofore on child protection services in terms of the upcoming budget?
The Deputy knows the current financial position as well as I do. Like all Departments, mine will be part of the current expenditure review. A special management audit, led by a leading UK child protection expert, has commenced with a view to ensuring we will have in place appropriate systems to manage the need for a rapid response. We are examining the sorts of thresholds that should apply in cases coming before the service. There is considerable demand and resources are an issue. The director is actively working on this. We must have consistency of response around the country and must know accurately the demand in different areas. We are beginning to get figures on this but I must state that some of these figures are unclear with regard to definition. Some areas with fewer social workers have longer waiting lists than others. There is much inconsistency and we need to put in place this part of the change agenda. Then, we can match resources and use them, including social work resources, more effectively.
