Priority Questions
1. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to address continuing child protection and welfare concerns in respect of children at risk who are waiting to be allocated a social worker. [14644/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraRecently we have received further reports which provide evidence that children proved to be at severe risk are left to wait for protracted periods without a necessary social worker. Will the Minister confirm to the House how he and his Department plan to deal with the deficiencies and the reduction in number of social workers to ensure every child identified as being in need of a social worker or at high risk of harm will, at the very minimum, be guaranteed a social worker to deal with him or her and his or her family?
I would like to correct the record of the House and the Deputy's point of view. There has been no reduction in the number of social workers.
As of January 2015, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has advised that a total of 19,926 children were in receipt of a dedicated social work service. A further 7,787 children who would benefit from an allocated social worker were awaiting the service. Of the 7,787 cases awaiting allocation, 2,235 were identified as being in the high priority category. These cases represent a mix of new referrals who need further assessment, as well as children known to Tusla or in care who need a continuing social work service. It is important to note that "high priority" should not simply be equated with risk. For example, children in care for less than six months are in stable placements and included in this category. Tusla deals immediately with emergency cases, including, for instance, a child who has been abandoned or is in immediate physical danger or at immediate risk of sexual abuse. Social work duty teams keep high priority cases under review by regular checking to ascertain risk to the child and, where necessary, will re-prioritise the case.
There were 1,397 whole-time equivalent social workers employed by Tusla at the end of February and it is recruiting an additional 218.
Tusla risk-assesses the impact of vacancies on service provision on an ongoing basis so that social work team numbers do not fall below what is considered necessary to provide a safe service. These risk assessments take account of case loads and referral numbers. Where necessary, temporary staff are brought in immediately to cover vacancies.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
As part of Tusla's business planning process for 2015, I requested that an action plan be developed setting out the proposed measures to tackle the issue of unallocated cases. Tusla has commenced a national review of cases awaiting allocation this month to determine if additional social work posts may be required to meet existing demand. I look forward to the outcome of this review.
There has been a welcome downward trend in the number waiting to be allocated a social worker, including an almost 50% reduction of high priority cases awaiting allocation for less than three months in 2014. Tusla is also committed to producing a workforce development strategy by the end of quarter 2 this year. This development presents Tusla with a significant opportunity to continue to improve its service to vulnerable children and families. The plan will consider issues relating to recruitment, retention, skill mix and turnover. I look forward to receiving the action plan and strategy and I will support Tusla in their ongoing work to deliver a safe and quality service.
The Minister said there was no reduction in social workers. While that may be true, many fewer children were referred or known to the care system five years ago than today. That is because there is now a greater emphasis and sense of priority in terms of ensuring that people at risk are referred to the care system.
What research and analysis has been carried out to ensure that we have a sufficient number of social workers working in the care system? The latest figures show that more than 8,000 cases of abuse, neglect and welfare concerns in respect of children at risk are waiting to be allocated a social worker. The most recently published HIQA report on social services in Cork set out that more than 230 children assessed as being at high risk of harm did not have an allocated social worker. HIQA also found that 1,167 of 4,926 children had no allocated social worker. We have a problem with the number of social workers working in our service.
I am glad the Deputy accepts there is no reduction in social workers. By way of further answer to his question I note that as part of Tusla's business planning process for 2015, I requested that an action plan be developed setting out the proposed measures to tackle the issue of unallocated cases. Tusla has commenced a national review of cases awaiting allocation this month to determine if additional social work posts may be required to meet existing demand. I look forward to the outcome of this review. As I have said, a further 218 social workers are being recruited.
I am pleased to inform the House that there has been a welcome downward trend in the number of cases waiting to be allocated a social worker, including an almost 50% reduction of high priority cases awaiting allocation for less than three months during 2014. Tusla is also committed to producing a workforce development strategy by the end of quarter 2 this year. This development presents Tusla with a significant opportunity to continue to improve its service to vulnerable children and families.
My question is whether, in light of the huge increase in the number of children referred to social work services, the Minister is confident that we have a sufficient number of social workers. The level of social workers to which the Minister and Department continually refer when talking about meeting capacity is based on figures from five years ago. In light of the additional children being referred to the service, is the Minister confident? Certainly, I am not. The research and evidence shows that thousands of children have not been allocated social workers.
The Minister has identified an action plan. Can he confirm today the number of children nationally who have been deemed to require a social worker but remain without one? Can he identify the number and confirm to the House when the children who have been identified as in need of a social worker will have a dedicated social worker and social plan going forward? Only when each child who has been identified as in need of a social worker gets one can the Minister come to the House and confirm that we have a sufficient number of social workers working in our service.
In the opening lines of my reply to the question, I confirmed the numbers for the Deputy. Measuring the pressure, which is done quarterly, there is a 48.6% drop in the number of children in the high priority category who are awaiting allocation to a social worker for less than three months from 2,046 in quarter 4, 2013, to 1,051 in quarter 4, 2014. We are making progress but we must make more. We are endeavouring to ensure that all children receive an appropriate service. Referrals have reduced as a consequence of better, more coherent co-operation between various people in the team who talk to each other.
