Results 3,101-3,120 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Funding (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I thank Deputy Wallace. In terms of the Shannon report and Tusla's response to it, the focus is on the extension of out of hours services, particularly in the critical phase of ensuring social workers are available to work with the gardaí in order to ensure that the situation of difficulty or trauma is responded to in the best possible way. There is a number of measures that Tusla has...

Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Funding (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I cannot agree with the Deputy more in terms of the importance of family resource centres and the ways in which they provide the services that are required by children and families in a manner that is exceptionally efficient and that also truly respects the ways in which communities operate at their best. In terms of the talk of €10,000 in funding, through my budget negotiations I...

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48, 58 and 512 together. Following the expansion of ECCE last year 120,000 children participated in ECCE in the peak term, April 2017. The further expansion of ECCE in budget 2018 is expected to see 114,000 children attend for a full two programme years. The fact that 120,000 have already been accommodated in April 2017 suggests that capacity should not...

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Am I correct that the Deputies' questions refer to crèches or providers that have not previously applied for funding for capital expansion?

Other Questions: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: In the budget, there is money for capital expenditure. We will develop a process to make that available in budget 2018. I look forward to having these conversations with the Deputies.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The cost of childcare continues to be a major issue facing parents in Ireland. We remain the most expensive in the OECD. To alleviate some of this financial burden, I introduced a range of supports in September to make childcare more affordable for families, including a new universal subsidy for all children aged between 6 months and 3 years of age, or until they are eligible for ECCE....

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Data (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: In 2016 there was a total of 47,630 referrals made to Tusla. Following Tusla's initial review of each referral, just over 19,000 were deemed to be a concern about abuse. These referrals relate to physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect, and multiple referrals can relate to the same child. Last year, thirty-six per cent of referrals were for emotional abuse, sixteen per cent for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has a statutory duty to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. Tusla provides a continuum of prevention and early intervention care supports to children and their families who are experiencing difficulties. Approximately 60% of all referrals to Tusla require this type of support. Tusla has made real...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Provision (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: We need a regular supply of foster carers to provide a quality service for children. A small number of areas have problems in recruiting enough local foster carers. Other areas have good availability, but not all foster carers will have the skills needed for children with more complex needs. Foster carers are acknowledged as the backbone of our child care services, looking after 92% of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Homeless Persons Supports (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 65 together. I am committed to helping children and families as part of a whole-of-Government response to the problem of homelessness. While statutory responsibility for the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities, and responsibility for the provision of a national framework of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Support Services (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am committed to the provision of childcare options for families that respect parental choice and reflect international evidence on how to attain the best outcomes for children. The Government has provided additional support for parents who choose to care for their children at home by increasing the Home Carer Tax Credit to €1,200 per year in Budget 2018. Previous provisions for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Records Provision (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The term ‘illegal adoption' is used to cover a wide range of situations and actions including the incorrect registration of a birth. Such persons can currently seek information and assistance from the Adoption Authority of Ireland, Tusla and a number of accredited bodies. The Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill 2016 will for the first time, provide a statutory basis for the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Provision (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 72 together. I was advised two weeks ago that a decision had been taken by the board of the management company operating Brookfield Youth and Community Centre to cease operations with immediate effect. I was not provided with advance notice of the closure but I believe that the Centre’s closure was not as a result of funding issues. I am...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I can inform the Deputy that I am satisfied with the overall performance of Tusla. I have no current plan to conduct a review into the operations of Tusla with regard to its child protection policy. I recently announced that all remaining provisions of the Children First Act 2015 will be commenced on 11 December 2017. These include the provisions in relation to mandatory reporting of child...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Childcare Scheme Data (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am committed to ensuring that childcare is affordable, accessible and of a high quality. I continue to work with my officials to deliver the new Affordable Childcare Scheme (ACS). Strong progress is being made in this regard with all the elements of the scheme, including the IT system and an ACS Bill. The increase in supports I have provided for the 2017/2018 programme year represents a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Programmes (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The ABC Programme is a joint prevention and early intervention initiative, led by the Department for Children and Youth Affairs. The Programme commenced in 2013 and was designed as a time-bound co-funding agreement with The Atlantic Philanthropies, in the amount of €29.7 million for the period 2013 to 2016. In late 2016, my Department secured additional funding to ensure that all 13...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mental Health Services Provision (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am happy to inform the Deputy that my Department is at present advancing this matter. I and my officials have met with Minister Daly and we are both agreed to review the co-ordination and provision of psychological supports between TUSLA and the HSE, including specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) provided by the HSE. The work of this group will focus on...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Work Projects Funding (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 59 together. In 2017, €57.4 m was allocated in current funding to support the provision of youth services, an increase of €5.5m on 2016. I have enhanced this by a further €1.5m in 2018. Laois Youth Services received €86,803 funding in 2017 under the Special Projects for Youth scheme. Earlier this year, I approved...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children and Young People’s Policy Framework (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy is aware of my wish to improve the quality and availability of services for children and young persons, with the objective of ensuring that a particular emphasis is placed on providing adequate support for families at risk. I am very pleased that the €73m package announced in Budget 2018 enables us to continue investing in our children and young people and secures much-...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Provision (17 Oct 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 64 together. The Clondalkin/Ballyowen Equine facility is an initiative which was financed by the Department of Agriculture in collaboration with South Dublin County Council. The facility provides a base for young people from the area who can’t afford a private stable to care for their animals. It also provides an opportunity for young...