Willie O'Dea
Ceist:12 Deputy Willie O’Dea asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when she expects the child and family support agency to be established; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15855/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 22 March 2012
Ceisteanna (9)
Freagraí scríofa
The Child and Family Support Agency is at the heart of the Government's reform of child and family services. The establishment of a single agency incorporating key children's services will provide a focus for the major reforms already underway. This reform programme contains a number of critical elements:
The continued and urgent implementation of a comprehensive change programme to improve the quality and consistency of child welfare and protection services;
The introduction of legislation to place Children First on a statutory basis;
The establishment for the first time of a dedicated budget for children and family services, providing transparency and accountability for the use of resources to meet national priorities;
The development of legislation to be brought before the Oireachtas later this year to provide for the operation of the new Agency from early 2013;
The transition of existing HSE child protection and welfare and services into the new Agency;
The merger of the existing Family Support Agency with a budget of over €26 million into the Child and Family Support Agency;
Consideration of the potential for further rationalisation of services for children under the new Agency.
The Deputy will be aware of the comprehensive change programme currently being implemented under the leadership of Mr. Gordon Jeyes, as National Director of Child and Family Services. Mr. Jeyes was employed last year following an international, open recruitment process. The change programme underway is addressing the quality and consistency of child welfare and protection services. This change process will continue into the new Child and Family Support Agency where Gordon Jeyes will be the first Chief Executive. An open recruitment process is underway for a number of key senior positions for the Agency. I hope that this process delivers a very strong team to work with Gordon in leading the improvement of children's services.
Enhanced accountability is an important feature of the reforms. This greater transparency is already evident in the provision for the first time of a dedicated budget of €550 million for Children and Family Services in 2012. This will bring greater transparency and control to budgetary management and pave the way for the establishment of the new Agency in 2013.
The Task Force on the establishment of the Agency that I established has undertaken a considerable body of work in preparation for the new Agency. I met with the Task Force at their twelfth meeting held last month for an update on this work, which is also being advanced through two sub-groups. In the coming weeks I expect to receive the advice of the Task Force on a number of key issues which are critical to my decisions on legislative proposals regarding the new Agency and in particular, a vision for the Agency, governance arrangements and appropriate services for inclusion in the Agency.
As I have just outlined, extensive work is underway in my Department, in the HSE, and through the Task Force I set up last September to prepare for the establishment of the Child and Family Support Agency. The preparations are designed to allow for the Agency to assume full statutory responsibility for services for children and families early in 2013.