Ms Kate Duggan:

Deputy Catherine Murphy said we are here clapping ourselves on the back. I certainly hope that is not the way we are coming across. We recognise that improvements have been made in the agency and that we have more improvements to make. We recognise that we need to respond better and more quickly, with much more focus on early intervention. Our reform programme that we have articulated – members will see our corporate plan is about to be published – gives a very clear roadmap. When we examine the increase in referrals to us, which I have referred to, we see that 45% of those referrals need what we call a welfare response. Today, they are a low priority. They get a screening or an overview and maybe a response at a level that ensures they are safe or able to access the service. We recognise that, to be strategic and prevent children and families from struggling further down the line, we must give a much more responsive service in the welfare space. That will require investment over the next three years, but that will also require a new type of workforce. These people need supports in respect of addiction, counselling, mental health and family therapies. With regard to the reform programme, we envisage that each of our 30 networks will have one multidisciplinary team at the front door that will screen the referrals and identify the responses the children need there and then, either through Tusla or one of our commissioned services. While we are resourced to do what we are doing today, we will need significant investment over the next three years to implement the change programme if we want to do things differently and do things that will be more transformative.