Results 5,781-5,800 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (8 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I must advise the Deputy that the Sexual Assault Treatment Units are provided by the Health Service Executive, funded through the Vote of the Department of Health. I understand that there are 6 Sexual Assault Treatment Units currently, as listed by the HSE on its website, and these are located in Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Mullingar and Waterford. I will refer your question in respect...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency (8 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency is currently leading a national, multi-agency process to implement a national service model for services for children who have been sexually abused and their families. This process includes working with An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive, the Children’s Hospital Group, the Probation Service and Children at Risk in Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: State Bodies Data (8 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I am responsible for the appointment of members to the boards of the Adoption Authority of Ireland, the Child and Family Agency (Tusla), Gaisce (the President’s Award) and the Board of Management for Oberstown Children Detention Campus. The following table sets out the information requested by the Deputy. State Board Number of positions on each Board Positions Currently Filled Number...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Departmental Staff Data (8 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 277 to 279 ,inclusive, together. The data requested by the Deputy is set out in the table. As my Department was established in 2011 the figures supplied relate to 2011 onward. The Deputy should note that the figures quoted for 2011 relate to end September to December 2011 only. Income Sum of Gross Pay Sum of Employers PRSI Sum of Employees PRSI Sum of Net...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services (7 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The universal element of the Affordable Childcare Scheme will be available to all families with children between the age of 6 months and 36 months (or until the child qualifies for the free pre-school programme if later than 36 months), who are attending a childcare provider who is registered with Tusla initially, including both centre-based childcare providers (e.g. crèches, preschools...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (7 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: In order to make the application process for the Affordable Childcare Scheme as easy as possible for parents, it is intended that the means-testing will, in most cases, be carried out through an automatic link with income data held by the Revenue Commissioners and by the Department of Social Protection. However, parents will be able to appeal decisions and/or request a manual means test by...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Services Provision (7 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The new Affordable Childcare Scheme will be introduced to provide financial support for parents towards the cost of childcare. The scheme will be set out in primary legislation, encompassing: - clear and detailed rules for the assessment of income and the provision of subsidies; - clearly prescribed authority in relation to the sharing of data across public bodies and administrators; and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: State Investments (7 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Neither my Department, or any of the agencies under its remit, hold investments in tobacco companies either directly or indirectly. While there are no specific guidelines in relation to investments of this nature I would emphasise that my Department and its agencies would not, as a matter of course, make such investments.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (6 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The Ferns 5 National Steering Committee for Sexual Abuse Services was established to facilitate and promote integration and coordination of the key stakeholder agencies in the development of sexual abuse services for children in Ireland. The final report of the Steering Committee, which was published in 2014, included a Children’s Service Framework to include policies and procedures...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Cafés Provision (6 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: My Department administers a range of funding schemes and programmes to support the provision of youth services by the voluntary youth sector, to young people throughout the country. The funding schemes support national and local youth work provision to some 380,000 young people. The voluntary youth sector involves approximately 1,400 paid staff, including youth workers and 40,000 volunteers...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (6 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: I have requested information from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency and I am anxious to report to you in an accurate and helpful manner and I will respond directly to the Deputy upon receipt of this information.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Psychological Services (6 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The issue raised by the Deputy is a matter for the Minister for Health.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Homeless Persons Data (6 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Policy responsibility for children who present as 'out of home' without their parent(s) or guardian(s) relates to children under 18 and any child welfare and protection concern that may arise in the context of the Child Care Act 1991. Children under 16 who present as out of home to emergency services are taken into care. Children aged 16 and 17 may be taken into care, or provided with a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (6 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, collates data in relation to the numbers of admissions to care. Each admission to care represents a new admission and hence the same child could be admitted into care more than once during the year. The data records each admission and not individual cases. Data in relation to each admission is collected for the individual child and recorded on the child's...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child and Family Agency Staff (6 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Prior to the establishment of Tusla in January 2014, child welfare and protection services, including separated children teams for unaccompanied refugee minors, were provided under the auspices of the Health Service Executive. Tusla again has informed me that the information requested did not transfer on its establishment. I have asked my officials to contact Tusla directly in order to...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Care Qualifications (6 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The majority of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 came into effect 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: Child Care Services (6 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: In June 2016, I introduced the new Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which enables children with disabilities to access and fully participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. The model delivers seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, to enable the full inclusion and meaningful participation of children with disabilities in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Inter-Country Adoptions (6 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Haiti ratified the Hague Convention on 1 April 2014. In May 2014 the Adoption Authority of Ireland accredited Helping Hands Adoption Mediation Agency to facilitate inter country adoption between Ireland and Haiti. Helping Hands applied for accreditation by Institut du Bien-Être Social et de Recherches (IBESR), the central authority of inter country adoption in Haiti. The Authority has...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Inter-Country Adoptions (1 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: The Adoption Authority of Ireland has advised me that a delegation from the Embassy of Kazakhstan in London attended a meeting in Dublin with the Authority on 25th February 2016 to discuss the possibility of future adoptions from Kazakhstan. At that meeting Kazakhstan indicated their openness to receiving an application for accreditation from an Irish adoption agency. The Authority...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Unaccompanied Minors and Separated Children (1 Dec 2016)

Katherine Zappone: Unaccompanied minors are a vulnerable cohort and the State is duty bound by international and domestic law to protect and provide care. When a child arrives into Ireland without their parents or customary care providers, the child is placed in the care of the State and provided with support.Tusla has a dedicated Social Work Team for Separated Children Seeking Asylum and they provide support,...