Results 2,421-2,440 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Correspondence (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I understand that the Deputy is referring to a letter from a childcare service which was received in the Department on 3rd May. Strand 3 of the Early Years Capital programme 2017 (EYC 2017) was open to services which had 25 or fewer 'unique' children registered as at 28th February 2017. This number was chosen to provide smaller childcare services with an opportunity to apply,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Pobal has responsibility for administering the Early Years Capital fund on behalf of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. Capital funding is allocated following a process of evaluation against the criteria set and the Department does not make interventions in the evaluation process in regard to any childcare service. Applications are currently being appraised by Pobal. As the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Freedom of Information Requests (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have requested information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I will forward the reply to the Deputy once I have been furnished with this information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Freedom of Information Requests (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have requested information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I will forward the reply to the Deputy once I have been furnished with this information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The latest figures from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, indicate that, at the end of February 2017, there were 6,309 children in care. Of these, 5,784 (92%) had a written care plan. I can inform the Deputy that 12 of the 17 administrative areas met Tusla's target of 90% of children in care having a written care plan. Figures are provided to HIQA by Tusla and are drawn from data...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Services Provision (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Addressing the number of children who are awaiting the allocation of a social worker is a priority for me. I secured additional funding for the purpose of addressing this issue in 2017, and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is now in the second year of a 3-year plan to provide for the allocation of a dedicated social worker to all children who need one. The Deputy should note that all...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Aftercare Services Provision (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla has informed me that in 2016, a total of 605 young persons left care that year - the reason for this being that they had reached 18 years of age. At the end of 2016, Tusla has indicated that 1,055 young persons in care were aged 16 or 17 years of age. Of these 432 - 41% - had been allocated an aftercare worker. Tusla has advised that it does not collate data on the waiting periods...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Aftercare Services Provision (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: On the Deputy's comments about moving forward, particularly entitlements to aftercare plans for children in care, as she is aware, there are pending amendments to the Child Care Act 1991 that will place a statutory obligation to provide an aftercare plan before the young person leaves care. I intend that this provision will be commenced with effect from 1 September 2017. I have secured the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Aftercare Services Provision (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I appreciate the work of EPIC and organisations like it. We are supporting them. In terms of our statutory and legal responsibilities relating to children in care and in aftercare, I have been informed by Tusla that 18 aftercare managers will be recruited. Each manager will manage one of the 18 teams across the country. The composition of each team will be based on Tusla's analysis of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Detention Centres (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I understand the Deputy's question relates to the report on the operational review that was commissioned by the Oberstown board of management. It is one of a series of reports commissioned by Oberstown with the aim of improving services and ensuring good practice for the children and young people. Four independent reviews have been commissioned by the Oberstown board of management,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Detention Centres (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I appreciate the Deputy coming back to me with that question. The report and its recommendations have been produced. The implementation group which I put together is considering them in the context of the recommendations made by the two other reports which have been completed and the fourth report, which is expected in the near future. The event to which the Deputy referred has been...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Detention Centres (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The report is with the Oberstown board of management, which is seeking legal advice. It is not my place to step into that process but I hope and expect that the board will soon make decisions on the report. It is in everyone's interest to await legal advice before proceeding. As the Deputy has indicated, there has been much positive news in regard to youth justice and Oberstown, such as...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Costs (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I do not anticipate widespread increases in child care fees as a result of increases in subsidies this September. There is no evidence of plans to increase fee levels. Fees charged to parents are at the discretion of child care providers, who operate independently of the State. There are many factors that influence the fees charged, including a range of cost pressures and market forces....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Costs (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy highlights the point that not all families will receive subsidies. This, in itself, will be a factor that child care providers must take into account when setting their fees and in deciding to raise or not raise the fees. The Deputy spoke of the numbers of families who may not benefit right away in September because we not have the full affordable child care scheme that we had...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Care Costs (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Most of those 9,000 families that may not benefit, and who we had anticipated could benefit, would have incomes that are near the maximum income threshold for the affordable child care scheme. They would have received low levels of subsidy under the affordable child care scheme. It is not possible to specify the precise income levels that may be affected as the means test for the GP visit...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Workers Recruitment (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: This is an important issue. It is a continuing priority of mine to address the problem of children in care who do not have an allocated social worker. I am informed by Tusla that 99% of children in residential care and 100% of children in special care have an allocated social worker. However, I am concerned to note that 7% of children in foster care do not have an allocated social worker....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Workers Recruitment (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Yes. Of course I am aware of the national review panel report. It adds to the motivation and the need to ensure a redoubling of efforts in recruitment and retention. I am indicating that I also do not find it acceptable and I agree with the Deputy in this. In addition I acknowledge, and may have previously pointed out, the aspects of the actions Tusla is taking to recruit and retain...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Workers Recruitment (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I agree with the Deputy. Relatively recently, I met the Irish Association of Social Workers, a professional organisation. I examined many of these issues and the suggestions they put forward. In respect of the ability to recruit, Tusla is implementing a national transfer policy. To assist retention and the attractiveness of Tusla as an employer, it has put in place a transfer mechanism to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency Services (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: A historical or retrospective disclosure is where an adult discloses abuse experienced in childhood. I understand that the overwhelming majority of such disclosures are about sexual abuse. Tusla has advised me that there were 1,895 historical and retrospective cases on hand at the end of March 2017. Tusla has also indicated that, included in these cases and during the first three months of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency Services (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I take Deputy Rabbitte's points. It is important to have ongoing collaboration between Tusla, An Garda Síochána and, in terms of counselling services, the HSE. My response focuses on the legal responsibility of Tusla in this regard and on identifying where there are other responsibilities there too. In her follow-up question, the Deputy suggested that the ways in which these...