Mr. Gerry Hone:

I know of several examples. To be fair to the people and change department in Tusla and its strategy, one of the big, positive changes I have seen within Tusla is that when someone goes off sick, there is good engagement with that individual to try to get a return to work plan that looks at the full reasons behind the sickness absence and includes a range of supports. I have never seen any support offered to help a member of staff return to the workplace being turned down. I cannot think of any such instance. Anything I have been asked for has been provided. That is almost like a psychological contract with the worker to ensure he or she gets back quickly. We all know that when it comes to therapy and intervention, the longer a person is off sick, the less likely it is that he or she will come back. It is that constant engagement, from the moment the sickness happens and also on the person's return, to ensure the staff member is getting whatever individualised supports he or she needs, but also the peer support. It is a cultural thing as well. It is about the culture of management and care for our staff that we need to constantly pay attention to and develop, particularly in an organisation where we are struggling to get certain grades of staff. Those supports are really important.