James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The financial allocation for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, in 2014 which was its first year of

operation, was set at €609 million. This is comprised of €602 million in current funding and €7 million in capital funding. The overall level of funding available to the agency, which is significant by any measurement, is designed to ensure that the agency can provide a comprehensive and integrated service to children and families who require support. In budget 2014, an additional sum of €6.7 million was made available to support the agency's reform of the child welfare and protection services. The level of expenditure to date by the agency amounts to €428.2 million.

Notwithstanding the additional resources provided and the prioritisation of these services by the Government, it is acknowledged that delivering the range of service required of the agency within this budget is challenging as a result of demographic and social factors. This has been reflected most recently in a report prepared by the agency entitled "Measuring the Pressure" which shows that during the first three months of the year, Tusla provided a social work service to 19,990 children and that 11,093 referrals of child welfare and protection were made to child protection social work teams. The report also shows that following preliminary inquiry, about half of these referrals were deemed to need an initial social work assessment.

These increases have given rise to strong demand for foster care and private residential care over the period. Operational reforms are ongoing to achieve the most effective utilisation of existing resources. In addition, the agency has been working to bring added controls in the area of legal services and continues to develop its approach to commissioning. My officials continue to review data on activity levels and performance on an ongoing basis as part of the performance management function of the Department. Specifically, my officials closely monitor the cash position of the agency and are working with the agency to determine an evidence-based full year cash requirement. No final determination has yet been reached in this regard. In the event that supplementary funding is required to meet the running costs of the agency in 2014, the matter will be discussed with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform as part of the ongoing budgetary discussions.

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