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

I appreciate the Deputy's comments. What I have been doing is identifying the measures Tusla is putting in place to address concerns. Social workers, social care workers and even administrative staff working with Tusla are working at the coalface. These are hugely difficult and challenging jobs. As the Deputy identified, in terms of staff, it is important to pay attention to concerns about attrition rates, exhaustion, etc. I am identifying some of the measures Tusla is putting in place in order to do this, including evaluations that look at enhanced job roles and increasing multidisciplinary team working in an effort to alleviate pressure as part of an ongoing reform programme.

I particularly welcome Tusla's focus in 2017 on leadership development and supporting the forthcoming workforce development plan through learning and development and succession planning, for which I have asked. I talk about the issue of workforce development planning when I meet its representatives every quarter. I will have another such meeting with the executive relatively soon. That is a critical aspect of Tusla's planning for some of the issues raised by the Deputy.

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