Thursday, 19 Sep 2013

Other Questions

Foster Care Provision

Ceisteanna (6)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

6. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will indicate the foster care placement ratio, that is, the number of instances where foster care applications have been made compared to the number of successful placements, broken down by Health Service Executive region for 2012 and to date in 2013; if variances across regions can be adequately accounted for; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that backlogs in successful placements often mean suitable foster homes can expire from consideration; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38727/13]

Freagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)

Deputy Frances Fitzgerald

Approximately 92% of all children in care in Ireland are in the care of a foster family. This is very high by international standards and is a welcome situation. Almost 6,000 children are in foster care, of whom over 4,000 are in general foster care, with the remainder, some 2,000 children, with relatives.

In 2013, the HSE undertook a national foster care recruitment campaign because there are shortages of foster parents in quite a number of areas. The campaign was extensive and built upon previous local initiatives. There are currently 4,330 foster carers nationally, an increase of 61 since December last year. I take this opportunity to pay tribute to them for the work they do.

The HSE has advised me that it does not routinely gather the information sought by the Deputy. However, anecdotal evidence from Irish and international campaigns suggests that for every 100 inquiries, approximately six will go on to become foster parents. There is a variety of reasons for this, including people making general inquiries, inquiries not meeting the criteria and applicants deciding to opt out once they receive detailed information and training and the role of the foster carer is clarified for them.

I do not have the detail as to why those are the figures.

It would be interesting to see whether there is scope for improvement. If a person lifts a telephone to make an inquiry about becoming a foster carer, it shows that he or she has at least sufficient interest to commence the process. It does seems a very low outturn that only six out of 100 people who make an inquiry go on to become foster parents.

There is an assessment and training process to establish the suitability and competence of applicants. It is carried out by a social worker from the local fostering team and includes Garda vetting, internal Health Service Executive checks to establish previous involvement with child protection services, a medical assessment, personal interviews in the applicant's home, and further discussion. The Garda vetting process involves all members of the family. In short, applicants must undergo a rather onerous process before they can expect to be accepted as a foster parent.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

Applicants are also asked to provide referees who will be interviewed by the social worker as part of the assessment process. The social worker then prepares a report which is shared with the applicant and includes a representation of the latter's view. This report is then presented to the foster care committee for approval, including a recommendation as to the age of the child and type of foster care suitable to the applicant. All approved foster carers are entered on a panel of approved foster carers.

When a child is being placed in foster care, the suitability of a placement with relatives is explored in the first instance. Where the HSE is satisfied that an immediate placement with relatives is in the interests of the child, such placement may occur before full approval of the committee is in place. Such emergency placements are provided for in the regulations. Prior to placement, the relative is assessed by a principal social worker, including early Garda vetting. This is followed by a full assessment and approval by the foster care committee as I have outlined.

The availability of foster carers and the provision of support for their role is the subject of ongoing work within the HSE. With the establishment of the child and family agency, further consideration will be given to the most effective arrangements for foster care recruitment and retention and the further development of information sources at national and regional level. Developments in this area will be further informed by the findings of Health Information and Quality Authority inspection reports into fostering services throughout the country.

Deputy Catherine Murphy

I join the Minister in acknowledging the great work done by foster carers. Where a family situation breaks down, the best available option is generally another family placement rather than institutional care.

One of the reasons suggested to me as to why some foster carer applicants subsequently withdraw their name is that in some parts of the country the process takes a ridiculous length of time. In fact, I understand it can take up to two years before an assessment even commences. People will make an inquiry at a particular point in their lives, but their situation might be much different two years later. This logjam is apparently largely a consequence of the shortage of social workers throughout the country. We are essentially losing potentially good foster carer candidates because their generous offer is not being taken up in a timely fashion. In losing applicants from the system in this way, we might well be denying children an opportunity to live in a foster home, whether for a short-term or longer-term placement.

