Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 December 2020
258. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the extent to which a comprehensive response has been made available in respect of children at risk who have been increasingly vulnerable during Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40991/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has throughout the Covid-19 pandemic continued to provide a service to children and families. As a critical service provider of essential frontline services for children and families, Tusla has been focused on ensuring continuity of supports and services while also balancing the needs and best interests of the child with public health advice to keep children, families and frontline staff as safe as possible during the pandemic.
Tusla determined that the three priority service areas within the organisation were:
- Child Protection (including Out of Hours Social Work Services)
- Children in Care (including parental access and court hearings)
- Domestic and Sexual Gender Based Violence services.
Referrals dropped off in the first few weeks but, following a media campaign at local and national level, referrals increased to near normal levels by end of summer.
A Crisis Management Team, established at senior management level within Tusla, and attended by my officials, ensured the rapid development and implementation of a range of initiatives to maintain service continuity. Initiatives included:
- Introduction of a Regulation for the recruitment of emergency foster carers for the period of the pandemic.
- Contributed to the development of associated practice guidance (with Tusla) for the emergency regulations
Tusla's National Child Care Information System (NCCIS) allowed social work staff to seamlessly transition to working remotely and provide a full remote service, including management and social work supervision, care planning and child protection work. All urgent and immediate child protection work, and all children on the Child Protection Notification System had a full social work service and social workers facilitated contact and access for children in care.
Tusla carried out local and national media campaigns to educate the public about the continuity of Tusla's essential services, including the intake and management of referrals, and child protection work.
In June, my Department developed an information and media campaign entitled SupportingChildren.gov.ie which continues to run. For the first time this brought together information on all the services, structures and supports which are in place for vulnerable children, young people and their families during the Covid pandemic. Critically this also included the range of step-up actions and innovations that were also being advanced to support these groups.
Based on the success of the Supporting Children campaign it is intended to refresh this initiative for relaunch in early 2021.
