Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

According to a 2008 HSE survey, 6,473 cases were unallocated at the end of 2008. However, all such cases are managed by a social work team leader or principal social worker. The majority of unallocated cases are also receiving input from other members of the staff in that department, such as family support workers. All child abuse reports are subject to a phased process of initial screening and assessment by a social worker under the supervision of a team leader and I am informed by the HSE that all cases where there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child are provided with services.

Regarding staffing levels, social workers are exempted from the Government's moratorium on recruitment. Proposals for an ICT system to support social work services for children has received HSE approval and is with the Department of Finance for review. If approved, the objective is to have this system operating as quickly as possible to enable better exchange of information and improved communication between relevant staff throughout the HSE.

As regards out of hours services, the HSE is putting in place a nationwide system, whereby gardaí can access an appropriate place of safety for children at risk out of hours. This service aims to ensure that such children are provided with an appropriate emergency place of safety, thereby reducing or eliminating social admissions of children in an acute hospital setting.

In addition, and instead of developing a stand alone social work out of hours service, it has been agreed to develop alternative proposals based on a more integrated multidisciplinary approach, which builds on the HSE's existing out of hours services, including GPs, acute hospital services and mental health services, with access to specialist staff working in areas such as mental health and suicide prevention.

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