Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I also extend season's greetings to the Minister and all of the staff in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. As I realise it is not resourced to the levels we would all wish, I can understand the pressures involved.

I welcome the Minister's commitment on aftercare services and think she will receive cross-party support for that measure which will make a real difference to children's lives.

I asked a question on the Child and Family Agency and thank the Minister for the details, which are really useful. Such details, however, prompt further questions. Will the Minister confirm that establishment day is 1 January 2014? As "January" is stated, I wonder if there has been some movement in that regard. I understand the Revised Estimates Volume will be coming out, but will the Minister confirm that the agency will not be burdened with a deficit from the start? Will it be fully resourced?

The Minister has mentioned a corporate plan for three years and the annual business plan. When is it anticipated that these plans will be available?

As regards the agency's budget, over €100 million will go to organisations that provide services. I was surprised to learn that 700 agencies would receive that funding. When I saw the reply, I was surprised to learn that so many organisations, agencies and bodies were providing services. Given that we have a new agency, will there be a process whereby the agency will state the needs it can meet within current resources? Will it also state what it cannot meet and which will, therefore, be outsourced? We are falling into a pattern of funding the same organisations to do the same thing, rather than taking a step back. I know it cannot be done overnight, but I like to believe that with the new agency we will be moving towards a new business model, stating what needs can be met within current resources. Looking at the top ten list, I am not sure exactly what one or two of them are doing. That makes me wonder what the approach is.

I asked about the national children and youth policy framework, which I look forward to supporting. I know that much work is ongoing in that respect and that there is a whole-of-government approach, which is really important. This is not a departmental but a whole-of-government strategy. I was surprised to read in one of the replies to another question that the Irish Youth Justice Service would have its strategy next year. I wonder how these relationships will be interrelated. We could be tripping over strategies, when I thought the idea was to integrate them.

On direct provision, I thank the Minister for meeting the Seanad cross-party group recently. We had a constructive meeting, on which we can follow up. In the response it was said people could report concerns about child protection to the HSE's child and family services, but they are part of the RIA unit. Therefore, from the perception of somebody within the direct provision system, they are reporting to the same people who are making a judgment on their application. That is inappropriate because it must be separate and different.

I remain concerned about special care placements, but that is an issue to which I will return in the new year.

Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin referred to the Rath na nÓg care centre.

I have serious concerns about whether we as a country are able to meet the needs of these children. There is a long path to the identification of special care needs, so the fact that we have a 45-day waiting list is a major concern for me, as it is for the Minister. We need to put a sharper focus on this issue. It was announced that the heads of the Children First Bill would be revised again. I would like to know when that will happen so we can examine that and be supportive.