Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
1198. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the state of advancement of the combined and individual plans by his Department and Tusla to reduce the reliance on for-profit companies in the matter of residential placements; if he will publish the plans given that its chief executive (details supplied) raised this issue in September 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41951/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTusla's Monthly Service Performance and Activity Report from May 2022 states that there are 439 children in residential placements. 258 (59%) of these children were in residential placements with private providers. This represents a decrease in private residential provision as compared to Q3 of 2021 (295, 66%).
Tusla's Strategic Plan for Residential Care Services for Children and Young People 2022-2025 is publicly available on the Tusla website. The Plan recognises the positive contribution of many private residential care providers. However, it also identifies the need to reverse disproportionate dependence on private residential care. The Plan proposes incremental increases in public residential capacity over the coming years, in order to achieve a ratio of 50:50 public to private provision by 2025. The longer term ambition stated in this Plan is to further reduce reliance on private provision in favour of public provision to a ratio of 60:40, public to private by 2027.
Tusla's Strategic Plan outlines significant costs associated with this proposed investment in public residential care provision over the coming years. My Department continues to consider these proposals in the context of the ongoing Estimates 2023 process.
