Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The HSE compiles a monthly census of employment in the public health and social care sector. The most recent figures supplied by the HSE indicate that the number of whole-time equivalent social workers employed in the children and families service area of the HSE was 1,300 at the end of July 2012. The number of social workers employed in the children and families service area at the end of February 2011 was 1,231. This represents an increase of 69 whole-time-equivalent social workers since February 2011. The total number of individual social workers employed in child and family services has increased by 86 in the same period. The HSE has made considerable progress over recent years in recruiting additional social workers, with 260 social workers recruited under the Ryan implementation plan at the end of 2011. A further ten social workers who were to be recruited after 2011 are currently at various stages of recruitment, with the first four already in position.

The national director of children and family services, Gordon Jeyes, will continue to apply his discretion to the filling of social work vacancies, taking account of identified need and subject to services being delivered within available resources. It is important to emphasise that work is ongoing within the HSE on the disaggregation of the children and families resource base from the HSE as part of the process of establishing the new child and family support agency next year. Consequently the number of social workers assigned to children and families services will continue to be subject to change as the mapping and classification of posts into care groups is further refined between now and year end. This project has involved considerable work and certain grey areas are still being examined.

Information regarding temporary and permanent contracts has been sought from the HSE. This information will be provided to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available. The figures I have provided include those employed on a permanent and temporary basis, with a significant overall increase achieved in the total numbers employed over the period.

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