Another issue of concern relates to the thoroughness of oversight by social worker teams. I understand the average ratio of social workers to foster carers is approximately 1:15. In some parts of the country, however, oversight consists merely of a telephone call to the potential foster carer. That is storing up the types of problems we have seen historically in this country. It is not good enough to have a situation where oversight involves no face-to-face contact but merely a telephone call. Irrespective of whether or not the applicant is a family member - to give an example where it might be assumed that rather less oversight might perhaps be needed - we must always keep the welfare of the child front and centre. Will the Minister comment on how she intends to ensure the types of lengthy delays we have seen are reduced and that oversight is effective and reliable?

Deputy Frances Fitzgerald

The Deputy's points are well made. I recently discussed with Mr. Gordon Jeyes, chief executive officer designate of the child and family agency, whether the foster carer recruitment campaigns should be taken out of local areas and conducted instead on a nationwide basis. There is a real difficulty for social work teams who are under pressure dealing with referrals on a daily basis to have the time to manage a recruitment campaign effectively and conduct the necessary follow-up. My own view is that we need to take a different approach. The pressures on social worker teams are very real but, at the same time, we need to recruit more foster parents if we are to take the type of preventative approach to which the Deputy alluded. It is time to look at a new initiative in regard to how fostering campaigns are handled by the Health Service Executive and, in due course, the new child and family agency. As I said, I have had preliminary discussions with the CEO designate in this regard.

The Health and Information Quality Authority reports throughout the country are clarifying how different teams are dealing with these issues. It is clear that some are managing better than others. The report for Mayo, for example, which was published some weeks ago, found that due to limited social work resources, a decision was made by managers not to undertake child in care reviews and required reviews of foster carers within the regulatory timeframe. I was informed today that when an external consultant was brought in and the work was actually done, not one child was removed from the foster carers who were not previously examined. This is a good story in that it shows that even in an instance where HIQA highlighted concerns because a decision was taken to defer reviews, when those reviews were done the results were satisfactory and met the required standard. That is not, however, to take from the importance of meeting the necessary oversight requirements.

Deputy Catherine Murphy

Another issue that is causing a particular problem, as I understand, is where social workers take maternity leave. The foster care placement initiative becomes almost the secondary issue because the primary concern is for children who are already vulnerable and where there is already a case load for the existing social workers. People who are brought in on contract, for example, do not have the same experience and cannot offer the same continuity of care as the social worker who has worked consistently with a particular child or family. That is another issue that must be addressed and is separate from the others I raised.

I would welcome anything the Minister can do to improve the situation whereby only six out of 100 people who make an initial telephone inquiry go on to become foster carers. The priority is to ensure children are not left queuing for a placement and that applicants are vetted in a timely but thorough way.

Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

What was the duration of the recent recruitment campaign? I am assuming, from the way in which the Minister referred to it, that it has come to an end, but it is not clear when it was launched.

Is a common methodology employed in the various local areas which operate the recruitment effort or what degree of commonality is there among them? Is it possible to establish out of the recent campaign whether there is a best practice among the varieties of approaches that might be employed? I am interested to hear more of the Minister's thoughts in terms of having recruitment organised on a State-wide basis rather than the local area approach.

Are the delays in obtaining Garda vetting a factor in the ordinate delays in processing applicant foster families and progressing their applications?

Deputy Frances Fitzgerald

I will answer Deputy Ó Caoláin's questions first. The Garda vetting situation impacts on a whole range of Government activities, from job activation programmes to recruitment of social workers and child care workers through to recruitment, as we are discussing today, of foster parents. Forty additional staff have been allocated to the Garda vetting office in recent weeks and we are already seeing a huge improvement in waiting times. The average wait had been reduced to two to three weeks, which is where it ideally should be. The delays have certainly been an issue in terms of the processing of foster carer applications. Some commentators have raised the issue of multiple vetting and proposed that we should instead introduce a type of vetting passport which an individual could carry from one job to another. There are inherent risks in such an approach, but it might be worth considering in order to deal with the current delays. Child protection must of course be at the centre of all our decisions, but there is no denying that the delays in Garda vetting procedures have impacted on many areas.

