Written Answers Nos. 815-829
815. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the policy of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in appointing a male social worker even though the child has asked for a female social worker; the number of times this has occurred in the past three years, if available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20714/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraTusla has advised that it does not collate data on situations where a request has been made for a social worker of a particular gender. There is no policy which applies in this situation as each individual case is decided on its own merits. Social workers are allocated according to the presented needs of children and concerns for their safety and wellbeing. Allocation is not based on gender unless there are clear and specific circumstances that would warrant such a decision and any such decision would be reviewed on an ongoing basis by the relevant manager. It is important to note that all social workers in Tusla are members of a registered profession and are capable of dealing with all child protection and welfare matters irrespective of gender.
816. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the procedures used by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, where achieving best evidence, ABE, guidelines are available on the alleged abuse; the stage at which Tusla would decide to view the ABE guidelines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20715/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI believe the Deputy is referring to "Achieving Best Evidence" where it relates to child sex abuse and interviews of children. This practice is more prevalent in the United Kingdom, rather than in this jurisdiction. I understand that Tusla, in conjunction with An Garda Síochána, is currently implementing processes for specialised joint-interview techniques for children, where an allegation of sexual abuse has been made. There is a training plan in place for specialist interviewers within Tusla, and this is expected to significantly expand the availability of such interviewers.
817. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the role of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in the completion of a standard reporting form, SRF, by a general practitioner who is presented with a mother and child expressing concerns of abuse; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20720/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra818. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the grounds for non-completion of a standard reporting form, SRF, by a general practitioner who is presented with a mother and child expressing concerns of abuse; the consequences, if any; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20721/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra819. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of standard reporting forms completed in the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 by general practitioners; the number which were acted upon or investigated by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20723/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra820. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the grounds for completion of a standard reporting form, SRF, by a general practitioner who is presented with a mother and child expressing concerns of abuse; the procedures to be followed in this instance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20724/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 817 to 820, inclusive, together.
Children First (2011) includes guidance and a standard reporting form for notifying Tusla, the Child and Family Agency of situations where abuse is suspected, i.e. emotional, physical or sexual abuse or neglect. General Practitioners (GPs) are in a good position to identify indicators of abuse, and they are one of a number of professionals who might be expected to make referrals to Tusla. Children First states that where someone has reasonable grounds for suspecting a child is being, or has been, abused, they are expected to immediately inform Tusla in accordance with the standard reporting procedure, unless doing so might endanger the child.
A report, which is described as a "referral" when it is received by Tusla, can be made verbally over the telephone, in person or, preferably in the case of professionals, using the standard reporting form. Tusla does not have a role in the supply of information from the person making the referral prior to receiving it. A referral is then assessed by Tusla through a process of screening, preliminary enquiry, and, if appropriate, an initial assessment. Approximately half of all referrals will not proceed beyond the initial assessment stage, although they may be referred to family support services or other State agencies when appropriate.
Tusla does not capture data on the source of referrals in the manner requested by the Deputy. Child Welfare and Protection services received 41,599 referrals in 2013, 43,630 referrals in 2014, and provisional figures for 2015 show that there were 43,596 referrals. The most recent breakdown on the source of referrals available was published in Tusla's Review of Adequacy 2014. Referrals from General Practitioners accounted for 1,276 in 2014 and 1,064 in 2013.
Where a referral meets the threshold for a social work service, it is then referred to as an open case and a social worker is allocated to work with the child and their family. Should the situation warrant it, Tusla may consider applying for an order under the Child Care Act 1991, as amended, and this may involve a supervision or a care order. In some open cases, a voluntary care arrangement may be considered. Only a minority of children involved in open cases will need to be received into care.
At present, there are no consequences under the Children First guidelines for not reporting a reasonable concern about a child. This does not exclude the possibility of complaint being made to the relevant professional body in a particular case. The Children First Act 2015 puts elements of the Children First Guidelines (2011) on a statutory footing. Amongst other things, the commencement of the relevant sections of the Act will provide for mandatory reporting of child abuse using defined thresholds by key professionals, including GPs. Preparations by the Department and Tusla for the full implementation of the Children First Act 2015 are underway.
821. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the securities in place to encourage early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme providers to take up the scheme with regard to the duplication of services in one area; the frequency with which needs assessments are carried out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20749/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to eligible children in the year before they commence primary school. Approximately 96% of pre-school children have accessed the (ECCE) scheme over the last number of years, demonstrating both good supply and good take-up across the country. In Budget 2016, my Department announced a significant expansion to pre-school provision under the ECCE programme. This expansion will see the number of children benefitting from the Programme rise from around 67,000 to around 127,000 in a given programme year. Children’s entitlement to ECCE will increase from 38 weeks currently for all children, to an average of 61 weeks (ranging from 51 to 88 weeks depending on date of birth and age starting school).
The measure is being introduced from September 2016 in order to provide the early years sector with the time to build capacity to meet the increased demand. As the increased demand for the Programme is not expected to peak until April 2017, this timeframe should allow pre-school providers to make any necessary infrastructural or service changes and to put in place extra staff resources to accommodate the additional demand. In response to the expansion of ECCE announced in Budget 2016, my Department has initiated a number of actions to support the development of capacity in the sector.
1. The City/County Childcare Committees (CCCs) carried out an analysis of capacity within the Early Years sector to inform whether there was a need to develop additional capacity within the sector. I am reasonably satisfied that there will be sufficient capacity in the system to meet the September intake. My Department will continue to work intensively and proactively with any CCCs who identify a concern re supply for the remainder of 2016 and into early 2017.
2. A higher level of capitation (HC) is paid to ECCE services which are led by staff with degrees (minimum Level 7) and three years’ experience in the sector. This higher level of capitation was introduced based on international evidence that the most effective way of improving quality of services was through a more qualified workforce. My Department has altered ECCE’s rules to allow for higher capitation to be payable to services on a room by room basis. This would allow services with two rooms, but only one graduate, to still receive higher capitation for one of the rooms. This assists services in expanding capacity and incrementally increasing the number of graduates in their employment.
3. My Department has worked closely with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government to consider planning issues for services wishing to expand their service. Earlier this year the DOECLG issued a circular to all Local Authorities asking them to assist early years providers with their planning queries and the pre-planning consultation phase in so far as possible.
4. As part of Budget 2016, my Department announced the introduction of an Early Years Capital Programme with total funding of €4 million available. This funding was targeted at early years pre-school providers that are making alterations to their services to accommodate increased numbers of children. To ensure the maximum number of grant approved providers can avail of funding, my Department has sought and received sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure to increase the funding available by €2.5 million, representing an increase of 60%, to €6.5 million. Successful applicants were notified of their grant allocation last week.
I am satisfied that there is already additional capacity in the early years sector to cope with some of the increased demand. I am aware that every year a significant number of new pre-school providers apply to participate in this Programme. This increased demand for, and additional investment in, free pre-school provision should encourage greater numbers of applicants. It is clear that more capacity will be required. Officials in my Department continue to work closely with the City and County Childcare Committees and the Voluntary Childcare Organisations in relation to provision of services under this, and other, Childcare Programmes.
822. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will maintain an after-school literacy programme for vulnerable children (details supplied) under the childhood development initiative; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21144/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a joint prevention and early intervention initiative led by my Department and The Atlantic Philanthropies. It is a time bound co-funding arrangement with resources of €29.7 million from 2013 to 2017. The aim of the ABC Programme is to test and evaluate prevention and early intervention approaches to improve outcomes for children and families living in poverty in 13 disadvantaged areas. Childhood Development Initiative (CDI) Tallaght, has been delivering Doodle Den in Tallaght and funding it in Limerick as part of their ABC programme.
The current contract for CDI was due to conclude in August 2016. My Department worked with CDI in April to agree the extension of this contract together with that of the two other PEIP sites to July 2017. In restructuring their services, CDI identified that the delivery of Doodle Den in Limerick, costing €106,000, would no longer form part of their ABC programme.
