Results 5,701-5,720 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Data (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I welcome the Special Rapporteur’s recommendation regarding illegal registrations. The Adoption (Information and Tracing) Bill, 2016 will address the recommendation regarding access to information for illegally registered people as they will be able to apply for an information and tracing service on the same basis as adopted people. However, we do know that the practice of illegal...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Childcare Scheme Implementation (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 35, 39 and 40 together. On 11th March, I launched of the National Childcare Scheme- our pathway to truly accessible, affordable, quality childcare. The scheme will open to applications this October, with payments flowing from November. Good progress is currently being made in preparing for the Scheme's launch. Last July, the primary legislation establishing...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Investigations (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am glad to have an opportunity to set out the immense work that Tusla has undertaken since its establishment, the ongoing challenges it is facing and the immediate and longer term actions being put in place as I speak. Tusla was established in 2014 with the task of bringing together 17 child protection service areas across the country, to operate as one Agency. It must be remembered...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I have met with members of the Tusla, the Child and Family Agency Senior Management team on two occasions since the beginning of January 2019. The subject of discussion at one meeting was the allocation of the additional €1.5m in funding to Family Resource Centres (FRCs) this year. The second meeting related to the potential use of additional resources in 2019 to meet the requests of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Data (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is the statutory body with primary responsibility for child protection in Ireland. I can advise the Deputy that a significant action has been taken in relation to record keeping and file management within Tusla. A National Child Care Information System, (NCCIS) has been developed as a technology solution to record all case history of every child,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (28 Mar 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, and if necessary, to receive a child into the care of the State. A range of care placements are available to meet the needs of children in care. Children and young people, depending on their identified needs, may be...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (28 Mar 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 that day with national organisations in receipt of targeted youth funding to keep them updated on the ongoing work on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I understand the Deputy's question relates to referrals made to Tusla and how these are dealt with. Tusla's response to all reports of child welfare and protection is detailed in the Tusla Child Protection and Welfare Practice Handbook, which is available on the Tusla website (www.tusla.ie). This covers both the immediate and initial areas of consideration and the various responses Tulsa...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is the statutory body with responsibility for child protection in Ireland. If I, or my officials, become aware of a situation in which a child is at risk, that risk is communicated to Tusla as a matter of urgency. If a child appears to be at risk of harm or neglect, concerns should be reported to Tusla. Anyone can report a concern about a child to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Data (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to advise the Deputy, that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency is the statutory body with responsibility for child protection services in Ireland. Where I, or my officials, are made aware of child protection concerns, those concerns are referred to Tusla for their appropriate attention. Table 1 outlines the number of referrals received by Tusla in relation to abuse, for the period of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Provision (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services to young people throughout the country including those from disadvantaged communities. The funding schemes support national and local youth work involving approximately 1,400 youth work staff working in youth services and communities throughout the country. In 2019,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Budgets (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Revised Estimate for Public Services 2019 makes provision for a gross funding allocation of €1.478 billion for my Department which represents an increase of just under €107 million, or 8%, over the 2018 provision. Approximately half of the Vote is targeted towards public services that protect our children and provide for their welfare. Another significant portion is to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is the statutory body with responsibility for child protection in Ireland. If I, or my officials, become aware of a situation in which a child is at risk, this information is communicated to Tusla as a matter of urgency. If a child appears to be at risk of harm or neglect, concerns should be reported to Tusla. Anyone can report a concern about a child...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (28 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I can advise the Deputy that, at the end of December 2018, the most recent date for which information is available, there were 6,026 children in the care of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Since 1 September 2017 Tusla has been required by law to satisfy itself as to each eligible child or young person’s need for aftercare assistance and to prepare a plan that identifies those needs...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Assisting families to access high quality, affordable early learning and care and school age childcare is a priority for me as Minister and hence I take the issues raised in the letter very seriously. My officials have responded separately to the childcare forum which wrote the letter referred to in the Deputy's question.  My Department funds a number of early learning and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Qualifications (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) introduced regulations governing the Early Years sector in June of 2016 which included a new minimum qualifications standard for the sector. Since the 31st December 2016, all employees of a pre-school service who work directly with children must hold a full, major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at a minimum of Level 5 on the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Early Intervention teams are under the remit of the Health Service Executive (HSE) therefore I am not in a position to comment on any decision made by this team. Notwithstanding this, national policy, based on the principle in the best interests of the child, is that children should be in primary education by the age of six. Primarily legislation relating to this is primarily a matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I understand that the programme referred to by the Deputy is the current round of capital funding currently being run by Pobal on behalf of my Department. Significant efforts were made this year to improve the timeline for delivery of the Early Years and School Age Childcare capital programmes and the appraisal process for applications is currently underway in Pobal. I would like to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Properties (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: It is unclear from the Deputy's question as to what offices in Ballymun are involved but, as this is an operational matter, I have requested Tusla, the Child and Family Agency to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (2 Apr 2019)

Katherine Zappone: In August 2017, Tusla had to temporarily suspend services at the refuge to which the Deputy refers, due to concerns about electrical installations at the facility. An upgrade of the building has been completed.  Plans are in progress to reopen the service in Quarter 2 of this year. I can assure the Deputy that it will reopen as a domestic violence refuge. The newly upgraded...