Results 5,521-5,540 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Cyber Security Policy (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The ICT services for my Department have a comprehensive set of information security policies, procedures and controls in place to safeguard against cyber-attacks. The Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment provides assistance, support and cyber crime intelligence to all Government Departments. The CSIRT issued an...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla has advised that it currently employs 36 (32.8 whole time equivalent) Training and Development Officers to provide a range of Learning and Development programmes including child protection training to Tusla staff.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I am aware that it is Tusla policy to ensure all staff are trained in Child Protection and Children First guidelines as relevant to their role. Children First training is provided to all Tusla staff on an ongoing basis and refresher training is provided every 3 years. In 2016 alone the following Tusla staff were trained in Children First: - 317 Children First - Basic Training - 263 Children...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Commencement of Legislation (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Since the Children First Act 2015 was signed into law on 19 November 2015, a number of provisions of the Act have already been commenced as follows: Sections 1 to 5 (Part I) and section 28 (Part V) of the Act were commenced on 10 December 2015 and Section 18 (Part III) and Sections 20-26 (Part IV) were commenced on 1 May 2016. I have recently committed to commencement of the remaining...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Funding (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to inform the Deputy that I share his concerns regarding this scheme, and that I intend to meet with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency on this issue. I have been advised by Tusla that the School Counselling Grants scheme, was established in 1994, to provide counselling support for children affected by bereavement or loss. In 2011 this scheme was closed to new entrants while under...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Family Support Services (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: My Department has not engaged in any specific study related to potential damage to children affected by parental imprisonment. However, I note, my cabinet colleague Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald T.D. has been advised by the Irish Prison Service of the Department of Justice and Equality, that following publication of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) report entitled: “Picking Up...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Homeless Persons Supports (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: While my Department and Tusla have no responsibility in relation to mental health services, I would like to inform the Deputy of Tusla’s response, relevant to this area. A child, irrespective of accommodation status, who comes to the attention of Tusla and whose circumstances are such, will, where the appropriate threshold has been reached, have an assessment carried out by a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Justice Strategy (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The Irish Youth Justice Service oversees a significant investment in community based programmes to divert young people from further involvement in criminal or anti-social behaviour. In 2016, approximately €17 million has been allocated by the Department of Justice and Equality to the Irish Youth Justice Service to administer Garda Youth Diversion Projects, Young Persons Probation...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Poverty (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: In recognition of the higher risks and life-long consequences of child poverty, the Government set a child-specific poverty target in Better Outcomes, Better Future: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014-2020 to reduce consistent child poverty by at least two-thirds by 2020. This figure currently represents 102,000 children. Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures is a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Expulsions (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 676 to 678, inclusive, together. The following tables outline the school based expulsions by individual school and in total for County Louth for the school years 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. Tusla has advised that in order to protect students who could be easily identified the schools should not be named, as only one student was expelled in some schools in small...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foreign Adoptions (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 679 to 681, inclusive, together. The Adoption Authority of Ireland (the Authority) has responsibility for determining whether an adoption may be recognised in accordance with the provisions of the Adoption Act 2010. The Authority has advised that to give recognition to an adoption effected in another country by applicants habitually resident in the country...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy will be aware, the Early Childhood and Education Programme (ECCE) programme was expanded from September 2016 so that children may start free pre-school from age three, and can continue in free pre-school once the child is not older than five years and six months at the end of the relevant pre-school year. Three different points in the year - September, January and April...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Costs (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 683 to 698, inclusive, together. The universal element of the Scheme will be available to all families with children between the age of six months and 36 months (or until the child qualifies for the free pre-school programme if later than 36 months). The targeted element of the scheme will involve a progressive system of income-related subsidies for parents...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Education Welfare Service (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla has advised that its Educational Welfare Service (EWS) has responsibility to ensure that every child attends school regularly, or otherwise receives a certain minimum education, to support regular school attendance, tackle problems of absenteeism and to provide an educational welfare service. Tusla EWS receives referrals from school authorities, parents and others relating to concerns...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, holds the statutory responsibility for child welfare and protection, and is the appropriate body to receive reports of concerns relating to children at risk. I wish to assure the Deputy that Tusla deals immediately with emergency cases, including for instance, if a child has been abandoned or is in immediate physical danger or at risk of sexual abuse. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Counselling Services Provision (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, provides funding to voluntary organisations offering a range of counselling and support services to children and families including: - Marriage and relationship counselling; - Child counselling; - Rainbows Peer Support Programme for children; - Bereavement counselling and support on the death of a family member. In 2016, Tusla provided funding of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Juvenile Offenders (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: Currently, Oberstown Children Detention Campus (Oberstown) is licensed to provide up to 54 places for young people ordered to be remanded in custody or committed to serve a sentence of detention by the courts (48 boys and 6 girls). This provides places for girls up to the age of 18, for boys up to the age of 18 who are remanded in custody and up to the age of 17 who are sent by the courts to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services Provision (14 Feb 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 provision to some 380,000 young people and involve approximately 1,400 youth work staff in more than 450 projects and 40,000 volunteers...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Poverty (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: My Department is committed to addressing the issues contributing to child poverty and supporting child welfare and protection. In order to effectively address each of these issues, my Department invests a considerable amount in research and data, including the State of the Nation’s Children, Growing up in Ireland, and outcome indicators for the five national outcomes in Better...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (14 Feb 2017)

Katherine Zappone: The latest figures from Tusla, indicates that, at the end of November 2016, there were 6,276 children in care. Of these, 5,839 (93%) were in foster care, either with relatives or a general foster care placement and 325 (5%) were in a residential placement. All of the children in residential care had an allocated social worker and 94% of all children in Foster care had an allocated social...