Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 November 2018
1. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to Tusla's decision to terminate its service-level agreement with a programme (details supplied) in County Galway and the negative impacts this will have on young persons in the county. [46135/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy first question is to ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the Tusla decision to terminate its service-level agreement with a programme in Galway, Youth Advocate Programmes, YAP, Ireland, which has been in operation in Galway for the past 16 years and to the negative impacts this decision will have on all persons in Galway and Roscommon because the organisation does not provide the service only to Galway, but to Galway and Roscommon.
Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has an annual service level agreement in place with the organisation to which the Deputy refers, YAP Ireland. Under the terms of the current agreement, the organisation is contracted in the Galway-Roscommon area to provide a support service to 18 young people in need. The young people are assigned an advocate that will work with them over six months.
During the course of this year, Tusla developed an initiative called creative community alternatives which is designed to support the planned exit of children and young people who are in residential care or foster care and to avoid those at risk being placed in residential care. The overall aim of the community care alternatives is to enable children and young people at risk to live in their communities with wrap-around supports. Children and young people with very complex needs can display challenging and high risk-taking behaviours, drug and alcohol issues, mental health issues, attachment issues, educational problems and family environmental issues. The broad ranging intensive wrap-around supports provided through the creative community alternatives are designed to meet the identified needs of each child or young person.
One example is a nine-month programme which works intensively with a child or young person who is identified at high risk of admission to care. It is a partnership between Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board, Foróige and Tusla. The programme sets goals and measurable outcomes for each young person. There is a heavy emphasis on participation and citizenship.
With the roll-out of community care alternatives in Galway, Tusla made a decision not to renew its service level agreement with YAP Ireland in the Galway-Roscommon area. Tusla has also advised me that the decision not to renew the service level agreement was communicated to the CEO of YAP Ireland and its director of services on 28 June 2018 and that a meeting was held in September 2018. Tusla is also engaged with YAP Ireland in respect of the termination of the service level agreement.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
I believe it is good practice for Tusla to review its services continually, including the work carried out by Tusla staff in the Galway-Roscommon area through its creative community alternatives plan. I have been assured by Tusla that the needs of children and young people in Galway will be met under the new arrangements. Tusla will continue to work with YAP Ireland in the region until the end of 2018 in line with the service level agreement signed by both parties. Tusla is engaged with YAP Ireland with regard to the termination of the service level agreement.
I thank the Minister for her response. Needless to say I would not have raised this question as a priority issue if I had not deemed it a serious priority for Galway. YAP Ireland has provided service for the past 16 years and has looked after people and provided a community for alternative care. The Minister has described what Tusla is looking for. YAP Ireland has a service level agreement nationally with Tusla. With regard to its own levels of governance, this decision goes directly against Tusla's corporate plan for 2018 to 2020 and its commitment to have a wide menu of services available to work with children, young people, and families in need. What the Minister is after describing is exactly what YAP Ireland does in Galway. It provides that wrap-around service. It may not be for nine months and it may not be for children exiting care, but guess what YAP Ireland does? It prevents children falling into the whole care set-up. That is what it is about. It provides a 26 week service during which there is a worker who works with not only the child, but with the family.
I appreciate the Deputy's questions and concerns in this regard. I do not dispute the fact that YAP Ireland has been providing those services. In light of the review of YAP Ireland's work in Galway and Roscommon, however it has been identified that the approach that has been developed there does not meet the identified needs of the children in that community in terms of both the length of service provided and the qualified professional staff to enable sustainable and local solutions. I have also been advised that there is no requirement for an advocate employed by YAP Ireland to have a recognised social care qualification. What I am describing in my response to the Deputy, while not disputing what YAP Ireland has done in the past but looking at moving forward, is the creation of a new approach and, in the context of Galway and Roscommon, this approach will be more appropriate in terms of the length of time and the professionals involved.
What the Minister is after telling me is quite worrying because it leads me to believe that, in terms of the work YAP Ireland carries out, Galway is just the first to see these jobs cut. That is what it would indicate to me. If that is the decision we have made at a local level in Galway, it means that the other 22 centres nationwide will possibly be hit. Tusla would not have made that decision if it did not intend to roll out its community care alternatives scheme nationwide. It is also worrying that Tusla is not listening to the fact that we have a shortage of skilled workers and to the fact that it is very difficult to recruit into Tusla and that sort of organisation. Where are we going to find the staff? The Minister talked about the fact that YAP Ireland does not have enough professional staff, yet at the same time it was able to provide a 24 hour wrap-around service for those families and those children who were on its books at any time. It is unfortunate that communications at a local level within Tusla and YAP Ireland have fallen down. That is becoming very apparent.
Again, I appreciate the questions and concerns of the Deputy. On her first issue, all I am doing is reporting on the decision of Tusla in respect of Galway-Roscommon.
I am aware that YAP has services that operate throughout the country. It does not necessarily follow that this is just the first of many, which is what the Deputy is suggesting. As I understand it with regard to the decision relating to Galway and Roscommon, Tusla developed an approach that had regard to the analysis of needs there and, on that basis, identified that it would terminate the service level agreement. I appreciate that this is very challenging and possibly disheartening for the people involved. That is the decision of Tusla, whose rationale I have described.
Regarding the question of whether Tusla has adequate services in Galway and Roscommon to address young people's needs and the Deputy's concerns about the necessary professionals, my understanding is that Tusla has developed significantly in the area of family supports. The local area has a contract with Foróige, and this service has 12 embedded staff working in the area of family support teams to respond to children's needs.
