Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I am very concerned about the welfare of homeless children. While various Government Departments have responsibilities in the area, I want to ensure that we have an effective approach across all sectors.

In recent weeks, I have met with representatives from a range of organisations, including Focus Ireland, Threshold, the ISPCC, and the Peter McVerry Trust. Those meetings provided me with a valuable opportunity to become acquainted with those working directly with families who are homeless and to gain an insight into the key issues facing children who are in emergency accommodation with their families. Based on these discussions and those with the relevant statutory agencies, I am seeking to define a set of measures to better support children with their families in emergency homeless accommodation. I am committed to developing the most appropriate policy responses in conjunction with my Cabinet colleagues. My Department and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, have responsibility specifically for child welfare and protection concerns. The accommodation needs of children who are in the care of their parents, where the family is homeless, is the responsibility of the local authorities.

Tusla is very much aware of welfare issues for families and has engaged in multi-agency working on this issue. Close working between agencies is vital. Tusla and the Dublin Region Homeless Executive are shortly to sign off on a joint protocol which includes guidance on working with families where child protection concerns arise within emergency homeless accommodation. I anticipate that the protocol will be in full operation this month. Tusla has also appointed a homelessness liaison officer to lead on its engagement with homeless services, particularly in respect of child protection issues. I will work closely with my colleagues in Government and with all relevant agencies to ensure that we address this issue as a matter of major importance.

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