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

As I indicated in response to previous questions, additional posts have been filled and recruitment is under way for additional posts. To be specific, 106 social work posts were filled by the Child and Family Agency in the first eight months of 2014 and a further 148 posts are at various stages of recruitment. The Deputy asked how many social workers are employed in total. The Child and Family Agency employed 1,388 whole-time equivalent social workers as at the end of August 2014.

A rigorous system of risk analysis has been established in each area to ensure that staffing numbers do not fall to an unsafe level. Gaps identified through this process are addressed with the additional resources of temporary staff, as required. All identified vacancies are the subject of a recruitment process to ensure they are filled at the earliest opportunity.

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