Results 5,341-5,360 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Services Provision (13 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is the statutory body with responsibility for child protection in Ireland. Tusla has experienced a 40% growth in child welfare and protection referrals since its establishment in 2014. This increase in referrals clearly shows the growing awareness and concern in society with respect to children’s wellbeing and safety. Where Tusla assess that a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Funding (13 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Children deemed to be at risk for reasons of neglect or abuse are managed in line with Children First National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children. If anybody becomes aware of a child at risk, they should immediately contact Tusla or, if out of hours, An Garda Síochána. Where harm has occurred in a case involving child welfare and protection, Tusla will identify the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Communications (13 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I have ongoing dialogue with children's organisations in relation to issues that effect children and young people around the country. My Department provides annual funding to the Children's Rights Alliance, an umbrella organisation with over 100 members that advocates for children and young people in relation to legislation, policies and services. My Department has a good working...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Budgets (13 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy's question is broad based. It is concerned with the general adequacy of resources overall to meet existing and future issues facing children. I am very appreciative of the support which I have received from Government over recent years in increasing the Vote of my Department. Budget 2019 represented another very significant and visible commitment to children and families. In...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Self-Harm Prevention (13 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Where Tusla Child Protection and Welfare Services become aware that a child is self-harming they will refer the child to their local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). As the Deputy is aware CAMHS is a HSE provided service, and comes within the remit of my colleague the Minister for Health. Children can self- harm for a range of reasons and CAMHS are best placed to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children First Guidelines (13 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Children First promotes the protection of children from abuse and neglect, by setting out what persons and organisations need to do to keep children safe, and how to deal with concerns that a child may have been, is being, or is at risk of being abused or neglected. A Children First Inter-Departmental Implementation Group (CFIDIG) with membership from all Government Departments, the Health...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Data (13 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has a statutory duty under the Child Care Act 1991 to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. I propose to reply in respect of children at risk who come to the attention of Tusla child protection services. The most recent data available from Tusla covers the period up to and including November 2018. Referrals...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (13 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department maintains close contact with the national youth organisations and I and officials from my Department meet formally with these organisations twice a year to share knowledge and information on developments in the youth sector. A separate meeting is held on the day of these bi-annual meetings with national organisations in receipt of targeted youth funding to keep them updated on...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (13 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 204 and 205 together. The Commission was established by Government in February 2015 to investigate concerns related to the institutional care of unmarried mothers and their babies during the period 1922 to 1998. The Commission is tasked with providing a full account of what happened to vulnerable women and children in these institutions. Following a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Detention Centres Staff (14 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 244 to 246, inclusive, 248, 252 and 253 together. I am advised by Oberstown Children Detention Campus that there were 103 incidents of injuries to staff in 2018, 25 of which related to assaults on staff. I am advised by Oberstown that the other 78 incidents of injuries to staff consisted of injuries sustained during a restraint, approved sporting activities...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Detention Centres Staff (14 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am advised by Oberstown Children Detention Campus that the information on staff sick leave requested by the Deputy is as set out below: 2016 2017 2018 Between 1 and 3 months 24 20 24 Between 3 and 6 months 12 7 6 Between 6 and 12 months 2 7 5 12 months or more 4 9 9 Please note these figures are for periods of continuous absence.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (14 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department has no records of any expenditure being paid to this company from 2015 to date.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: It should be noted that the Early Childhood Care and Education programme (ECCE) is a two year pre-school programme. There is no routine provision for a third year which may not be in the best interests of a child and may lead to breaching the statutory school starting age. Overage exemptions were introduced at the onset of the ECCE programme in 2010. At that time ECCE operated for a 38...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Detention Centres (14 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am advised by Oberstown Children Detention Campus that it has an assault and injury leave scheme. I have requested Oberstown to forward a copy to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Capital Expenditure Programme (14 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The information requested by the Deputy is nor readily available in the format requested. Officials from my Department are currently compiling the information and a further response will issue as soon as possible.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Costs (19 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Providing a childcare infrastructure that enables accessible, affordable, quality childcare for all has been a cornerstone of my work as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs since 2016. The research report is from that year. The years I have been in office as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs have seen an unprecedented increase in investment in key early learning and care, ELC, and...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Childcare Costs (19 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I agree with the Deputy on all of the questions and issues she has raised. Single parent families were a key group I had in mind when I decided to move towards the affordable childcare scheme. Even though the full scheme is not ready to be launched and the streamlining of all of the different targeted subsidies is not yet complete, from the beginning of my ministry and the first budget I...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Funding (19 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 578 to 582, inclusive, together. Tusla has informed me that the New Communities Partnership does not fund the Venezuelan Community in Ireland group. As the Venezuelan Community in Ireland group does not have a service level agreement with Tusla and does not receive funding from Tusla the question of the legislation does not apply. In respect of the individual...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Data (19 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to assure the Deputy that all referrals to Tusla are screened in a timely manner. Where appropriate, the referral will be routed to family support services or, in the case of child protection and welfare concerns, to a social work service. It is important to stress that urgent and emergency cases receive immediate attention by the local duty social work team. Data on key...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (19 Feb 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My policy priorities in relation to supporting the provision of early learning and care is articulated in First 5, Ireland’s first ever whole-of-Government strategy to improve the lives of babies, young children and their families. This 10-year strategy sets out a roadmap for development and investment over the next decade and builds on recent and very substantial developments in early...