Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 10 December 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children

Children and Youth Issues: Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

11:15 am

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Is that about the number in Wheatfield Prison? Somebody mentioned that 17 of that age cohort were in the prison but I was not aware that was the number. The Chairman wanted to know when we will complete the new building. Significant progress has been made. The final unit will be received either this month or early next month but our main challenge is not the legislation or the building, which will be finished and handed over, but recruitment. No member would question the quality of the build, which is good. There will always be snags and so on and, as representatives of the taxpayer, we have to make sure we are not left with unfinished elements that incur further costs to the taxpayer. We have had three rounds of recruitment and we have failed to secure the numbers we need. We have, therefore, embarked on a fourth round. We have had negotiations with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and we have been able to make an improved offering to those who may come to work there. We have put the word out far and wide, both nationally and internationally, and I have brought it to the attention of the Minsters for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Social Protection. The Minister of State at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is in receipt of communication as well. We are pulling out all the stops.

This is exciting, challenging work and perhaps people are not aware that these well-paid jobs are on offer. Members have asked how many we are trying to recruit and the number is 30. All the applications will have been received by the middle of next week and we will screen out the ones that will not pass muster. Then we will have an idea. If we only get 20, we know we are in trouble. If we get 40, 50 or 60, then it is game on. Hopefully, we will have the staff in place quickly.

Members mentioned training. There will be continuous professional development and there are people in situwho are involved in that. This is a priority for Government and we have done everything we can up to this point. I am confident the building will be handed over. Having had three rounds of recruitment and pulling out all the stops nationally and internationally, the issue we are faced with is whether we can recruit the right people.

Deputy Byrne mentioned the transfer of 17 year olds from St. Patrick's Institution. None has been transferred because we do not want to inculcate that culture into the new detention school. It will be a school of rehabilitation and re-education, not a secondary school for the university of Mountjoy. We want as few people as possible to end up there but when they do, we want to make sure that as many of them as possible can be rehabilitated and do not end up in trouble later in life. However, the reality of life is some will. This is a huge step forward and I echo Senator van Turnhout's comments about the committee and the Government over the past four and a half years. We have made significant strides in this area and we need to continue down that pathway, to which we are all committed

On CAMHS, Deputy Troy acknowledged this comes under the remit of the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. We are concerned and we seek to meet regularly with the relevant officials to iron out issues. I appreciate the Deputy's comments about the fund for special needs children in preschool. It was always bizarre that there were SNAs in primary school but no supports of any consequence in the early years. Services were sporadic throughout the country and involved local arrangements rather than anything national.

We want all children, including those with special needs, to reach their full potential because sometimes they can surprise people.

Deputy Sandra McLellan talked about the Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill that will be brought before the House. The process has been very difficult and I thank the committee for its support, help and scrutiny of it, which has been really useful. I will strive in so far as I can to address some of the major issues that have been a cause of concern for the Deputy and many people who are affected by the issue of adoption. We are looking at it very closely and I hope to get something to the Attorney General reasonably soon. I would like to receive permission to publish the Bill, but it will be a real challenge to get it done before Christmas. The process has been hugely technical and difficult and I thank all those involved for their forbearance, not just members of the committee but all of the groups involved and all those affected. I hope they will accept our bona fides in saying we are trying to get the best result as quickly as we can. We do not want to rush it and end up making things worse.

The Deputy asked about aftercare, the ECCE scheme and special needs and whether there would be capacity. I believe there will be. Ms McNally can address the issue further, but we are sensibly allowing time for the capacity to be built.

I think Deputy Robert Troy may have been conflating, although not intentionally, the CCS capacity issue with that of the ECCE scheme. They are separate. I replied to a parliamentary question from the Deputy on whether the private sector would be prepared to take people on from the CCS scheme given that the charges were higher. I do not think it will be a huge problem because it is a big opportunity for them. While it is entirely up to them, I think many will be glad that we are taking the initiative to open these places to them where people are entitled but there is no community care scheme provider and, therefore, because of geography they have not been able to access it.

I have answered the question on Tusla and the number of social workers. The figure is 400. We will follow up on the issue of the duty social worker declining to provide information and of referring to the CAMHS and come back to the Deputy directly in writing. We will make sure that will happen.

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