Results 2,761-2,780 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (10 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla have advised me that when their social workers seek a second opinion in relation to the findings of an assessment completed by an organisation such as St Clare’s Unit, it is general practice to seek a second opinion from a similar organisation, such as St Louise’s Unit. This is done to ensure the second opinion is independent and that the assessment process follows the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Welfare Service Staff (10 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The Educational Welfare Service of Tusla has advised my Department that it currently employs 88 Educational Welfare Officers (EWOs) throughout the country. The 88 EWOs are divided into 11 teams spread across 4 separate regions across the country, each of which is managed by a Senior Educational Welfare Officer (SEWO). These regions are the South, the West and Midlands, South Dublin and North...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (10 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Since September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months are eligible for a full two programme years on the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. This measure refines the development introduced in 2016 and increases the duration of each registered child on ECCE from a previous average of 61 weeks, to a potential duration of 76 weeks (two...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (10 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I am informed by Tusla that currently data is not collected nationally on the number of child sexual abuse assessments that are ‘founded’ and ‘unfounded’. Historically Tusla has not collated founded/unfounded cases nationally within Key Performance Indicators as these terms refer to outcomes and are not useful as measurements of performance. This is something I...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Provision (9 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: This is an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have requested Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Funding (9 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Details of the grants and funding issued to organisations and projects in Dublin 24 under the programmes and schemes administered by my Department in 2018 are set out hereunder. Early Years Programmes and Services Organisation *Funding Provided € Discoveries Creche & Montessori School Ltd 90,798.40 The Childrens House Montessori School 18,657.60 Carrigwood Playgroup...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (9 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla's policy is that social workers seek to keep children at home with their parents when it is deemed to be in their best interest, and when any risk can be managed safely. Tusla has introduced 'Signs of Safety', a child protection practice model which supports families working with social workers to develop safety plans for their children. I am informed by Tusla that, when the need to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (9 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Since September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months are eligible for a full two programme years on the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. This measure refines the development introduced in 2016 and increases the duration of each registered child on ECCE from a previous average of 61 weeks, to a potential duration of 76 weeks (two...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes (9 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: There is no question of any child losing entitlement to eligibility for the ECCE scheme. Rather ECCE eligibility has increased to two years. From September 2018, all children meeting the minimum age requirement of 2 years and 8 months will be eligible for a full two programme years on the Early Childhood Care and Education programme (ECCE). The upper age ECCE requirement is that the child...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Communications (9 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The following text is an extract from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs' policy on the use of private email for Government business. WebMail Services "As there is no way of filtering the messages relayed by webmail providers, they pose a potential security threat. Users may not transmit sensitive or classified information using any 3rd party e-mail services. The Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Official Engagements (9 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I did not attend the 2018 Ryder Cup, nor did my officials.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Bereavement Counselling Services Provision (4 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency administers funding to support the provision of family counselling services. Tusla provides funding to voluntary organisations offering bereavement counselling and support for the deaths of a family member and loss through parental separation. Bereavement counselling and supports are not restricted to children of parents who have passed away either by...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (4 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Funding of €58.9m has been made available to my Department in 2018 to administer 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 work...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Employment Initiative (4 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: The report of the evaluation of the Youth Employability Initiative was useful in informing the members of the Youth Employability Initiative Design and Development Working Group established to assist with the design and development of the Youth Employability Initiative 2018/2019. I expect to announce the details of this Initiative in the coming days. It is my intention that an executive...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Employment Initiative (4 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: My Department has been provided with funding under the Dormant Accounts Fund for the development of a Youth Employability Initiative. My Department will be announcing details of a needs led Youth Employability Initiative shortly which will focus on providing soft skills to young people to improve their employability. The specific aim of the initiative will be to target young people...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Homelessness Strategy (4 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: While my colleague, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government has ultimate responsibility for managing homelessness, I am committed to helping children and families as part of a whole-of-Government response to the problem of homelessness. My Department and Tusla have a specific role to play in relation to the wider issue of homelessness. In this regard, the Child Care Act...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (4 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: Over the last three budgets (2016, 2017 and 2018), the Government has increased investment in childcare by 85%. This demonstrates Government's commitment to investing in the childcare sector, but, as you will have heard me state many times, it is critical that the Government continues this investment to benefit all children and family types. It is important that we acknowledge the role...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (3 Oct 2018)

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, whether in the context of the family or otherwise. Accordingly, Tusla has provided funding for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services since its foundation in 2014. This includes services in Counties Cavan and Monaghan. As part...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (3 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: This is an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have requested Tusla to respond directly to the Deputy on this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (2 Oct 2018)

Katherine Zappone: I have written to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency in relation to the matter. A further response will issue when I have had a reply.