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

I thank the Deputies who have contributed to this debate, including Deputies Ó Caoláin, Troy and McConalogue. I am thankful for the support of both Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil on the establishment of the new child and family agency. As I have said from the outset, we are pursuing this legislation because of the commitment in the programme for Government to reform radically how child welfare and protection services are delivered. I do not have to repeat here the very well-publicised reports on the legacy issues that pertain to child protection in Ireland. They have been instrumental in providing the context for the agency's establishment. The reports have catalogued dysfunction, fragmentation and a lack of inter-agency work. Children have suffered, as we have seen from the Ryan report, the child death report and a range of other reports over the years. Everybody in the House would agree that the need for change was undeniable; hence, this Bill.

The Bill, as discussed today and on Committee Stage, is not just about child welfare and protection, important as they may be. We really must examine the way services to children and families are delivered in the future. The reforms in this Bill are designed to enhance child welfare and protection, to support and encourage the effective functioning of families and to provide a significant focus on early intervention. The Bill is about child protection and undoing our legacy, but it is equally about prevention and offering services to families at an early stage. The functions of the new agency reflect the wider emphasis beyond the traditional focus on child welfare and protection.

The Bill, as it stands, is a very strong, clear and direct statement of intent in regard to how the agency will be expected to deliver its important services and to be accountable. Accountability is very clearly spelt out in the Bill.

A key task in drafting the legislation was to ensure that the agency would operate within a strong framework of public accountability. Part 6 of the Bill, providing for a performance framework, an annual performance statement, the giving of directions and the issuing of guidelines by the Minister, will, I hope, herald a new era in effective resource allocation and accountability. The other important features of the legislation relate to the need to create the correct platform for inter-agency work. Time and again, we have seen that we did not have the amount of inter-agency work needed to deliver services effectively. The Bill lays out a very robust process for shared services arrangements and the commissioning of services from a range of providers which, I assure Deputies, will be subject to the provisions laid out in respect of the functions. I include best interests, the views of the child and the delivery of services in an appropriate way.

The Bill gives us a solid platform and sound basis for continuing change in children and family services. Very shortly, once the Bill passes through the Seanad, I hope we can make the establishment of the new agency a reality. I acknowledge that this is a very challenging time for front-line workers. There are many challenges in this area in regard to delivering effective services. We will not change everything overnight but I believe the new agency is an important lever in ensuring children receive the kinds of services they need. This is an exciting time. I thank the Deputies for their support and encouragement on the establishment of the agency. Many of the points made by the Deputies were incorporated into the amendments I introduced on Committee Stage.

Children at risk of abuse or neglect deserve the very best kind of service that we can offer.

The establishment of the child and family agency is a very important and positive step in the right direction and is a real attempt to do just that. I thank the Deputies and the Leas Ceann Comhairle.

See this speech in context