Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

These are relatively new problems for a new agency to deal with. The most important thing is to flag them in order to attend to them. I believe that poverty and social exclusion in those communities represent a large part of it. We have a problem with retention of social workers, with experienced social workers leaving the system because the only promotional path open to them is to take a managerial position, which takes them away from the front-line role they could play, in which they could be more effective. We need to look at retaining social workers' experience within the system, with training on cultural issues for the newer intake to be introduced.

10 o’clock

While this information has been very good in terms of what has ended up in the courts, does the Minister have a mechanism for ascertaining how similar data could be gathered within communities before the matter ends up in court? Are there similar discrepancies and plans to address the issue of the gathering of such information?

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