Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I am informed by people who have worked in the area of child protection that, because of an insufficiency of resources, they and their colleagues in social work teams have often been limited to fire-fighting responses when cases are referred to them. Is the Taoiseach aware that many professionals within social care teams who are doing support work under the aegis of the HSE have to prioritise on the basis of a weighed assessment of the cases that present and the queues for a response? Social workers are frequently in a position to respond urgently only where cases appear to be of an emergency nature. Unless trained professional assessments are properly available in every area, that apparent emergency requirement can easily be missed, understated or unnoticed, with often tragic results. What resources will the Taoiseach commit in terms of investing in mental health care and suicide prevention and to address the crises that can present for individuals and families——

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