Results 2,161-2,180 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Children in Care (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: What is critical is that we ensure the 270 are in place and that they begin their work. I am in ongoing discussions with the director for children and family services in the HSE. The Deputy mentioned a particular area in Dublin north west, where there are some difficulties. As can be seen from the figures I have provided, a care plan is in place and a social worker is allocated for a high...

Children in Care (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: We want to ensure an assessment is done for every foster parent and want to see that children who are in care have an allocated social work. There has been significant progress and extra resources in the past year. We will assess on an ongoing basis whether the numbers being recruited are adequate. A considerable number has yet to be recruited and all of the funding required is in place....

Early Childhood Education (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme was introduced in January 2010 and provides a free preschool year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. Almost every preschool service in the State is participating in the ECCE scheme, ensuring that it is available to children in all areas, and 63,000 children, or 94% of the eligible age cohort, are...

Early Childhood Education (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Deputy McGrath. It has been recognised throughout the country that this is a critical scheme. Many communities are availing of it and the take-up is very high. The take-up is not 100%, probably because some parents choose not to send children to early school education and because some children are included in community child care provisions. Terrific work is being done in...

Children's Rights (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The preparation of this report is being progressed within my Department in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNCRC, and in consultation with the statutory and non-statutoty sectors. The report will cover the period from 2005-10, inclusive. My Department is working to have a draft ready before the end of this year and submitted to the UN as soon as possible...

Children's Rights (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I share the Deputy's concern regarding the delay in responding to the UN. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which comprises 54 articles, is the most widely ratified international human rights instrument and the first legal instrument to focus solely on children's rights regardless of place of birth, sex, religion or social origin. The preparation of the report is a priority for...

Children's Rights (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I will get back to the Deputy on the question of legislation.

Children's Rights (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I agree that early intervention is key. That is not in doubt. Last week I attended a meeting of EU health Ministers where it was emphasised that we ought to be thinking in terms of equal opportunities for children with communication disorders given that one in three, one in four and one in five children, respectively, will be born with a visual, speech or hearing difficulty. By the time...

Early Childhood Education (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme was introduced in January 2010 and provides a free preschool year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. In September 2010, the first full year of the programme, 63,000 children participated, amounting to 94% of all eligible children. Some 4,300 preschool services, or 95% of all services, are...

Early Childhood Education (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I do not have those figures to hand. However, as I have said, the scheme has enjoyed a very high take-up rate, with 94% of all eligible children participating. The 17-month eligibility range was seen to provide a broad enough range to encompass the vast majority of children within the appropriate age cohort. It is legally permissible for children to commence primary school once they have...

Early Childhood Education (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The legal situation is that children may commence primary education at the age of four. Beyond that it is a question of parental choice. Ideally, I would like to see a situation in Ireland similar to that in other European countries where two years of preschool education are provided for young children. It is universally recognised that a two-year period of early education from three to...

Early Childhood Education (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I said earlier, I would like to see a situation where children with special needs would have a second year. When the scheme was introduced originally, it began in January and those children who attended from January to June were then allowed to take a second year. There has been some misunderstanding but there was never actually a second year available, although clearly it would be of...

Child Abuse (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I indicated in my reply to Deputy McConalogue, I will be launching the new Children First national guidance later this week. I also hope to be in a position to outline shortly the details of the legislation to underpin Children First. The Government has committed, in the programme for Government, to this legislation and I have made considerable progress in recent weeks in developing the...

Child Abuse (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is interesting that recent reviews of the Children First guidelines, and we will have an updated version of those later in the week, have found them to be robust and appropriate. What is really important - and this is what makes the difference - is implementation. We must focus on implementation. It is not simply about reporting. We must insist that people report their concerns. I...

Child Abuse (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: On reading the Children First guidelines and compliance, it is clear there is a reporting requirement in the guidelines. The legislation will reflect that. Professionals mentioned will be under an obligation to report, as they are at present, and that will be reflected in legislation. Regarding Deputy Boyd Barrett's question on neglect, it is important to highlight that area. This is a...

Child Abuse (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am not using the phrase "mandatory reporting" and I have already explained that to Deputy McConalogue. There will be a reporting requirements, which is different to the concept of mandatory reporting. The legislation I am introducing will be based on Children First guidelines.

Child Abuse (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: There is a reporting element to it but, as important as that element is, there will be an outline of how agencies work together. Of course there will be sanctions if people do not report. The report was correct in that there will be sanctions. In every organisation there will be someone designated to ensure the Children First guidelines are complied with.

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 73 together. I have an extensive legislative programme in 2011 and beyond. My priorities for 2011 are to progress the Child Care (Amendment) Bill 2009 to enactment and in that regard I would like to advise the House that the Bill will be reintroduced to the Dáil at Report Stage on Thursday next 14th July. My intention is to progress the preparation of...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Government is committed to fundamental reform and transformation of the delivery of our children and family services. A number of significant structural and legislative changes are key to effecting such reform. This includes the establishment of a new agency with dedicated responsibility for the delivery of child welfare and protection services, separate from the HSE and reporting...

Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (12 Jul 2011)

Frances Fitzgerald: The work of the North South Steering Group on Child Protection, which is jointly chaired by my Department and Northern Ireland's Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, includes a particular focus on the development of an inter-jurisdictional protocol for the transfer of child care cases between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. A draft protocol has been developed...