Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
1938. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of additional social workers required to clear the backlog of unassigned cases; if she will ensure that every case has a care plan; the associated cost of such additional recruitment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26137/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt the end of June 2016, the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) reported that there were 26,214 open cases, of which 5,610 were without an allocated social worker. Although alarming, this represents a 16% reduction in the number of unallocated cases since the start of the year. The Deputy should note that all urgent and emergency cases notified to Tusla are dealt with immediately. Urgent and emergency cases could involve cases of abandonment, allegations of physical and sexual abuse, parental ill health and the need to find an immediate placement, or threat to the safety or life of a child by a third party.
To address the situation Tusla has developed a three-year plan which identifies the requirement for additional resources to meet critical service concerns. This includes children who have no allocated social worker. The plan to address unallocated cases involves increasing staffing levels by 323 whole-time equivalents, including 268 social workers. The cost of this has been estimated at €19.4m over the period 2016-2018. An initial allocation of €6.1m was provided to Tusla in 2016 in this regard. In addition to social workers, it is also important to recruit other grades such as family support staff and administrative support to ensure an efficient service with the right mix of staffing.
Tusla has been pro-active in its efforts to meet its recruitment targets in a competitive environment. Progress is being made and at the end of August 2016, there were 110 additional social work staff employed directly by Tusla compared to the same period in 2015. Overall, there has been an increase of 158 whole-time equivalents across Tusla over the twelve month period July 2015 to July 2016. Tusla has also recently completed an extensive social work graduate recruitment campaign which has led to the creation of a panel of 250 social workers from which they will be able to fill further posts.
I am fully committed to addressing the issue of unallocated cases and to effecting further reductions in the number of children without an allocated social worker and care plan as a matter of priority.
