Mr. Jim Gibson:

It is important to outline our service delivery design. Before the agency was established, it was quite common for a community care area to have four or five points of contact to refer a matter relating to a child. Within our service delivery framework, we now have dedicated contact points in each functional area of the Child and Family Agency. As for the percentage split of referrals to the agency, 60% are for child welfare or children in need cases and 40% are child protection cases.

The system has become more sophisticated. The HIQA investigative report was a point in time. We have mentioned the prevention, partnership and family support, PPFS, programme. In each area, we have a team that reads, evaluates and directs referrals. For example, 1,300 staff and other members in the non-government sector have been trained in the Meitheal programme and there have been 1,409 requests. There are 99 family support networks across Ireland that pick up and help families in need and early intervention and support such as this ensures these cases do not materialise as serious child protection concerns.

Some 28,500 children in Ireland have received a family support service and we are ramping the service up. Every report and inquiry in Ireland concluded there was a dearth of family support services and early intervention programmes and we have worked exceptionally hard and tirelessly since our establishment, with the collaboration of Atlantic Philanthropies, which put €10 million on the table for us, and with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and NUI Galway to develop this side of our business. A research report will be provided in September, which will show the results of this work and really good outcomes for children in Ireland. There are 53,000 referrals and they are not just about child protection but are about child welfare as well. We try to get in early to resolve problems to support families and children.