Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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810. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the recent developments his Department made in relation to provision of out of hours social work services. [32648/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Child and Family Agency provides a range of services aimed at addressing emergency situations in the area of child welfare and protection. In the main, these emergency situations arise out of hours.

At present, out-of-hours emergency services for children at risk in the greater Dublin area are provided by the Child and Family Agency through the Crisis Intervention Service (CIS). The remit of the service is to respond to crisis situations in which a child or young person requires immediate placement either due to child protection concerns or accommodation issues. The service is delivered by the Child and Family Agency social work service.

Outside the greater Dublin area, a more limited Emergency Place of Safety Service (EPSS) is provided for the Agency under a commercial arrangement by Five Rivers Ireland. Under Section 12 of the Child Care Act, 1991, a member of An Garda Síochána may remove a child to a place of safety where they have reasonable grounds for believing that there is an immediate risk to the health or welfare of a child. Under the EPSS, An Garda Síochána can access an emergency placement for such children found to be at risk out of hours. The child is placed in a family setting until the following working day, when the local social work service assumes responsibility for the case. The intention is to expand this service so that An Garda Síochána can consult with a social worker out of hours. This is presently not the case outside the greater Dublin area.

Provision for the development of the service was included in the 2014 Letter of Determination and Performance Statement which issued from my Department to the Child and Family Agency in December last. Proposals have since been developed by the Agency for implementation of this key reform.

In preparation for the expansion of the service, Emergency Out-of-Hours Pilot projects were put in place in Cork and Donegal during 2011 to help assess the demand for a national service. These pilots have since been externally evaluated by the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College, Dublin. The evaluation concluded that the pilots demonstrate the clear potential for a National Out-of-Hours service and that, while usage might be low, it would be an important addition to the range of child welfare and protection services in Ireland.

Subject to a National Protocol this service will include the following components:-

1. The service will operate on the same basis as the existing Crisis Intervention Service in the greater Dublin area;

2. The service will be coordinated through a national Call Centre at the Crisis Intervention Service and all Garda stations will access the service by calling the national Call Centre;

3. Staff on Emergency Out-of-Hours Service duty will provide advice and consultation to the Garda Síochána to assist in their determination as to the needs of the child, by telephone and on call out as required;

4. Where a staff call out is required, the staff member on duty will accompany a member of the Garda Síochána;

Consideration of the proposal by the Department and the Agency will be concluded and it is expected that the service will be put in place by year end, in line with the Agency’s 2014 Business Plan.