Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank members for their questions. Senator Devine's first question referred to the fact that delays are being experienced by some graduates in registering with CORU, the registration body, which would put them in a position to get a job. I am aware of and concerned about that. A successful candidate awaiting registration may be offered a three-month temporary contract as a project worker. That is not a full solution, but it is one action that has been put in place. Tusla is also assisting candidates on the panels with their applications for registration. That said, representatives of Tusla met recently with those of CORU and there is ongoing engagement with them. Tusla is working with graduates to ensure that they will have all of their paperwork in order. I have also met with some of my constituents who are experiencing difficulties due to the delays. I am aware of this concern and Tusla is proactively addressing it. However, it is important that proper checks and Garda vetting are in place. At the same time, there may be room for improvement. I am heartened that Tusla is conducting that ongoing engagement. However, I will raise the matter with it again.

With regard to her question about children in emergency accommodation who are homeless and children being born into homelessness, the Senator articulated the issue very well. It is very upsetting to be aware of that and to see it happening in some instances. It is important to offer that type of commentary so we all stay focused and motivated to ensure that the target set by the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Coveney, that within a year we will not be dependent on emergency accommodation for children and families who are homeless, is achieved. It is a very ambitious target and I have offered him my personal support and interest with regard to any other measures which must be in place for that target to be met. This is not the setting to outline all the issues he has identified in the plan to ensure we will no longer be dependent on emergency accommodation, but it is really important that the target was set.

My second response to the Senator's remarks in that regard is that of course any day, week or month a child spends in that situation has the potential to impact them negatively, and undoubtedly is impacting upon them negatively. My primary concern, knowing the context or limitations of my Department, was whether there was something we could do. Initially we talked about trying to see if there was any way in which we could normalise or bring some sense of normality or ease to the children's days and experiences while they were in that situation. The measures we identified and are putting in place are specifically geared towards minimising the negative impact of their time being homeless or in emergency accommodation. There is the short-term target to end our dependency on emergency accommodation for children and families and then there is the immediate set of measures to mitigate the impact of the negative effect of that. The Senator's question about research on the ways in which they have been impacted is a good one. It is something we could consider.

I thank Senator Freeman for her extraordinary commitment to and tenacity in respect of the issue of mental health in general and especially for children and young people and for her effectiveness in working in that arena. I will make a few comments and my departmental officials might wish to comment as well. With regard to young people and mental health, the Senator will be aware that a task force has been established and we will play an active role with the Minister of State, Deputy McEntee, in that. One of my commitments as Minister with responsibility for children is to ensure that a child's lens is brought across Government Departments, so that there is a focus on children even though I do not have control on many things directly in my Ministry. We will feed into that process extensively.

The Senator will also be aware that the Department's Vote supports youth organisations. I have met with a number of them. As I travelled throughout the country, I specifically wanted to meet organisations that are working with young people who are challenged by mental health issues. That this is growing, especially for young people as distinct from it occurring later on in life, and all the reasons for that are deeply upsetting. To the extent that I have direct responsibility, that is one of the key motivating factors for me to seek some increases in supports to the youth organisations that work specifically on mental health issues. The Senator and others will be aware that there were significant cuts to youth organisations over the last number of years, so we are seeking to reverse them.

The Senator asked about the people who are working in this field and said that this might not be an attractive country in which to work in that context. Indeed, and that is disturbing too. All Ministers must take account of that. It is not unlike the area of social work, which we have discussed a great deal. One of the matters I have been examining with my Department is how to ensure that more social workers are trained and that there is a growth in places at third level so that the demand is met. More recently we have been having conversations relating to social care workers, particularly in the context of being trained for working in settings such as Oberstown. In the long term, perhaps we must look at how our social care graduates are being trained specifically for jobs within those settings and, in the context of that training, ways in which - at third level or in our engagement with young people - we might make it more attractive. I hear the Senator's concern.

I will bring that question to the attention of my other colleagues because it is an excellent one.

Senator Freeman asked about unused moneys in my budget. There is never any money returned to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs by Tusla. There was a Supplementary Estimate in the Department's Vote in 2015. I referred in my opening remarks to how their eyes and ours are on the ball in order that if it appears there will be additional moneys within a certain aspect of the Vote, there will be ways to ensure they are used. There are great needs emerging beyond what we budget and the moneys will be spent.

I will move on to the questions asked by the Chairman, Deputy Jim Daly, who has an ongoing interest in this area and has shown commitment and generosity. On the question about children in care being allocated a social worker, Tusla has prioritised all new children coming into care, particularly those with a disability or mental health problem. The percentage of children who do not have a social worker is-----