Results 5,601-5,620 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: All foster care placements, whether provided directly by Tusla or sourced through private sector providers, operates using the same model of care. The use of private foster placements is a necessary part of ensuring that the service is available at all times and that Tusla has access to specialised placements. Tusla Finance Directorate conducted an exercise in 2017 to estimate the total...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Services Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: On receipt of referrals, Tusla, Child and Family Agency, allocates child protection cases to social workers. Social care workers primarily work currently in the area of residential care, family support and on children in care teams undertaking direct work with children. I can advise the Deputy that Tusla, collate and report data by Tusla administrative area, rather than by county. The table...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Resource Centres (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1170, 1171 and 1182 together. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, administers the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme. As the distribution of funding to Family Resource Centres is an operational matter for Tusla, I have requested Tusla to provide the Deputy with the requested information directly.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Social Workers Recruitment (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I can confirm to the Deputy that my officials are currently engaging with stakeholders to identify opportunities for Tusla to influence the future supply of key personnel such as social workers. In this context, on the 16th January, 2019 my officials facilitated the inaugural meeting of the High Level Social Work Education Stakeholders Group. The meeting comprised of representatives from the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Legislation (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy will be aware, the primary legislation regulating child care policy is the Child Care Act 1991. My Department is reviewing the 1991 Act in line with a Government commitment under Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People. The purpose of the review is to identify what is working well within the existing legislation,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: In the nine month period from January 2018 -September 2018 Tusla received 41,313 referrals to child protection and welfare services. An initial screening identified that 98%, (40,584) referrals were appropriate for Tusla. (Please note that this data should be considered provisional as validation is ongoing). Tusla child protection duty social work teams screen all referrals within...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: DEIS Scheme (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: First 5, a whole-of-Government strategy for babies, young children and their families was published in November 2018. It sets out a ten-year plan to improve the lives of children up to the age of five and their families. The actions will be delivered by a number of Government departments, State Agencies and wider partners. One of the actions in First 5 is to develop mechanisms to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Funding (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The purchase of residential placements from private providers is an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I am referring the Deputy's question to Tusla for direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Assisting childcare providers in extending their existing childcare services, or establishing new childcare services, have always been key areas of focus for my Department's capital programmes. Each year the Department reviews the capital programmes as a whole and determines the priorities for Early Learning and Care and School Age Capital grants. The capital strands have been made...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The below table provided by Pobal gives an overview of total Early Years and School Age Capital spend divided by county over the past three years. Total Early Years and School Age Capital funding by county (2016-2018) County 2016 2017 2018 Grand Total Carlow 305,199.43 191,333.04 106,461.86 602,994.33 Cavan 137,495.35 232,293.99 238,421.14 608,210.48 Clare 162,174.94 467,179.68...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department records the breakdown of childcare waiting lists by age cohort rather than by programme. In 2017/18, services reported a total of 173,197 children enrolled in early years services and 9,420 vacant places across Ireland. The table below presents the number of children enrolled and on a waiting list that are approximately within the ECCE eligible age range, as well as the number...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department records the breakdown of childcare places by age cohort rather than by programme. In 2017/18, services reported a total of 173,197 children enrolled in early years services and 9,420 vacant places across Ireland. The table below presents the number of children enrolled and on a waiting list that are approximately within the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) eligible age...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Area Based Childhood Programme (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a prevention and early intervention initiative targeting investment in effective services to improve the outcomes for children and families living in a number of specific areas of disadvantage. It was originally designed as a time-bound, co-funding arrangement, led by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) in conjunction with The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which was launched in June 2016, is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1188, 1189, 1191 and 1192 together. The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which was launched in June 2016, is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Leadership for Inclusion in the Early Years (LINC) higher education programme is a Level 6 Special Purpose Award designed to support the inclusion of children with a disability in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. It is a key initiative under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) for pre-school children. Pre-school settings employing an Inclusion Coordinator (who has...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to advise the Deputy that prior to the establishment of Tusla in 2014 responsibility for children in care lay with the Health Services Executive. Data relating to children in care prior to that date is held by the HSE. Children are placed outside of Ireland in exceptional circumstances where a specific service that they require is not available in Ireland, for example, specialist...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has responsibility for the provision of funding, co-ordination and support to 21 organisations which provide emergency refuge and emergency non-refuge accommodation to victims of domestic violence and their children. In addition to this, Tusla maintains a domestic violence refuge in South Dublin, which has been temporarily closed for essential refurbishment...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has responsibility for the provision of funding, co-ordination and support to 21 organisations which provide emergency refuge and emergency non-refuge accommodation to victims of domestic violence and their children. In addition to this, Tusla maintains a domestic violence refuge in South Dublin, which has been temporarily closed for essential refurbishment...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual or gender-based violence. Tusla-funded organisations provide a total of 155 family units of emergency domestic violence accommodation to victims of domestic violence. Tusla funds the provision of 145 spaces in emergency refuge accommodation and 10 in emergency non-refuge...