There is a standardised approach to the assessment of foster carer applicants in the different local areas in the same way as there is a standardised approach to assessment for adoption. On foot of the Deputy's question, I will ask for a report on the outcome of the foster parent recruitment campaign. It will be helpful to see if and where there has been recruitment in different parts of the country and how that has been handled.

Deputy Murphy referred to the maternity vacancy issue. As I said, there are significant pressures on social worker teams throughout the country given the nature of the work, retention issues and so on. A very high rate of maternity leave among staff is also a factor. The ideal would be to have a panel of qualified people who could go in and fill vacancies so that the ongoing work could continue. If the fostering recruitment situation were to be dealt with at a national level, with local input, that might also address some of those issues.

Early Years Strategy Implementation

Ceisteanna (7)

Michael McGrath

Ceist:

7. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the priorities for the new early years strategy; the additional funding she has secured for its implementation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38696/13]

Freagraí ó Béal (13 píosaí cainte)

Deputy Frances Fitzgerald

Since my appointment as Minister I have consistently highlighted the importance of investing and supporting quality interventions in the early years of children's lives. There is an increasing body of Irish and international evidence which quantifies the benefits of early years interventions in terms of improving children's outcomes and in delivering significant economic and societal return to the State.

In line with this commitment, I announced that I would lead the preparation of Ireland's first early years strategy, which I indicated should represent an innovative and dynamic blueprint addressing a range of issues affecting children in their first years of life, such as child health and well-being, parenting and family support, learning and development, play and recreation, and early childhood care and education. This will represent one of three, more detailed strategies under the children and young people's policy framework which is currently being developed by my Department.

I have appointed an expert advisory group, chaired by Dr. Eilis Hennessy of UCD, to advise my Department on recommendations for inclusion in the strategy.

I have been asked by Deputies Troy and Ó Caoláin when I was getting the report. I have received the report and the recommendations and I will publish them shortly. I thank Dr. Eilis Hennessy and the group, which represents a wide range of organisations working in the early years, for their time, commitment and hard work over the past year. I met the group on a number of occasions and it had consultations with many organisations. Once the report is published, I ask that the group has a consultation day to discuss the recommendations with a wide stakeholder group. I hope the Deputies from this House will attend. It will be a useful day in terms of the blueprint for the early years. That is a key step in the development of the early years strategy.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

I am pleased to advise Deputies that the group has completed its work and I have this week received its report and recommendations which I will publish very shortly. I thank the members of the group for the dedication and enthusiasm they have shown and the time they have committed to the work of the group. The expert advisory group report represents a key step in the development of the early years strategy and will provide a very strong foundation for a robust and meaningful strategy. I expect the finalised strategy to be published later this year. The final strategy will be further informed by the growing body of international and domestic research on the importance of early years for child development, including findings from the "Growing Up in Ireland" study. It will also be informed by the evaluations from the prevention and early intervention projects which have been funded jointly by my Department and Atlantic Philanthropy. The major programme of institutional change which is under way, including the establishment of the child and family agency, will also be taken into account.

Budget discussions are ongoing at present and will determine funding provision for 2014. I expect the early years strategy to identify opportunities for more effective utilisation of existing resources and funding as well as priority areas for further investment through funding availability over the life of the strategy.

Deputy Deputy Robert Troy

I will be happy to participate in any debate in this regard. The Minister may not be aware that I published a discussion paper during the summer, "Investing in Tomorrow", detailing five key areas my party believes should be prioritised. I am pleased to hear the Minister say the report will be published by the end of the year, but she also promised that in 2012.

Deputy Deputy Frances Fitzgerald

I never promised that.

Deputy Deputy Robert Troy

The record of the House shows that the Minister promised that.

