Mr. Pat Rabbitte:

I thank the Acting Chairman and the committee for the invitation to appear before it this morning. As the committee will know, I have spent most of my working life in public service of one kind or another and I approach the challenge of chairperson of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, from that perspective.

The agency is tasked with improving the service for vulnerable children and families throughout the country. Although it is a young agency, very considerable progress has been made since its establishment in 2014. It is my observation that in the intervening period, there has been little enough attention given to the very positive narrative that Tusla has to tell.

Perhaps that is the nature of the very demanding and sensitive work that goes on in child protection, day in and day out. Of course, deficiencies in the agency have also been highlighted in recent years and it is undeniable that challenges continue to exist. It is also undeniable that there is a transformation under way in the priority that public policy now attaches to caring for vulnerable children and in supporting families who need assistance, as compared to even more recent history.

As regards the quality of service and consistency of practice, it is unavoidable that there are legacy issues and cultural changes that must be confronted. Resources are finite and recruitment of professional staff, particularly social workers, is very challenging. Additional resources over the past couple of years are very welcome but there will never be sufficient resources to meet all of the challenges. In respect of the core business, the shortage of social workers leaves the agency vulnerable to criticism when non-compliance with best practice is sometimes established.

The statute from which Tusla derives its existence, the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, is uniquely prescriptive. As a result, there are hugely onerous responsibilities on the board and on the chief executive and executive management. Perhaps this is a positive pressure to continue to raise our standards on the protection of children as compared to the past. However, it does mean there is an inordinate demand on executive time to dwell on compliance and bureaucratic matters.

Tusla has come through a difficult time over the past 18 months or so. In my view, the agency is the stronger for it, provided we can show that we have learned the lessons. The challenge of caring for vulnerable children and families will never attain perfection. However, an enormous amount of thought and work has gone into bedding down the new agency and evolving best practice. I hope I will be able to help drive that ongoing progress and motivate the undoubted capacity within Tusla to further improve and develop our child and family protection services. I am satisfied that we have the people with the necessary skills and dedication to provide our vulnerable children with a world-class service. Tusla needs to be more transparent and there is no reason the agency should fear greater openness, which is not to say that, on occasion, there are very particular reasons for restraint. There are sometimes competing rights, and reasonable judgement must apply. We may be mistaken if we presume we can change the inherited culture of an organisation by excessive micromanagement or by multiplying the mechanisms for oversight.

There are a number of immediate priorities that I would like to progress. I will be glad to try to answer any questions the committee members have for me.