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

I understand the Deputy is referring to the HIQA foster care service inspection for the Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary Tusla region, which was published on 3 of October. The inspection itself was carried out in May this year.

I was very disappointed with the issues raised in the report. To hear the word "chaotic" used to describe the management of this important work was of great concern. While I noted that inspectors found that no child had been harmed, it is clear that significant problems were found, mostly resulting from staff vacancies and a high staff turnover rate. This has led to some children in foster care and their carers having to deal with many changes in their social worker over the years. It was interesting to read that where there was a stable social worker, children were very positive about their relationship.

A total of 92% of children in care were in foster care in a family setting at the end of the second quarter of 2019. This compares well internationally. A recent international comparison, which was carried out by NUI Galway, collected data published between 2015 and 2017. For example, in Wales, Scotland, Norway and Australia, an average of 80% of children were in foster care. The figures were lower again in the USA at 75% and England at 61%.

The area comprising Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary is one of the five Tusla has identified as having significant challenges in providing a consistently good standard of foster care. Staffing levels in these areas is a major contributing factor to the challenges faced. I have asked Tusla to review the reasons for the high turnover of staff, and to identify and examine the contributing factors.

Tusla has developed a workforce strategy, which was approved by its board last spring. It aims to address staffing issues within the agency in the long and short term. The longer term solution is to increase the number of social work graduates and to optimise the mix of skills between social workers and other grades to support them. My Department is working with colleagues across government and educational bodies to increase numbers of social work graduates. In the short term, Tusla is pursuing a proposal to provide bursaries to social work students to encourage them to work with Tusla.

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