Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On the question of other Departments playing a role, that is the element I was speaking to with my question to Senator Ruane. We can do better on the co-ordination piece and that is why I am looking at that committee provided for under the draft legislation. Its focus is very much just on the Child Care Act at the moment. Pretty much all the roles under the Child Care Act are just Tusla roles, so it is bringing everyone into the room to check out what Tusla is doing while actually we need everyone in the room talking about what they are doing, what their statutory functions are, and what disability and the child and adolescent mental health service, CAMHS, functions are. That is something I saw and it was flagged in the committee's prelegislative scrutiny, PLS, as well. It is something we can work on as we take that legislation through the Houses. That committee could be a focus for greater interagency co-operation. I would go as far as interagency accountability in terms of the delivery. One of the positives of the enhancement of my Department and bringing disability in is that from a policy side, it is all in-house now. Tusla and disability are all within my Department. Obviously, it still involves two agencies - Tusla and the HSE - but I am hoping that can ensure issues that have existed around the protocol and the like can be conclusively addressed.

The Deputy spoke of the very real pressures on our alternative care system at the moment. He is right and that is why it is important to recognise that Tusla has the three strategies. It has the strategy for foster care, for residential care, and for aftercare as well. Ms Duggan spoke to the significant amount of work that has been done on the foster care strategy. I have a job to do with respect of the allowance for this year's budget. I am not sure if Ms Duggan mentioned it but the appointment of a national lead on foster care is really important. Tusla never had an official whose job it was to lead on the issue of foster care. That has been addressed now and a person has been appointed recently. That is an indication of foster care getting the better recognition it deserves in terms of its importance in the alternative care system.

As to the move to 50:50, Tulsa-community-voluntary versus private needs financial support. We were able to give some in last year's budget. Again, it is one of the things we are negotiating now in the estimates process. That is hugely important from the standards point of view but also from the value-for-money point of view. A very significant driver of Tusla's financial costs is the private side. The Deputy is right, particularly when we do not have adequate private residential capacity and have to rely on the special emergency arrangements, SEAs. They are a particular driver of cost. They have had to be used very significantly in the context of separated children and the response to Ukrainian and international protection children and young people arriving in our country. I know a piece of work is being done at the moment to deliver approximately 76 places, I think, by the end of the year, particularly for Ukrainian young people. Delivering more spaces means a lessened use of the SEAs and that is really important as well.

I am jumping ahead here and apologies to Deputy Murnane O'Connor for missing her question. Following on from the publication of Judge Shannon's report and subsequently the response document from St. John Ambulance, we get a quarterly report on what is happening and the steps St. John Ambulance is taking in response to that. I have engaged with some of the survivors directly as well and have sought updates. Regarding some of the points that have been made and on the national safeguarding lead, a recruitment process is under way at the moment. I think everyone recognises the importance of that particular role being filled. Regarding changes to the board of St. John Ambulance, in our most recent correspondence at the end of June, we were informed that two of the longest serving board members, including the independent chairperson, had stepped down from the board. That is the most recent information we have received from St. John Ambulance. In terms of vetting procedures, what we have been told is that all adults within St. John Ambulance have been appropriately vetted, including through Garda vetting, and that the appropriate Tusla online safeguarding training certification has now been completed. In order to support this, St. John Ambulance is now using a software system called Traumasoft, which is specifically designed to ensure and monitor that any member of the organisation engaging with staff has full Garda vetting.

On the issue of the provision of counselling, and this is something on which I was asked to follow up directly, we have been informed in our most recent correspondence from St. John Ambulance that it is possible for victims of abuse by a member of St. John Ambulance to apply to a range of listed and recognised counselling organisations and that those organisations will then inform St. John Ambulance that this request has come in and will seek payment. Therefore, the victim will not have to go to St. John Ambulance to request a link be made. That is the information we have been given by St. John Ambulance and we specifically asked that question on foot of concerns that were raised with us. I hope that goes someway to addressing those points.