Results 4,921-4,940 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

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

Katherine Zappone: The Affordable Childcare Scheme will replace all the existing targeted childcare schemes. When it is introduced, two schemes will then be in operation to support the affordability of childcare and early education: the Affordable Childcare Scheme, and the ECCE free pre-school programme, which will continue to provide 15 hours of free early education each week during term-times for children...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Data (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: It is estimated that in the first year of operation of the Single Affordable Childcare Scheme the total number of children availing of subsidies under the scheme will be up to 79,000, of which up to 54,000 will benefit from targeted subsidies and approximately 25,000 will benefit from the universal level of subsidy under the scheme. As many families have more than one child in childcare, the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Regulation (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Affordable Childcare Scheme has been designed to facilitate the inclusion of childminders. However, it is essential that public subsidies are only provided to childcare providers where there is a sufficient level of assurance of the quality of provision. For this reason, the Affordable Childcare Scheme will be delivered through Tusla-registered childcare providers, both centre-based...

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

Katherine Zappone: Tusla holds the statutory responsibility for child welfare and protection, and is the appropriate body to receive reports relating to the safety and well-being of a child. This applies to children under the age of 18, living in their own home or living in care. Each referral received by Tusla is assessed and dealt with on an individual basis by the relevant social work team. There are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 266 and 267 together. The most recent figures provided by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, indicate that there were 6,309 children in care at the end of February 2017, which is a decrease of 2% compared with the previous year. Foster care is the preferred option for children who have been received into care. This can be as a result of abuse and/or neglect...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, carried out a census of the young people in care with a diagnosed disability described as moderate to severe in September 2016. The census findings indicates that at that time there were 59 children in residential care, and 523 children in foster care, who have been diagnosed by a clinical specialist as having a moderate to severe disability. It is...

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

Katherine Zappone: The bodies under the aegis of my Department are the Child and Family Agency (Tusla), the Adoption Authority of Ireland, the Ombudsman for Children and the Oberstown Children Detention Campus. I have referred the question to each of these bodies and asked them to provide the information sought directly to the Deputy.

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

Katherine Zappone: I am committed to the protection and welfare of children and believe that there is a moral duty on Government and on society to work together to protect children and to ensure their safety. From my Department’s perspective , the Child and Family Agency, has a statutory duty under the to promote the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection. Any child who...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Cyberbullying Issues (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The bodies under the aegis of my Department are the Child and Family Agency (Tusla), the Adoption Authority of Ireland, the Ombudsman for Children and the Oberstown Children Detention Campus. I have referred the question to each of these bodies and asked them to provide the information sought directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (11 May 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. I am pleased to...

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

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 273 and 274 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Juvenile Offenders (11 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Children Act 2001, as amended, provides the statutory basis for dealing with children who come into contact with the criminal justice system. The key principle of the Children Act 2001 is that detention of a child should only be imposed as a last resort. When children come into contact with the criminal justice system there is an emphasis on the promotion of community based options in...

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

Katherine Zappone: Prior to the establishment of my Department in 2011, funding for youth services was provided through a number of disparate funding schemes and administered by several Government Departments. Against this backdrop, my Department has engaged in a reform programme to ensure quality effective, value for money services that are evidence based and designed to secure the best outcomes for young...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Detention Centres (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy's question relates to an operational matter for Oberstown Children Detention Campus and as such, this information is not held in my Department. I have therefore referred the Deputy's request for this information to the Director of Oberstown for direct reply.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Correspondence (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I understand that the Deputy is referring to a letter from a childcare service which was received in the Department on 3rd May. Strand 3 of the Early Years Capital programme 2017 (EYC 2017) was open to services which had 25 or fewer 'unique' children registered as at 28th February 2017. This number was chosen to provide smaller childcare services with an opportunity to apply,...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Funding (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Pobal has responsibility for administering the Early Years Capital fund on behalf of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. Capital funding is allocated following a process of evaluation against the criteria set and the Department does not make interventions in the evaluation process in regard to any childcare service. Applications are currently being appraised by Pobal. As the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Freedom of Information Requests (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have requested information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I will forward the reply to the Deputy once I have been furnished with this information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Freedom of Information Requests (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I have requested information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I will forward the reply to the Deputy once I have been furnished with this information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The latest figures from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, indicate that, at the end of February 2017, there were 6,309 children in care. Of these, 5,784 (92%) had a written care plan. I can inform the Deputy that 12 of the 17 administrative areas met Tusla's target of 90% of children in care having a written care plan. Figures are provided to HIQA by Tusla and are drawn from data...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection Services Provision (10 May 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Addressing the number of children who are awaiting the allocation of a social worker is a priority for me. I secured additional funding for the purpose of addressing this issue in 2017, and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is now in the second year of a 3-year plan to provide for the allocation of a dedicated social worker to all children who need one. The Deputy should note that all...