Mr. Fred McBride:

My colleagues may help me to explain the details.

Are forms, relating to these processes, completed on receipt of every allegation and in every case? Initially, we would open what we call an intake record or a record of the referral that has been made to us. Not all of our referrals turn into ongoing cases. Therefore, they are not turned into a file like the one I have here in my hand. We have to keep a record of all information that is passed to us. Where appropriate, if it is possible that a criminal offence has been committed, we share that information with the Garda. A template notification form is passed back and forth between ourselves and the Garda to acknowledge the information.

In terms of designated persons in each individual case, we now have dedicated intake functions. I am sorry if the term intake functions sounds a bit technical but it does what it suggests. It deals with the initial referrals as they come in. Normally that means referrals that were not previously known to us.

We generate that record. The team leader of the dedicated intake team would take responsibility for the overview of referrals to the intake process and the decision on which of them needed to be allocated. The majority are screened, that is, someone examines them initially and tries to make an initial determination of the level of risk contained within that information, and then we make a decision to move towards an initial assessment - the next stage of assessment, which is of a higher level - that would normally require the referral to be allocated to a social worker. As we have already acknowledged, some referrals that are not immediately allocated are kept on a non-allocated list. In most areas, the leader of the intake team would review the cases on the waiting list on a regular basis. I have visited to see what the team leaders do. Leaders may make visits to family homes to ensure that everything is okay. They may phone schools to see whether they have any information. They will clock any new information that might push the child up the priority list.

Importantly, it is not the case that children who are awaiting allocation are being ignored. Their needs and priorities are regularly reviewed. That is not ideal. If we have decided that an initial assessment is required, the case needs to be allocated to a social worker, but there is not nothing happening - sorry for the double negative - with these cases. They are largely being monitored. In this instance, the designated person about whom the Deputy asked is the leader of the intake team, who is overseen by a principal social worker.