Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2017
540. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the length of time children in CHO area 7, Dublin south west LHO and the catchment area of Tallaght are waiting to be allocated a social worker in cases of child protection and children in care and high-priority cases of child protection and children in care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41433/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra541. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the length of time children in CHO area 8, Longford and Westmeath LHO and the catchment area of Mullingar are waiting to be allocated a social worker in cases of child protection and children in care and high-priority cases of child protection and children in care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41440/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra542. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the length of time children in CHO area 4, Cork south Lee LHO and the catchment area of Mahon are waiting to be allocated a social worker in cases of child protection and children in care and in high-priority cases of child protection and children in care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41447/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra543. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the length of time children in CHO area 3, Tipperary north east Limerick LHO and the catchment area of Thurles are waiting to be allocated a social worker in cases of child protection and children in care and in high-priority cases of child protection and children in care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41454/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 540 to 543, inclusive, together.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has informed me that, at the end of July 2017, there were 6,272 children in care. Of these, 323 (5%) did not have an allocated social worker. It is important to note that if children have not been allocated a social worker, their needs are reviewed regularly by the Principal Social Worker.
Tusla does not collate data by county; however the the relevant information, correct to end of July 2017, is detailed in tabular form below. This information is published monthly as the, “National Performance and Activity Dashboard”, on: www.tusla.ie/data-figures.
|
Administrative Area |
Dublin South West/Kildare/West Wicklow |
Midlands |
Cork |
Mid-West |
|
Number of children in care |
436 |
393 |
845 |
601 |
|
Number of children in care awaiting allocation of a social worker |
62 |
38 |
24 |
27 |
|
Number of open cases |
2,078 |
1,519 |
3,664 |
1,541 |
|
Number of open cases awaiting allocation of a social worker |
900 |
328 |
689 |
145 |
|
Number of high priority open cases |
312 |
48 |
64 |
17 |
I am informed by Tusla that a case awaiting allocation may be listed as "active" on a "duty" system. This means that there are actions being undertaken by a dedicated duty team or rotating social workers on a duty roster to progress the protection and welfare of the child. Examples of actions being undertaken include telephone calls relating to the concern, visits to see the child, completing initial assessments and, where a child is in care, completing child in care reviews or care plans.
I can inform the Deputy that there were 26,192 open cases nationally at the end of July, which includes children in care. Of these, 5,524 were awaiting allocation of a social worker. An open case is one which is assessed as needing a dedicated (allocated) social work service. Of these, 816 were designated as high-priority, 3,609 as medium-priority and 1,099 as low-priority.
A high-priority case can include children needing further child protection assessment and intervention, children involved with child protection court proceedings, children in care for less than six months and children with high risk mental health and anti-social difficulties. Many children who are deemed medium and low priority have welfare rather than child protection needs and will engage with family support services.
The following table provides information on the length of time the 816 high-priority open cases are awaiting allocation of a social worker.
|
High Priority Open Cases Awaiting Allocation, by time waiting July 2017 |
|
|
< 1 month |
195 |
|
1 - 3 months |
218 |
|
>3 months |
403 |
|
Total |
816 |
Addressing the number of children who are awaiting the allocation of a social worker is a priority for me. I secured additional funding for the purpose of addressing this issue in 2017, and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is now in the second year of a three-year plan to provide for the allocation of a dedicated social worker to all children who need one. 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 leading to the need for an immediate placement, or threat to the safety or life of a child by a third party.
My Department will continue to closely monitor progress in this regard. I attach a high priority to tackling this matter and I will continue to engage directly with the Tusla Board and senior management team, over the course of the year, to review progress.