The easiest way to describe it would be to put it in medical language. A GP who might want to refer a patient because he is unsure of a problem discusses that problem on the telephone with a consultant and realises he can deal with it himself. A similar type of approach has been adopted here. This has reduced anxiety for families and the necessity for social workers to become involved where it is not appropriate. There are still too many children awaiting a social worker. We are working and endeavouring to make sure that this is addressed through a whole range of initiatives which we have taken.
When will it be addressed?
2. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the actions taken to urgently address the substandard and inadequate provision of care to minors, in view of the recent report by the Health Information and Quality Authority which revealed shocking findings from a full inspection of services in County Cork in October 2014, where children have been waiting years to be allocated a social worker and are accordingly at risk. [14710/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhat actions have been taken to urgently address the issue of substandard and inadequate provision of care for minors in light of the recent HIQA report which revealed shocking findings from a full inspection of services in County Cork in October 2014, where children have been waiting years to be allocated a social worker, putting those children at risk?
I assure the Deputy and the House that all children who are known to be at immediate and urgent risk are seen immediately and have a social worker assigned to them by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Comments about the HIQA report for the Cork area may have given the impression that these most vulnerable children known to Tusla were not being cared for. The children were described by some as having been abandoned, beaten or sexually abused. I am reliably informed that this is not the case.
The HIQA inspection report found a number of positives and noted the good quality of the service provided to children and families when they had an allocated social worker. The report stated that the service had clear lines of accountability. Managers and social workers used standard business processes, together with the national guidelines in Children First, to deliver a consistent service with clear oversight.
I am concerned that there were two findings that were classed as "significant risk" but I am able to report that these were addressed immediately. The action plan published with the inspection report stated that the 21 children who were identified as having complex problems had all been allocated a social worker in the course of the inspection. Risk management and monitoring by the duty social work team ensures that any change in a child’s circumstances are dealt with during a period when a child is waiting for the allocation of a social worker.
Improvements in the delivery of Tusla's resources and the efficient management of case loads are key priorities. Tusla is reviewing the cases awaiting allocation of a social worker to decide how best to meet existing and future service demands. Nationally, the list of high priority cases awaiting allocation for less than three months has decreased by almost 50% in 2014. In Cork alone, the total number of cases awaiting allocation has dropped by over a quarter in 2014, including a significant decrease of 66% in those listed as high priority. I am pleased to see the progress being made in this critical area since Tusla's establishment.
I have raised the issue of substandard and inadequate provision of care for minors with the Minister on many occasions, both in committees and in this Chamber. I have specifically highlighted issues pertaining to my constituency in Cork. The Minister has rightly agreed that the situation regarding lack of staff and social workers and the knock-on effects of lack of care, such as drugs paraphernalia being found in some homes, was hugely concerning.
The HIQA report released last month revealed even more shocking findings following a full inspection of services in the county in October of last year. The review of child protection and welfare services in County Cork by HIQA found that children were at significant risk as a result of failures by the Child and Family Agency, Tusla. It is widely known that children in the county have been waiting years to be allocated a social worker. Some cases involve children with highly complex and acute needs. Will the Minister give an update on the increase in the number of social workers for minors in Cork since our last conversation about the issue? What progress has been made, particularly for those assessed as being at high risk?
The Minister had previously stated that there was a process of recruitment under way in the UK due to a shortage of staff in Ireland. Will the Minister give an update on the type of personnel recruited and how many have been placed? Is this recruitment drive serving its purpose?
Deputy McLellan has asked a lot of questions and I will try to answer some of them. The number of cases of children awaiting allocation of a social worker has decreased over 2014.
Tusla's figures for Cork indicate a decrease of 26% in the overall number and, in the number of high-priority cases, a decrease of two thirds. The source for this is "Measuring the Pressure". However, people are still waiting, and we will continue to endeavour over the coming months to ensure that this does not remain the case.
The Deputy asked about the recruitment process. Many initiatives are under way to address the issue of our social worker complement. We are actively recruiting 218 this year. I do not have a further update for the Deputy but if I get it I will pass it on to her.
We know from the authority's report that, of the 27 standards assessed, Tusla's service met six, required improvement in 19 and significant risks were identified in respect of two. The report found that the effectiveness of the service was compromised due to the length of time it took for social workers to be allocated to assess the needs of children and families, meaning that children could remain at risk while they waited. It also found that the longest a child had been waiting for a social worker to be allocated was since 2010, whereas most of the others had been waiting since 2013. Of the almost 5,000 cases referred to Tusla in Cork, more than 1,000 had no allocated social workers, including the 234 deemed high priority. Where retrospective allegations of abuse were made against adults, Tusla failed to establish the risks to all children who may have been in contact with those adults.
Is it the case that children are worse off under Tusla than under the HSE? Does the Minister agree that the Child and Family Agency, which is facing a funding crisis, will continue to reveal such findings until the lack of resources is adequately addressed? Will it be addressed in budget 2015?
I reject the assertion that Tusla is in any financial crisis. It is a new agency and received a substantially increased budget this year. As it develops, we will undoubtedly see where there is a need for further resources. It is undertaking work to measure this and to determine where best to put those resources.
