Results 4,541-4,560 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Services: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Currently Tusla provides a national out-of-hours phone social work service to the Garda Síochána throughout the night, weekends and bank holidays. Where they come across a child in an urgent situation they can contact the national social worker number. They will speak to a team leader or a social worker. It is a service that is provided from Tusla national head office in Dublin...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Services: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am aware of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Services: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for her positive comments. I am aware of the concerns of the ISPCC, and also the ISPCC's hearing of some of the changes that Tusla is bringing in place here over the next number of months in terms of the out-of-hours services and that it sees them as a step in the right direction as well. In terms of the inter-agency co-operation that Deputy O'Sullivan is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Services: Discussion (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Signs of safety, absolutely.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Community Childcare Subvention Programme (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Since early 2015, my Department has supported intensive engagement with Pobal and Longford County Childcare Committee to maintain childcare provision in the service in question. Unfortunately, following an EGM of the board in March 2016, my Department was informed of the intention to proceed with an orderly wind-down of the service. Following this closure I delegated Pobal, as agents of my...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Unfortunately I cannot provide any information in relation to this case as assignment of social workers is a matter for Tusla. The Deputy has provided insufficient details to allow me to refer the query to the Child and Family Agency.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Expenditure (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I would note to the Deputy that these schemes are entirely demand led, any figures can only be estimated. The costs estimated by my Department in determining these figures have been based on the individual schemes which do not match with age cohorts described by the Deputy. I understand that the Deputy is referencing the ACS figures provided in a separate PQ estimating that the full cost...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Costs (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: On 11thApril, I made an announcement that this September a range of measures will be introduced by my Department to make childcare more affordable for thousands of families throughout Ireland. These include: - A new universal subsidy will be available for all children aged between 6 months and 3 years of age (or until they are eligible for ECCE) in registered childcare. This will amount to as...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Qualifications (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The majority of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 came into effect on 30th June 2016. The Regulations provide that each employee working directly with children attending the service must hold at least a major award in Early Childhood Care and Education at Level 5 on the National Qualifications Framework or a qualification deemed by the Minister to be...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Brexit Documents (12 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Following on from publication of the document setting out the Government's approach to the Brexit negotiations, work is underway across departments to prepare adaptive Sectoral Brexit Response Plans to mitigate emerging sectoral challenges. These plans will build on ongoing cross-Government research, analysis and consultations with stakeholders, and will encompass the following themes: -...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Funding (12 Jul 2017)

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. Budget 2017 provided an...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Costs (11 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Affordable Childcare Scheme (ACS), once introduced, will include both universal and targeted elements. It is currently estimated that when the scheme is initially introduced approximately 16,000 children aged between 6 months and 3 years of age will benefit from targeted subsidies within the ACS. Of the total number of children who benefit from targeted subsidies within the ACS, it...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Completion Programme (11 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy may be aware, responsibility for the National Educational Welfare Board which included the School Completion Programme was transferred to my Department on its establishment in 2011. Upon the establishment of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency on January 1 2014, operational responsibility for the School Completion Programme was transferred to the Agency. The School...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Affordable Childcare Scheme (11 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: As previously announced, the Affordable Childcare Scheme (ACS) will not commence this September. This is an extremely complex and ambitious project because of all that is involved – legislation, new business processes, data protection and building a new ICT system. It requires integration of data from the Department of Social Protection and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners so...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Community Childcare Subvention Programme (11 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Given the considerable increase in subsidies, particularly through the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCS) taking effect from September 2017, it is difficult to provide accurate estimates around uptake of the schemes. However, looking at 16/17 figures may provide a broad indication of likely levels of uptake for the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme. From these figures (to date):...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Expenditure (11 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 707 and 712 together. The gross funding allocation to my Department in 2017 amounts to €1.311 billion. Full details of the resource provisions across the individual Subheads in the Vote are set out in the 2017 Revised Estimates for Public Services as published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The funds have been fully allocated...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (11 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Programme for Government (2016) gives a commitment to develop a National LGBTI+ Youth Strategy. A specific focus on LGBTI+ Youth will aim to ensure that appropriate measures are taken so that young members of the LGBTI+ Community are not in any way prevented from achieving their full potential. Better Outcomes Brighter Futures, The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mental Health Services (11 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Mental health services remain under the aegis of the Health Service Executive. Tusla provides a range of counselling and supports for children and families in the community, such as family support, social work services, and the identification of appropriate services through Meitheal. There is cooperation between Tusla and the Health Services Executive on the development and provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (11 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Child Protection and Welfare Strategy (CPWS) developed by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency is a 3-5 year strategic plan that lies at the heart of a significant transformation to improve organisational, cultural and operational matters. As part of the CPWS, Tusla has selected the Signs of Safety as its national approach to practice. The Signs of Safety is an innovative,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Care Orders (11 Jul 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Emergency care orders are made by the Courts under Section 13 of the Child Care Act 1991. Section 13 (7) stipulates the directions a judge making an emergency care order may give with respect to whether the address or location of the child is withheld from the parents of the child, the access, if any, that is to be permitted, and the medical or psychiatric examination, treatment or...