Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

The Ryan report implementation plan committed to the recruitment of an additional 270 social workers. Some 200 of these new posts were in place by the end of 2010, in addition to the backfilling of other vacancies which occurred.

An additional 60 social workers are due to be recruited by the HSE in 2011. These posts are at various stages in the recruitment process. Last week, in reviewing its overall approach to recruitment, the HSE prioritised some key development posts and decided to process the recruitment of these staff with a view to their taking up employment before the end of the year. I am pleased to advise the House that the 60 additional social workers have all been prioritised and included in this category of staff to be recruited by year end. This means that the HSE will be in a position to finalise recruitment of the additional social workers between now and the end of the year.

The House will be aware that in addition to the recruitment of an additional 270 social workers, the Ryan report implementation plan also contained commitments to place Children First guidelines on a statutory basis. My Department is finalising legislation to this effect and I am confident that the ongoing recruitment will provide a very sound basis for supporting Children First on a statutory footing. The additional social workers will be targeted at priority areas of the service having regard to the overall assessment of workloads by the national director, Mr. Gordon Jeyes, and his team and to support the change programme for children's services which is underway within the HSE and is being managed by its national director. This change agenda seeks to deliver the best outcomes for children and families through achieving a service delivery model that will address a multi-agency approach to managing the child welfare and protection system; a nationwide consistency of approach in practice; the implementation of Children First guidelines and children welfare protection services generally; the use of standardised definitions, criteria and thresholds for reporting and referrals, including the prioritisation of cases, which varied before; the launch last week of a child welfare and protection handbook for HSE staff and the commencement of training courses for staff, including joint training with the Garda; greater reliance on real-time data on social work referrals and alternative care collated through HSE performance management indicators; the ongoing development of the national child care information system; improved resource allocation responsive to changing needs; and clearer management and budget accountability.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

This reform agenda will lead to a new child and family support agency, which will provide the dedicated focus on child protection. The implementation of these reforms will allow for the best possible services to be delivered within the resources available.

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