Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 July 2016
19. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of permanent full-time staff employed in youth detention centres and their roles; the number of roles covered by agency staff; the turnover of agency staff; the strategic plan to ensure stable personnel structures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23055/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt present there are a total of 237 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) staff employed in Oberstown Children Detention Campus. The breakdown of these posts are detailed in the following table:
|
Grade |
No. of Posts Filled (WTE) |
Secondment |
|
Campus Manager |
1 |
|
|
Director |
2 |
1 |
|
Deputy Director |
3 |
|
|
Head of Care |
1 |
|
|
Unit Manager's Day and Night Managers |
16.5 |
|
|
Hr Manager |
1 |
|
|
Admin Manager |
1 |
|
|
Residential Child Care Worker |
122 |
|
|
Night Supervisor |
33.5 |
|
|
Night Supervisor / Central Security |
12 |
|
|
Grade III |
3 |
|
|
Grade IV |
6.5 |
|
|
Grade VI |
4 |
|
|
Admission Officer |
1 |
|
|
Ex Chef / Catering |
1 |
|
|
Chef Grade I |
1.5 |
|
|
Chef Grade II |
0.5 |
|
|
Supplies Officer Grade D |
1.5 |
|
|
House Keeper |
1 |
|
|
Asst House Keeper |
1 |
|
|
General Operative |
4.5 |
|
|
General Operative Domestic/Hold |
9.5 |
1 |
|
Build Main. Officer |
2 |
|
|
Asst Build Main. Officer |
2 |
|
|
Gardener / Driver |
2 |
|
|
Social Worker |
1 |
|
|
Clinical Nurse Manager 2 |
1 |
|
|
Clinical Nurse / Midwife Manager 1 |
1 |
|
|
TOTAL |
237 |
2 |
Recent recruitment campaigns have resulted in the filling of posts for: 2 Deputy Directors, 2 Unit Managers, 20 Residential Child Care Workers, Staff Information Officer, H and S Investigation Officer
Agency staff are utilised to ensure service delivery across the campus. There are currently 14 agency staff employed in the Oberstown Children Detention Campus. The breakdown is:
|
Agency Staff |
|
|
Residential Child Care Worker |
7 |
|
Maintenance |
2 |
|
Administration Staff |
2 |
|
Health & Safety |
1 |
|
Nurse |
1 |
|
Driver / General Operative |
1 |
|
TOTAL |
14 |
There are ongoing recruitment campaigns to backfill the vacancies. There has been a turnover in the last year of 14 agency Residential Child Care Workers which has resulted in 10 leaving Oberstown and 4 being successful following a recruitment campaign for Residential Child Care Workers.
In order to provide a stable personnel structure there is continuous support for staff across the campus. This includes a Campus Support Service on a 3 day a week basis, an Employment Assistance Programme, a robust training and development plan and a Further Education programme. There is also an agreed roster with a focus on work life balance. There are ongoing efforts to improve the working environment across the campus.
