Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My question is whether, in light of the huge increase in the number of children referred to social work services, the Minister is confident that we have a sufficient number of social workers. The level of social workers to which the Minister and Department continually refer when talking about meeting capacity is based on figures from five years ago. In light of the additional children being referred to the service, is the Minister confident? Certainly, I am not. The research and evidence shows that thousands of children have not been allocated social workers.

The Minister has identified an action plan. Can he confirm today the number of children nationally who have been deemed to require a social worker but remain without one? Can he identify the number and confirm to the House when the children who have been identified as in need of a social worker will have a dedicated social worker and social plan going forward? Only when each child who has been identified as in need of a social worker gets one can the Minister come to the House and confirm that we have a sufficient number of social workers working in our service.

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