Written Answers Nos. 226-235
226. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of social workers who have ceased employment with Tusla in each of the years 2014 to 2016 and to date in 2017, by their given reasons for leaving. [52353/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraTusla has confirmed that the number of social workers who have ceased employment for each of the years 2014 to 2016 and for 2017 to 30/09/2017 is 471. This figure does not include retirements, death or permanent infirmity.
Social Work Leavers/Career break 01/01/2014 to 30/09/2017
|
Region |
Year |
||||
|
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
Total |
|
|
Corporate |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
|
|
DML |
19 |
28 |
39 |
33 |
119 |
|
DNE |
39 |
38 |
48 |
33 |
158 |
|
South |
15 |
17 |
31 |
24 |
87 |
|
West |
21 |
33 |
23 |
26 |
103 |
|
Grand Total |
94 |
118 |
142 |
117 |
471 |
The known reasons for leaving are varied and include going abroad; family and personal reasons; further training; and alternative employment opportunities.
227. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the steps she will take to reduce the number of children in foster care who are subject to a voluntary care order as compared to a care order. [52354/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraVoluntary care is provided for under Section 4 of the Child Care Act, 1991 which sets out the means by which a child can be received into voluntary care by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. This allows Tusla to receive a child into care without a court order and with the consent of the child's parents when this is required for the child’s welfare or protection. A voluntary care agreement may be appropriate in situations such as when a parent requires medical or other treatment for a time limited period. Social workers review a child in care's situation at statutory child in care reviews, in consultation with the child's parents and other professionals.
The decision to make an application for a care order from the Courts is a serious step and Tusla makes every effort to identify supports or actions that could act as an alternate approach.
It would not be appropriate for me to take steps to reduce the numbers of children being received in to the care of Tusla with the agreement of their parents.
228. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to conduct an archaeological survey at the site of the former mother and baby home at St. Patrick's on the Navan Road, Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52393/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have no plans to conduct an archaeological survey at the site of the former mother and baby home at St Patrick's on the Navan Road, Dublin. As the Deputy may be aware, St Patrick's Mother and Baby Home is one of the institutions currently being investigated by the statutory Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters. As part of its terms of reference the Commission is directed to investigate and to make a report on burial arrangements in respect of persons who died while resident in these institutions. The Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 provides the Commission with significant powers in the conduct of its investigations. It is a matter for the independent Commission to determine the methodology and approach it employs in the course of its investigation.
229. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on the recent statement by an organisation (details supplied) that vulnerable children are being left in neglectful homes until they are harmed due to the fact social workers are not using their powers properly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52490/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraTusla has a statutory duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. The immediate safety of the child is the first consideration. Decisions made by social workers are taken with the best interests of the child in mind. This can involve balancing a complex range of factors.
Neglect is the most commonly occurring child protection issue, ahead of abuse and maltreatment. A distinction can be drawn between 'wilful' and 'circumstantial' neglect. For example, deliberately withholding food, shelter, seasonally appropriate clothing or social contact would be considered wilful neglect. Situations where parents or guardians are struggling to cope due to personal difficulties, stress or health issues may result in circumstantial neglect. Common categories of neglect include physical neglect, inadequate supervision or exposure to hazards, educational neglect, or exposure to drugs.
Upon receipt of an appropriate referral, the Duty Social Worker carries out preliminary enquiries, including checking to see if the case is already open or known to child protection services, clarifies the nature of the concern, contacts key professionals, e.g. public health nurses or teachers, and records the details of the child and family. In some cases the threshold for a child protection assessment or response is not met but a child has an unmet identified need. Tusla provides a continuum of care supports and interventions for 'at risk' children and their families, including early intervention and prevention services, family supports services and community based services such as Meitheal. It is commonly found that when family supports are provided, the situation improves.
While the child's safety and welfare are the primary concern, removing a child from their home can be a traumatic and stressful experience. Social workers must at all times draw on their professional judgement and undertake a risk assessment to balance the safety of a child with the potential loss and trauma that may be caused by removing them from the family home.
230. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on the recent statement by the chief executive of Tusla that supervision orders are not being used due to the fact the legislation is inadequate and does not give social workers sufficient powers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52491/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe spirit and philosophy underpinning the Child Care Act 1991 is that, where possible, families and children should be supported to enable the child be brought up within their family. A Supervision Order is a tool utilised to protect the welfare of a child without removing the child from the family home. It is less intrusive and in keeping with the constitutional imperative of minimalist intervention by the State in the life of the child within the family unit.