Deputy Deputy Frances Fitzgerald

The group was only set up last year.

Deputy Deputy Robert Troy

Can the Minister confirm that it will be published before Christmas? Will it be published before the budget? Will it inform part of the Minister's budget proposals? Having received it and read it, can the Minister confirm it is an ambitious, action-specific, target-based report with specific timeframes for implementation and that it will be appropriately resourced?

Deputy Deputy Frances Fitzgerald

Deputy Troy sounds as if he has read it.

Deputy Deputy Robert Troy

I wish I had. If the Minister gives me a copy, I will read it over the weekend.

Deputy Deputy Frances Fitzgerald

It will be published shortly, before the budget. It is very detailed and is the blueprint I asked the group to provide for the development of the early years sector. I thank the people who put such work into it.

It is a high level policy recommendation. After that, we need an implementation plan and commitment to it. There will be a consultation day. The group was only set up last year and it was always going to take a year to do its work. I have just received the report and I will publish it shortly.

Deputy Deputy Terence Flanagan

With regard to dealing with special needs children under the new early years strategy, a related question, No. 11, concerns the early childhood care and education. The current system is very cumbersome in terms of having to deal with local child care committees. It is bureaucratic, particularly for parents who find themselves dealing with Departments to access a right. Deputy Martin spoke about the case of Kate Crowley in his constituency and said there is something fundamentally wrong with a system that puts parents through the mill. Is there not a real need for advocacy at the centre of the system, particularly in respect of special needs children and their parents in accessing services?

Deputy Deputy Frances Fitzgerald

This concerns Question No. 11 but the general point about the inclusion of children with special needs in the preschool programme is well made. It is important to intervene with children with special needs as early as possible. The early school years programme is very helpful to those children. It is available free to every child between three and four years of age, including children with special needs.

My Department has initiated a number of ways the service can be helpful to children with special needs, including an exemption from the upper age limit for qualification under the programme where a child is developmentally delayed and would benefit from starting primary school at a later age. In addition, children with special needs can apply to have the preschool years split over two years on a pro rata basis. For example, they can avail of the programme for two days a week in the first year and three days a week in the second year. Applications can be made prior to the child starting preschool.

In response to the question, my Department is working with the office of disability and mental health in the Department of Health to examine how supports to facilitate the inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream preschool settings can be improved. There are a number of challenges in the area and it is worthy of further discussion. If there are extra initiatives we can take in order that children with special needs are integrated more seamlessly into the services, I want to see that. A second year will benefit all children, including those with special needs. We must work on that preschool quality agenda to which Deputy Troy and I referred.

Deputy Deputy Robert Troy

The inclusion of children with special educational needs is one of the priorities in my discussion paper. Consultation with the sector suggests that it is not fit for purpose. We spoke about this at a committee meeting in July. Some 271 children with special educational needs are availing of the split preschool year. We were both amazed at this low number, which was supplied by the Department. Something needs to happen in this area as the approach is totally disjointed. There is great variance between counties. In some counties it is very good and the HSE is doing a good job. On the other side, in some counties it is very bad and we need to have a proper system in order that parents of children with special educational needs know they can avail of the universal preschool year. In some instances, preschool providers are turning away children because they cannot provide for the special needs of the children. I hope that area will receive priority in the early child care strategy.

Deputy Deputy Frances Fitzgerald

I welcome the Deputy's discussion paper and the work he has done on the early years. I agree with him that this issue of special needs and access to preschool requires further study at national level. There is local variation. We have child care committees in every county and, for the first time, they are being organised at national level. That will make it conducive to finding out precisely what is happening in each of the counties. We will do precisely what Deputy Troy is suggesting, to have a national approach to the inclusion of children with special needs in preschool. There is a national approach in so far as we have the initiatives I outlined to Deputy Terence Flanagan, but there may be scope for further development of a national approach to dealing with the issues being presented at county level.

Written Answers follow Adjournment.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.50 p.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, 24 September 2013.