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

I thank Deputy Ó Laoghaire. I appreciate him asking further questions in this regard. The protocol I identified in terms of recent meetings between Tusla and the HSE is effectively an amendment of a protocol that has already been established. Tusla and the HSE, as I indicated, have been in a process of reaching out to one another to identify new ways to ensure, particularly in disability services because this has to do with the heart of the Deputy's answer, that it is clear who is responsible for what when children who require disability services are in care. Tusla's responsibility is when children are in its care and protection. When children are in Tusla's care and protection, if disability support services are needed to be provided, that is the responsibility of the HSE, but there needs to be an effective protocol developed between the two agencies. I am saying to the Deputy that the two agencies have most recently ensured that in principle they will have a more effective protocol from now on in order that no child who requires those disability services in the context of the care of Tusla does not receive those because of the lack of inter-agency co-operation.

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