The criteria for the granting of a Supervision Order are less stringent than a Care Order. Section 19(1) of the Child Care Act 1991 requires only that the court be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds rather than establishing a prima facie case of harm.
Under a Supervision Order the parent retains exclusive parental authority. The Supervision Order allows the social worker to see the child in the home, however there is no authority to direct a parent to undertake parenting or other courses. In the event of present or imminent risk to the child, Tusla does not have the power under the Supervision Order to remove the child from the home. I understand that as part of the review of the Child Care Act 1991 Tusla will look for greater powers to be provided so that greater use can be made of Supervision Orders rather than Care Orders.
231. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the amount received by each club and group under the local youth club equipment scheme 2017 by ETB in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52560/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI was pleased to approve the establishment of the Local Youth Club Equipment Scheme in 2017. The primary focus of this scheme was to assist volunteer led clubs and groups that work with young people in communities throughout the country. The scheme allowed for the purchase of equipment for sport, arts, adventure and other much needed items. Some €6.35m has been made available nationally.
My Department is currently compiling a list of all grants awarded and I hope to be in a position to respond to the Deputy directly in the coming weeks.
232. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason the overage exemption has been removed from the ECCE scheme from September 2018; if her attention has been drawn to the negative impact that this change will have on children with disabilities; if she will respond to correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52587/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraYesterday I announced that I have paused a decision on this matter so that further consultation with parents will occur. This means that for now at least the overage exemption will continue to be available. Since ECCE was introduced in 2010, approximately 500 children availed of the exemption each year, although for reasons set out below, it is expected that much fewer than this would have applied in 2018. I hope that my decision of yesterday will bring the parents who planned to apply some relief and I encourage them to make sure their views are represented in the consultation that will occur over the coming months, the details of which I will publish shortly.
It is important that I set out the rationale for the original decision. The recent announcement of changes was designed to support the achievement of better outcomes for children with disabilities. No child would have lost out as a result of the overage exemption being removed.
Overage exemptions were introduced at the onset of the ECCE programme in 2010. At that time, the ECCE Programme only operated for a 38 week period, or one programme year. For some children with special/additional needs, attending preschool five days a week was not feasible and so an allowance was made to enable them split ECCE over 2 years, for example, a child may have availed of 3 days ECCE provision in year one and 2 days in year two. Their total ECCE provision remained at 38 weeks.
In order to facilitate this, in the cases where the child would have been over the age limit for ECCE (5 years and 6 months when finishing ECCE) an overage exemption was approved. This flexibility was never intended to conflict with the legislative requirement to start school by age six. The law and policy on school start-age is clearly established in Ireland. Children should be in school by the time they are six and the primary school system has a variety of resources to support children with disabilities. If children are not in school by six, under the Educational Welfare Act, the Educational Welfare service of Tusla must be satisfied that the child is receiving a minimum standard of education in a place other than a recognised school. (Tusla does this by sending Educational Welfare Inspectors out to the place of the child's education. Should this be required, this would be in addition to the Early Years Inspectorates funded by my Department.)
Since ECCE was first introduced, DCYA has worked to improve the pre-school experience for children with disabilities and to optimise their early development. The two main enhancements are:
- ECCE entitlement currently averages at 61 weeks, up from 38 weeks, and it will expand further to 76 weeks from September 2018. This is in keeping with good international practice.
- The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) has been introduced with 7 different levels of support for children with disabilities. Over 4,000 children have so far benefitted from targeted supports and many multiples of this from universal supports available under AIM.
Purely in the best interests of children, and for no other reason, a proposal was considered to remove the overage exemption to the upper age limit to the Programme. This was signalled last year, but in order to give longer notice to parents and providers, the planned introduction was delayed until September 2018. The motivation underpinning this development is entirely evidence based. Children with a disability benefit from early intervention, high quality early childhood care and education and high quality primary school education. In this regard my Department is complementing the work of the HSE's role in early intervention and the Department of Educations and Skill's role in high quality primary school education by:
- expanding the ECCE programme so that all children have access to a full 76 weeks, double what was available in 2010.
- providing access to the comprehensive suite of resources under the Access and Inclusion model (AIM), introduced in September 2016.
The evidence is that children with a disability should start school with their peers once they have access to high quality and inclusive primary school education. The evidence is also that they should become teenagers with their peers and transition to secondary school with their peers.
