Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

The HSE provides out of hours emergency services for children who are at risk. The service is provided in the greater Dublin area through the crisis intervention service and outside the greater Dublin area through the emergency place of safety service. The crisis intervention service provides an out of hours emergency social work service to young people under the age of 18 who are in crisis. The service operates across the greater Dublin area in counties Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow. Referrals are made by service providers, such as gardaí, hospital and ambulance service personnel, outside normal working hours. The HSE operates the emergency place of safety service outside the greater Dublin area. Under this service, gardaí can access emergency placements for children who are found to be at risk out of hours. This service involves the out of hours placement of a child in a family setting until the next working day, when the local social work service assumes responsibility for the case. As part of this service, gardaí have access to advice and information from a non-HSE off-site social work resource, which is provided on a contract basis. I recently met Garda officials to discuss how this service is working.

The HSE national service plan for 2011 includes a commitment to evaluate a pilot out of hours social work component to supplement the emergency place of safety service. The two pilot projects that are being undertaken are in Cork and in Donegal. The projects involve the provision by local HSE staff of on-call social work support out of hours, when that is deemed necessary by gardaí. Both of the pilot projects have commenced. I have received preliminary reports on how the out of hours service is working. I have to say there has not been a huge demand on the service. I emphasise that the report is a preliminary one. Obviously, it is important that the service is in place. The HSE has established a national oversight group to monitor the progress of the pilot projects. It is hoped a decision on progression to a national roll-out will be made in 2011, following evaluation of the two pilot projects. Progress is being made in this area. The two pilot projects are in operation. Preliminary reports have been received in each case. The reports will be examined by the new oversight group the HSE has established. The next step will be the roll-out of a national service, having learnt lessons from the two pilot projects.

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