Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Currently Tusla provides a national out-of-hours phone social work service to the Garda Síochána throughout the night, weekends and bank holidays. Where they come across a child in an urgent situation they can contact the national social worker number. They will speak to a team leader or a social worker. It is a service that is provided from Tusla national head office in Dublin and then the Garda can outline the nature of the situation and be provided with advice. If the gardaí are in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow or Cork city, and decide to use section 12, a Tusla social worker will come in person to the garda and child and bring the child to his or her placement. If the garda is elsewhere in the country, the national phone social work service will contact the foster care provider, arrange the placement and then contact the gardaí with the details. Outside of the four areas I mentioned, the Garda would transport the child. Tusla has also divided the country into seven regions for the purpose of having a social worker on-call within one hour out of hours in particular circumstances, that is, in more serious circumstances. As I indicated in my remarks this morning, that is what is currently going on.

We hope that in September or autumn, this will change. As I indicated, the crucial aspect that will change is the plans for Tusla to put in place and make available a social worker in every county to work with the gardaí in the invocation of section 12, and second, that the out-of-hours phone line will be available to the foster carers as well as the Garda.