Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

As I indicated to Deputy Healy in my earlier response, the current arrangements for out-of-hours services are that the Health Service Executive provides out-of-hours emergency services for children at risk in the greater Dublin area through the crisis intervention service and outside the greater Dublin area through the emergency place of safety service. I have had discussions with Gordon Jeyes, national director for children and family services in the HSE, on the roll-out of the national service model. It was clear in the recently published report on child death that young people who leave care are vulnerable. I expect the HSE will bring forward an outline model for this service later this year.

It is important and critical that children in crisis, no matter where they are, have access to 24-hour social work assistance and supports. I am in agreement with the director on this point and we are working towards its implementation. I am committed to a service that the new child and family support agency can implement. The current arrangements for out-of-hours services are those in Dublin and the crisis intervention service outside Dublin. The nationwide model will be informed by the ongoing work on the pilot projects, which will continue this year. We have the reports and the evaluation is also completed. Mr. Gordon Jeyes will examine the pilot projects, the evaluation of them carried out by the HSE and also the outside evaluation which is now available.

In the Donegal area there were only eight referrals, nevertheless important referrals, and in Cork there were 29. Clearly, there is a demand for the service. Equally, the foster care arrangement now in place throughout the country is a huge improvement on the way these issues were dealt with previously, where gardaí were left to deal with very difficult crisis situations involving children. Unfortunately, these situations arise and they also arise out of hours.

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