Results 6,501-6,520 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The National Childcare Scheme will open to online applications on Wednesday 20th November, with subsidies flowing from the following Monday, 25th November.  The paper based application will be available early in the new year. Children and families using the existing schemes may choose to remain on them. In preparation for the national launch of the  Scheme in November, we have been...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Provision (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: First 5, the whole-of-government strategy for babies, young children and their families published in November 2018 sets out Government's intention to develop a new Funding Model to deliver additional funding to Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare providers to ensure greater levels of affordability, quality and inclusion in their services. It is planned that the new Funding Model...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Legislative Measures (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy knows, there are strong views on the privacy provisions in the Adoption (Information & Tracing) Bill, 2016 and to the revised scheme set out in my proposed amendments for Committee Stage. My legal advice is that there must be some protection of birth parents' constitutional right to privacy reflected in the legislation. There are two rights at play, the right to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: At present there are no infrastructure projects underway within my Department that are in excess of of the budget assigned. The National Childcare Scheme is the key infrastructure project underway at present.  The development of this project has entailed a complex programme of work encompassing legislative, ICT, governance, administrative and communications work-streams.  ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: On 29th August, I launched the Draft Childminding Action Plan, for the purpose of public consultation. The Draft Childminding Action Plan aims to bring all childminders within the scope of public funding, supports, and regulations. Up to now most childminders have been exempt from regulation and therefore would be excluded from public funding such as the National Childcare Scheme. Central...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Children First Act 2015, which I fully commenced in December 2017, provides for a number of key child protection measures, including raising awareness of child abuse and neglect, improving child protection arrangements in organisations providing services to children and the introduction of mandatory reporting of child protection concerns by certain key professionals. Under the Act...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department provides capital funding annually to early learning and care and school age childcare services.  The capital programme is designed each year to ensure that capital grants have a positive, lasting impact on the childcare sector including increasing capacity. A service wishing to increase capacity can apply towards the costs of constructing a new premises or extending an...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Policy (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to thank the Deputy for his question. As this is an operational matter I have referred the question to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, for their direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency's Midlands Child Assessment Team (MICAT) provides a service for children to disclose child sexual abuse. The service comprises of a multidisciplinary team of Social Work, Social Care, Public Health Nursing and Psychology, and is jointly provided by both Tusla and Health Service Executive (HSE). I have requested Tusla to respond directly to the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Services (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to thank the Deputy for his question. As this is an operational matter I have referred the question to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, for their direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Staff (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The most recent data on current pay and conditions indicates that the average hourly pay in early learning and care and school-age childcare is now €12.55 (as of May 2019). Low pay and poor working conditions in the sector remain a serious concern and impact on the quality of provision to children through their effect on the recruitment and retention of qualified staff. The lack of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Meals Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 558 and 561 together. The Minister would like to thank the Deputy and the facility for their interest in the pilot preschool meals programme. First 5, Ireland's Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families was published in November of last year. The strategy's publication was followed in May of this year with the Implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Administration (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The National Childcare Scheme has always been designed such that, when it is fully up and running, applications will be accepted both online and by post. A Public Services Card (PSC) and verified MyGovID account are required to apply for the Scheme online only. The online system will offer a user friendly and effective system for parents, whilst offering greater efficiency in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The 2020 budget allocation to my Department includes an indicative €3.9m to meet the costs of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and related activities. This allocation will support salaries, fees and other operational costs relating to the work of the independent Commission of Investigation, and the costs incurred by my Department in supporting this work...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Consultancy Contracts Data (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department engaged two consultancy services under the parameters provided, from the 1st January 2018 to 1 January 2019 the details of which are enclosed in the following table. Consultancy Service Provider Reason for engagement Costs (€) Clare Taylor Copy editing / proof reading, ready for print in plain English of a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Value for Money Reviews (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department engages in a range of evaluation projects on an ongoing basis. In terms of value for money and policy reviews, my Department completed a Focused Policy Assessment, titled, "Focused Policy Assessment of the Affordable Childcare Scheme: Cost Drivers, Model Assumptions and Policy Extensions". The assessment was conducted internally, at no additional cost, with oversight...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The School Completion Programme (SCP) continues to deliver a valuable service for some of our most vulnerable young people. Currently, the SCP receives annual funding of €24.7 million. My Department works with the Educational Welfare Service (EWS) in Tusla to ensure that necessary resources are available to support this programme and to ensure staffing levels are sufficient to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I take it that the Deputy is referring to the 'Adverse Childhood Experiences' framework which shows that the experiences of a child in early childhood may impact their health and well being throughout the life course. International research suggests that long-term harms may result from chronic, 'toxic' stress during childhood. The research indicates that stress arises when children are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am informed by Tusla that as of the end of June 2019, the most recent verified figures available, there were 5,759 cases awaiting allocation of a social worker. Tusla has confirmed that of these cases, 991 (17.2%) were categorised as high priority; 1,868 (32.4%) cases were low priority; and 2,900 (50.4%) were medium priority.   The priority level...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Bullying of Children (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: All of society should be concerned with child welfare and protection and it is important that concerns are dealt with as and where they arise. The primary responsibility for protecting children rests with their parents but parents are supported in this role by a range of service providers, state agencies, schools and professionals working with children and young people. There is a range...