Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegation and thank Ms Gibbons for her presentation. Deputy Ó Caoláin has asked me to convey his apologies. He is very sorry but he cannot attend due to unforeseen circumstances in Monaghan which mean that he must remain in his constituency. He asked me to wish Ms Gibbons well in her role and to assure her that she has his full support. I too wish her well in her new and important role of chairperson of the child and family agency. There is a clear need for a cultural change in how we approach these matters. A series of reports lambasted the Government on its failure to protect children in care and the details of instances have horrified us all. Ms Gibbons knows more than most about the reports. The agency has great potential provided it is given the chance and the space to carry out its functions.

Recently, my colleague Deputy Ó Caoláin and I spoke on the legislation to establish the new agency. We are all familiar with the issue of the number of social workers and employees in the youth care sector. The Minister has allowed for a number of additional appointments to be made but available resources mean that the number falls far short of what is required. Ireland has relatively few child protection workers per head of population and relative to the total number of children in care.

According to the recently published report prepared last year by Lynn Peyton, 96 cases were brought to the attention of the HSE's child protection services but less than half were adequately addressed. Does Ms Gibbons believe this situation will continue? Can we expect realisable targets? Will greater pressure be placed on resources? An increasing population and increasing poverty due to austerity will increase demand. Will the new agency have adequate staffing levels to cope with demand? Is there a need to employ additional staff in order to ensure that the new workload created by the Children First guidelines can be matched?

Deputy Ó Caoláin raised issues with regard to the Minister's disbandment of the Family Support Agency board. When will a meeting of the interim or transitional board be convened? What numbers will the board accommodate?

I wish to comment on the welfare of children detained in direct provision institutions. Recently the Ombudsman, Ms Emily O'Reilly, warned that Ireland's treatment of asylum seekers may be in breach of the Constitution and international human rights. Can Ms Gibbons comment? Can she intervene on behalf of such children?

Ms Gibbons has our full support as she goes about her important work. Her presentation and curriculum vitae clearly illustrate that she is eminently qualified and very knowledgeable in this area. She has seen at first hand the damage caused by the State's dereliction of duty in so many areas. I hope the Minister and the Government give her their full support and all that she and the job deserve.