Regarding high-priority cases, these are not children at immediate risk. Any child at immediate risk is treated as an emergency and seen immediately. To put this in perspective, if a teacher in a classroom this morning is worried about a child in that class, there will be a social worker there before the child goes home this evening. That is the nature of the service that Tusla delivers. High-priority cases include a range of situations, some of which relate to children who are in care and stable environments but have not been allocated social workers. We would prefer it if they had social workers, but they are not in any immediate risk or danger. We want to minimise risk and would like to see no child at risk where possible.
Deputy Healy is not present, so we will move on to Question No. 4.
4. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on concerns that the inspection system for preschools is not robust enough to identify centres that pose risks to the health and welfare of children in their care. [14716/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI thank the Deputy for his question. A key priority for the Government is to ensure that quality early years services are available to preschool children. My Department is progressing the early years quality agenda, which represents a programme of measures to support, monitor and regulate the improvement of quality standards in preschool services. A key element of the agenda is strengthening the national early years regulatory regime. This will result in a change in practice in a number of areas relating to early years inspections.
Responsibility for the inspection of early years services transferred from the HSE to the Child and Family Agency in January 2014. Legislative amendments under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 strengthened the inspection regime and provided a statutory basis for the registration of early years services. The new registration system, which will be introduced by the Child and Family Agency, requires that anyone seeking to open an early years service must register with the agency prior to the facility being opened.
The proposed service will then be inspected to ensure it meets all the necessary criteria before registration is granted. A similar inspection will be carried out at three yearly intervals. Ongoing inspections will be carried out after the service has become operational and children are attending. The legislation also provides for increased sanctions for service providers that do not comply with the regulations. The agency will also be in a position to refuse to register a service provider, remove a provider from the register, or attach conditions to the registration of a provider.
The Child and Family Agency is working to make the inspection system more consistent and robust. Reports on all inspections conducted since the middle of 2013 are published online and the agency is in the process of publishing retrospective inspection reports. The early years inspectorate is now managed by the agency on a national basis and working to common standards. The inspection tools and report format have been reviewed and new inspection arrangements will accompany the new regulations later this year. The regulations will incorporate new national quality standards which will provide the basis against which services will be inspected and reported on. Services will be supported to work towards higher standards of quality based on clearer criteria for measuring levels of compliance.
I am pleased the Minister has acknowledged that he did announce a programme of measures. He said a key element under the new system would be the registration process. That process was announced following the "Prime Time" exposé and placed on a statutory basis in January 2014. Fifteen months later, however, it is not yet in operation. No new service has been registered and no existing service has been re-registered, even though the legislation requires that this be done within three years. What is the reason for this delay in registrations? When will we see the registration process that the Minister is heralding as a key element of reforms in this area actually in operation? There is no point in having it on a statutory basis if it is not being operated by Tusla.
Under the legislation we introduced, this is an operational matter for Tusla as it sets about putting these inspections in place. One of the issues revealed in the report was the need for information technology and communications, ICT, infrastructure to support Tusla's national preschool inspectorate. I was pleased to provide €350,000 to fund development of ICT infrastructure for that purpose. The work will be undertaken by Pobal and the new system is expected to be fully operational from January next year.
The Minister did not answer my question. All he will say is that this is an operational matter for Tusla. Why is it that having brought forward legislation to put the process on a statutory basis, it is yet to kick into action 15 months later? The Minister should know the answer to that question. He referred to the new standards to guide the inspection process. The process to reform these standards started in 2010. After the "Prime Time " exposé, the Minister's predecessor committed to prioritising the publication of new standards. Almost two years later, the new standards have yet to be published. What is the reason for the delay?
We have a situation where Tusla is charged with responsibility for inspecting the preschool regulations and Pobal is responsible for inspection from a compliance and funding perspective. Meanwhile, the most recent announcement refers to inspections by the Department of Education and Skills. Again, this latest measure was introduced without any consultation with Tusla. The chief executive officer of the agency recently said he was embarrassed to learn that it was, in fact, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs which had requested the Department of Education and Skills to carry out the new inspections.
Why is the new registration process not in operation 15 months after it was put on a statutory basis? Why have the standards promised more than two years ago not been published? Why has a situation developed where the chief executive officer of Tusla is embarrassed that the Department of Children and Youth Affairs requested the Department of Education and Skills to start a new inspections process?
Clearly, the Deputy is confusing two inspection regimes. Under the early years programme the Department of Education and Skills will inspect the educational aspect, inspection of the overall regime will be the responsibility of the Child and Family Agency. In fairness to it, while it is studying how to go about this, it is awaiting the revised regulations.
Why?
Because the provisions are being developed in association with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. In the drafting of the new regulations a review of the draft national quality standards was required, as well as of the 2006 child care regulations and the associated guidance document, with an input from the Child and Family Agency which will have responsibility for implementing the new regulations. This work means that it has taken longer to finalise the regulations than originally anticipated. It is important to point out to the Deputy that the regulations will be a serious improvement on what was in place before.
When will they be introduced? They have been promised for two years.
