Results 11,481-11,500 of 11,817 for speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Attendance (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am happy to confirm that. We double-checked that with Tusla and TESS today in advance of addressing the Deputy’s question. Where an absence is explained due to a Covid-related reason, that will not count towards the 20 days. The Deputy is correct that parents are nervous as this is such a different environment but when one looks at how the education and welfare service worked over...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Attendance (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: This is a common sense approach. We are carrying out the September audit of who is attending because research undertaken by my Department over the past number of months has shown that there is a real potential for impact of the three and half months spent out-of-school on children generally but, particularly, on children with special educational needs and from disadvantaged backgrounds....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Covid-19 Tests (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy. First, I commend the early learning and childcare sector on the fact that 94% of services that normally open during the summer, did so again this year. This is despite the very many challenges Covid-19 created. Our preliminary information is that the level of term-time services reopening over the past two weeks is also extremely high. This involved a major...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Childcare Scheme (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for bringing forward this question as I feel this will be an important element of the ultimate funding model we move towards. I look forward to hearing her input more as that work progresses. The NCS is designed to be highly inclusive and to meet the needs of the most economically vulnerable children and those living with other forms of disadvantage. It is based on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: As of 31st July 2020, 187 new Social Workers have been recruited in 2020 by Tusla. At the same time 73 existing social workers have been promoted to more senior Social Work posts in Tusla. While these do not increase whole time equivalent numbers, they assist Tusla in ensuring supportive management and supervisory structures are in place for frontline staff. During the same period, 13 Social...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: It is normal for some Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services to close every year. Services intending to close must notify the childcare regulator, Tusla. The most recent available data shows that 123 services notified their closure to Tusla for the period to 21 August 2020, while 39 new services notified their intent to open in the same period. The number of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Over the past five budgets, investment in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) has increased by 141% - rising from €260 million in 2015, to €638 million in 2020. Despite this progress, investment in the area remains low by international standards. In their latest calculation of Ireland’s expenditure on early learning and care, the OECD includes an...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Direct Provision System (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: At the outset, although it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the detail of an individual case, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep sympathy to the family and friends of Mohammed Arif Ahrar, and to the wider Afghan community in Ireland. The tragic death of a person who comes to this country seeking our protection is something on which we should all...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I want to assure the Deputy of my commitment to young people and their families, particularly those who are vulnerable, marginalised or disadvantaged. Structured services and activities, such as those provided by the youth sector, play an important role for young people, supporting their development, and helping their well-being and resilience. I am pleased to report that funding to the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: Tusla’s local area teams provide a range of therapeutic interventions and supports through directly employed Tusla staff. In addition, Tusla provides grant aid to community and voluntary agencies for the provision of a wide range of family support services including specific funding for counselling services. Therapeutic and assessment services are also delivered through the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: In addition to supports provided to school going children through the Department of Education and Skills, my Department has worked in collaboration with that Department and a range of other relevant stakeholders to roll out the Let’s Get Ready campaign. This campaign was developed in response to the particular challenges arising from Covid-19 for children preparing to attend early...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Legislative Process (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2019 is an important piece of legislation which seeks to provide for much-needed reform of guardian ad litem (GAL) arrangements. Its objective is to regulate the existing system of GAL appointments and to extend the system so that GALs can be made available to a larger number of children on a more equitable basis. It provides a statutory basis for a nationally...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am happy to confirm that the provider in question has over the past 3 years availed of a number of supports under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which provides a range of supports to enable children with disabilities to access and participate fully in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. In addition, I understand that there has been correspondence between the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 52 together. The Government has committed to establishing a dedicated agency, Childcare Ireland which was outlined in the 2020 Programme for Government. It is envisaged that Childcare Ireland will assist in expanding high quality childcare, best practice and innovation in community and private childcare settings. Childcare Ireland will also be...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Covid-19 Tests (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The issue of prioritised Covid-19 testing for the childcare sector is one that my Department has raised with the HSE. The advice from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) in the HSE at this point in time is that fast tracked testing is not required or appropriate. Expert guidance on the safe reopening of Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare services during the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: On 10 June 2020, my Department announced a €75m package of funding to facilitate the reopening of early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) services. In accordance with the Government Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, and guided by the expert advice of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSPC), ELC and SAC services were able to resume from 29th June,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: The First 5 strategy sets out work across Government to improve the experiences and outcomes of children in Ireland from birth to age 5. Piloting Baby Boxes is one of many initiatives under First 5. Others include supports for parents to balance working and caring, developments in early learning and care and health initiatives. Baby Boxes are packages of items and information to assist...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for his important question. My Department works closely with Tusla to support initiatives that will encourage and support Traveller families to become foster parents. I have recently approved funding under our What Works initiative for a pilot project in Tusla to support members of the Traveller and Roma communities to become foster carers. This will assist with...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: I am very conscious that pay and conditions in the Childcare sector are a serious concern and impact on the quality of provision to children through their effect on the recruitment and retention of qualified staff. As the State is not the employer, the Deputy will appreciate that my Department does not set wage levels nor determine working conditions for staff working in the early learning...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (8 Sep 2020)

Roderic O'Gorman: From the outset of Covid-19, my Department has engaged closely with the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre in keeping the sector informed of how to comply with public health guidance. This guidance includes advice for services on how to manage a confirmed case amongst their staff. Where there is a confirmed case of Covid-19 in a service, local Public Health staff will contact the...