My Department has met with CDI and is actively working with this organisation to identify the costs of delivering Doodle Den Limerick and possible sources of funding. My Department is also actively liaising with the ABC programme in Limerick, the Limerick Children’s and Young People’s Services committee and other relevant Departments to determine possibilities in relation to the funding of the Doodle Den programme in Limerick. My officials have received communication from the current provider in the last few days. I will be following up directly on this correspondence also. I will revert to the Deputy when the outcome of these negotiations is known.
823. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when she will implement the recommended action 75 of the Ryan implementation group for a professionally managed national archive to be developed as a central repository for the records for all children in care; and her views that there are barriers to the implementation of this recommendation. [21146/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (The Ryan Report) was published in 2009. The Government accepted all of the recommendations of the Ryan Report, and in response developed an Implementation Plan which set out a series of 99 actions which addressed the recommendations to improve services to children in care, in detention and at risk.
The Government approved the Fourth and Final Monitoring Report of the Ryan Implementation Group which illustrated that the vast majority of the recommendations (i.e. 94 out of a total of 99) have been implemented or are being implemented on an ongoing basis. The fourth and final report was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas on 13 March 2015.
It should also be noted that the Monitoring Group, which authored the Report, welcomed the significant positive developments that have taken place over the lifetime of the Implementation Plan. While overall progress in relation to the actions in the Ryan Implementation Plan was good, it was noted that 5 of the 99 actions were not yet complete, including Action 75 referred to by the Deputy which relates to a professionally managed national archive to be developed as a central repository for the records for all children in care.
Responsibility for the Action lies with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and it is included in their 2016 business plan (Short Term Output B - Alternative Care Strategy, P. 57) as follows:-
"Establish a professionally managed central repository for the records for all children in care including records created in non-statutory agencies".
I will continue to liaise with Tusla as regards implementation of this Action. While financial constraints are always a challenge, the Government is committed to full implementation of all outstanding Ryan recommendations and I have undertaken to keep the Government informed of progress until full implementation is achieved.
824. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has informed all community programmes and community groups under its remit of its budget for 2016 and 2017; if she has signed off on this budget to these groups; and the groups whose funding from the agency has been reduced or discontinued for 2016 and 2017, in tabular form. [21149/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information sought by the Deputy in respect of Budget 2016 has been requested from the Child and Family Agency. I will respond directly to the Deputy when the information is received. As the Deputy will appreciate, no decisions have been made with regard to the level of funding to be made available to my Department, and in turn to Tusla, for 2017.
825. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, provided to the Health Service Executive for the provision of child counselling services in each of the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 to date; her plans and proposals for the agency to take over the direct provision of child counselling services; and if she or the agency has examined providing child counselling services via family resource centres. [21150/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information sought by the Deputy has been requested from the Child and Family Agency. I will respond directly to the Deputy when the information is received.
826. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of new places on the community child care subvention scheme which have been taken up by private providers as well as community providers since the announcement of the expansion to the scheme in budget 2016, by category. [21173/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe detailed information sought by the Deputy is not currently available in my Department in the format requested. However, I have requested Pobal to provide the information and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.
827. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of family resource centres that exist and are fully operational. [21174/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are currently 107 Family Resource Centres supported through the Family Resource Centre Programme which is funded by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.
Tusla fully appreciates the role that Family Resource Centres play in offering early intervention support to families in difficulty. Tusla has advised that it intends to build on the strengths of the Family Resource Centre Programme in the years ahead in meeting its mandate for community-based early intervention and family support.
828. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, spent on community programmes, by county, in each of the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 to date, including spending on family resource centres, school completion and area based childhood, ABC, programmes. [21175/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Child and Family Agency, Tusla has been asked to compile the information and I have requested the organisation to forward the response to the Deputy directly.
829. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount her Department spent on aftercare for children not in foster care or in the direct care of the Health Service Executive in each of the years 2014, 2015 and 2016 to date; and the number of children in this regard. [21176/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Child and Family Agency, Tusla has been asked to compile the information and I have requested the organisation to forward the response to the Deputy directly.