This original decision to remove the overage exemption was made with the Department of Education and Skills (DES) and in close collaboration with members of the AIM Cross-Sectoral Implementation Group, which includes representatives from the National Council for Special Education, the National Disability Authority, the HSE, a representative of parents of children with special needs and a representative of early years providers. There was broad agreement that, in light of the very significant developments and improvements to free pre-school education, both in terms of the two year duration of ECCE and the range of supports available, and the very significant supports that are in place for children in primary schools, the overage exemption would no longer support the overarching policy aim that children should transition to primary school with their peers. The decision acknowledged the supports provided by the relevant primary school, the National Council for Special Education and other bodies as required.
Notwithstanding the strong evidence base underpinning this proposal as being in the best interests of the children concerned, and the significant enhancements to the ECCE scheme in terms of two years duration and access to AIM supports; measures which effectively address the reasons for introducing the overage exemptions in the first place, I am also conscious of the need to listen further to those with concerns. To this end, as stated above, I intend to pause the proposed change and consult more widely with parents of children with disabilities.
233. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development his plans to provide specific funding to local authorities for the local improvement scheme in the road works programme for 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52581/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department wrote to Local Authorities last August to establish the level of demand for a local improvement scheme this year. This is a nation-wide scheme in respect of which the Local Authorities were advised that any requests for funds would be subject to their capacity to complete any proposed works in 2017, and funding availability.
On 21st September last, I announced the provision of €10 million for a Local Improvement Scheme to support improvement works on private and non-public roads.
Based on demand for the scheme and the capacity of Local Authorities to complete works before the end of the year, I announced an additional €7.4 million for LIS roads at the end of November which has now been allocated to Local Authorities. There has been significant progress on the scheme, with registered expenditure of €14.1 million to date.
I recognise that there is an underlying demand for further LIS funding, as no dedicated funding stream has been available for these type of works for a number of years. I have therefore secured a further allocation of €10 million for LIS in my Department's Estimate for 2018. Allocations for 2018 are provisional and subject to the publication of the Revised Estimates Volume for Public Services.
Details of the 2018 scheme will be announced early in the New Year.
234. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the support being given by his Department to mountain rescue; if this work is being co-ordinated through Comhairle na Tuaithe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52371/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMountain Rescue Ireland (MRI) operates on a voluntary basis, but has received State support for a number of years from various Government Departments to help with the organisation’s operating costs. I understand that the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport currently provides an average grant of approximately €7,400 per annum for each individual MRI rescue team, and a grant to Mountain Rescue Ireland as the coordinating body for these teams. This grant helps with the provision of health and safety equipment, etc.
Support was provided to MRI in 2016 by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs towards the insurance costs of the MRI rescue teams. I also provided assistance towards MRI's insurance costs this year. A sum of €66,245 was paid to MRI in 2016 for this purpose, while the amount provided in 2017 was €88,816. The funding was not coordinated through Comhairle na Tuaithe.
Earlier this year I announced a new initiative, under the 2017 CLÁR programme, to support voluntary first-response organisations that provide much-needed services in rural areas in a voluntary capacity, often under very difficult circumstances. Under this measure, and as part of a competitive process, €361,116 was allocated to MRI towards the provision of 6 first response vehicles.
I recognise the very important work which MRI teams carry out and the support service they provide in rural and remote areas. All funded interventions will provide critical local support to the State's emergency response systems, particularly in hard-to-reach areas.
235. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the capital allocated to his Department in the 2017 Estimate by subhead; the amount spent to date by subhead; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52374/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe total amount of capital funding allocated to my Department upon its creation was approximately €77 million. To the end of November, payments totalling €25.2 million have been made, as shown in the table below. It has been impressed upon Local Authorities the need to accelerate spending on their 2017 projects as a matter of urgency, and further significant recoupment requests have been received in my Department for processing.
In addition, €10 million has been allocated to the Local Authorities under the Local Improvement Scheme. I recently announced a further €7.4 million allocation to this scheme. It is a condition of this scheme that all works must be completed by the end of 2017.
|
Subhead |
2017 Allocation |
Spend to end November (€'000s) |
|
Dormant Accounts |
2 |
1.6 |
|
Western Development Commission |
1 |
0 |
|
National Rural Development Schemes |
11.4 |
3 |
|
LEADER |
30* |
12 |
|
Town & Village Regeneration |
12 |
0 |
|
Rural Broadband |
1 |
0 |
|
Local Improvement Schemes |
10* |
1.6 |
|
RAPID |
3.8 |
3.3 |
|
Programme for Peace & Reconciliation |
0.7 |
0.6 |
|
Library Development and Archive Service |
2.7 |
1.2 |
|
Community Facilities Fund |
2 |
2 |
*€10 million allocated from LEADER to Local Improvement Schemes.
