Results 1,121-1,140 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Child Protection Services Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: On the Deputy's first point on the HIQA review in the midlands area, I am aware of it. I am concerned about some of the key issues that were identified. There were some improvements demonstrated in that review but particularly in ICT systems which is the subject of the Deputy's question. An ICT system has been developed in that particular area to track all cases within child protection and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The Commission of Investigation into mother and baby homes was established on 17 February 2015 and is due to report by 17 February 2018. The primary function of the commission is to provide a factual account of what happened to vulnerable women and children in these institutions during the period 1922-98, a 76-year period. The commission will thoroughly examine the experience of residents...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for his additional questions. As I have already indicated, the commission is a statutory independent inquiry. We discussed a number of things and I will bring that report to Government next week. In terms of the wide range of issues that were discussed, we reviewed the terms of reference. It is up to the commission to identify changes to the terms of reference whether...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I did not hear exactly the nub of the first part of the Deputy's question.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The commission is open to receiving any kind of written submission from anyone who wants to provide one to it. I would encourage such submissions from anybody who is in a position to provide one and wishes to do so. In terms of the numbers of identified homes and also the representative sample, there are quite a large number of people who have come forward and identified that they wish...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Adult disclosure, or retrospective cases, are where an adult comes forward and makes a complaint that he or she was abused as a child. The vast majority of such complaints relate to sexual abuse. The Garda is always informed of these complaints and its role is to carry out a criminal investigation into the complaint. Tusla's job is to try to establish if the alleged abuser poses a risk of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I note Deputy Rabbitte's point that it is a policy that has not been published.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I will raise that with Tusla. It certainly should be published. I want Deputy Rabbitte to know that I do have concerns in relation to dealing with adult disclosure cases or retrospective cases. I would like to see timelines on when they have been allocated. Those are some questions that I will be raising with Tusla representatives when I meet them next week. As Deputy Rabbitte will...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Children and Family Services Provision (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: As I indicated, I will ask those questions. I take Deputy Rabbitte's point. I hear her saying particularly that it is one matter to ensure the retrospective cases and adult disclosure are managed properly and efficiently, but I also take from what she is identifying there that to come to disclose, even when one is an adult, can be a significant and difficult matter and it may be the case...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The problem of homelessness is a key priority of mine, and of the Government. I welcome the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness which we published on Tuesday. It is the Government's ambition that within a year's time we will not be reliant on emergency accommodation to house children and families. The plan also seeks to ensure that families and children are supported as much as...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Deputy Harty outlines his concerns with great eloquence and I do not disagree with anything he identified, except for his initial point. The actions I identified will be helpful and I hope they will enable in a very significant way the children in homeless and emergency accommodation to find ways to move towards a sense of normality, in spite of the fact they are homeless or in emergency...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Homeless Persons Supports (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Of course it is an absolute political priority of mine, as the Deputy is aware. I thought it critical to identify a number of short-term measures to ensure homeless children do not experience lasting damage. Having listed some of those key actions that I will be driving to implement, I expect the Deputy to agree that they may help to provide a more normal or better experience while they are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Workers Recruitment (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I strongly support Tusla's Survival to Sustainability plan. This is a three-year plan that includes provision of extra staffing to meet critical service concerns. This includes addressing children with no allocated social worker. The plan involves increasing overall staffing levels in Tusla by 323 whole-time equivalents, with an investment of €19.4 million over the period 2016 to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Workers Recruitment (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: With regard to recruitment, the Tusla graduate campaign has resulted in more than 300 graduate applications and interviews are currently under way. At the same time, social work recruitment from existing panels continues. The graduate campaign has been very well received and planning for a 2017 campaign has commenced and will include colleges in Ireland and the UK. Tusla intends to work...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Social Workers Recruitment (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I have outlined a proactive approach in terms of the recruitment campaign. I hear what Deputy Shortall is saying about additional measures that can be taken in terms of retention and support of social workers in the agency. The Deputy is well aware of the challenging child protection and welfare issues social workers face every day, be it on the telephone or coming through their doors. It...

Other Questions: Family Resource Centres (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: This is my fault.

Other Questions: Family Resource Centres (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I apologise. I have located the reply to Deputy Rabbitte's question. I am happy to take it or-----

Other Questions: Family Resource Centres (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I am very conscious of the role that family resource centres play in offering early intervention and support to families in difficulty. The level of funding provided in 2016 demonstrates the Government's support for child and family services around the country. There are currently 108 communities supported through the family resource centre programme funded by Tusla. In 2016, Tusla is...

Other Questions: Family Resource Centres (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Let me first address the general issue. I have identified some of the ways in which Tusla has increased resources for the family resource centres. I visited a couple of them, including one in Roscommon, in the past few weeks of my Ministry and it is true to say that we are investing in those that have a focus on child care, including the provision of early childhood care and education....

Other Questions: Family Resource Centres (21 Jul 2016)

Katherine Zappone: A number of programmes are in place in family resource centres that provide psychological support to the people who avail of their services. I hear the Deputy's suggestion on the provision of a counsellor in each one. I will raise and discuss that matter with Tusla over the next while to see if it is an efficient way to utilise resources in light of the other projects and programmes it is...