Results 841-860 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: That is the current hope and intention of Tusla and its CEO. We have had exchanges as well on the issue of agency staff. The CEO conducted an introductory engagement with Fórsa last week during which he mentioned his hope of a once-off blanket agency conversion, which received a very positive response. A formal meeting with Fórsa and the human resources, HR, department of Tusla...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I do not have an exact timeline at the moment to offer the Deputy. Part of my discussions with Tusla will be to identify the possibility of putting one in place, particularly as we go back and forth on the performance statement. We will keep the Deputy informed.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Funding (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Pobal administers both the early childhood care and education, ECCE, and targeted early learning and care and school age childcare programmes on behalf of my Department. There have been no delays to ECCE standard capitation programme payments. All eligible ECCE standard capitation has been paid out in line with the payment schedule, published as part of programme readiness in...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Funding (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy and, of course, I would very much like to have that information. I accept and take at face value what she has identified. My understanding of the initial communication is that Pobal made an announcement to service providers through the Pobal PIP system on 19 August, informing them that applications would not begin to be processed until October. Officials in my Department...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Completion Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I know some were at that event because I was there myself. I know they have been included in the consultation process as well. In response to the Deputy's second question, in budget 2019 I secured an additional €500,000 in funding for the educational welfare service and the alternative educational assessment and registration service and I have maintained that in budget 2020. This...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Completion Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Deputy raised a point that has to do with the employment status for school completion co-ordinators and project workers in the proposal they put forward to be brought in under ETBs. I can say absolutely that I personally as well as my officials have been exploring that with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The process of examining that is ongoing. We have had many...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone:  I propose to take Questions Nos. 61, 66 and 82 together. I am very much aware that the ideal for the continuity of care of vulnerable children is to have a long-term social worker available when required. Tusla has taken a proactive approach to the recruitment of social workers in a difficult and challenging recruitment environment. We covered this a bit with Deputy Broughan....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children in Care (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I thank the Deputy for her question. Foster care is the preferred form of alternative care for children in need of care and protection and who cannot live with their parents or guardians. Ireland is a world leader in this regard with over 92% of the 6,017 children in State care at the end of June being in foster care.This compares favourably from an international perspective. Indicative...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children in Care (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The consultation process will be ongoing and open. I mentioned earlier that Tusla uses a mix of its services and voluntary and private providers. There is a concern in regard to the cost of provision of residential settings. My understanding is it has increased and that costs are similar across the board regardless of the type of residential setting in which the young people live. I take...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children in Care (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: It is important that the Deputy raises those issues now. I am not familiar with the details of what she has identified but I will raise questions about it, following which I will communicate with her. I can assure the Deputy that the consultation process will be open and transparent. Hopefully as a result of it, all of the different types of providers in the context of residential settings...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: School Completion Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The school completion programme, SCP, continues to deliver a valuable service for some of our most vulnerable young people. Currently, the SCP receives annual funding of €24.7 million. My Department works with the educational welfare service, EWS, in Tusla to ensure that necessary resources are available to support this programme and to ensure staffing levels are sufficient to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Administration (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am very proud of what we have managed to achieve in the lead in to and the establishment of the national childcare scheme, particularly in placing a focus on the families about whom the Deputies are speaking. They are fully aware that one of the major objectives of the scheme as I have developed it is to decrease the level of child poverty and, in particular, increase and empower...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Administration (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: We are open to hearing about those concerns and being able to respond. We have tried to ensure the overall objectives will be met and I anticipate that that will be the case.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I know that the Deputy is aware Tuslas work with some of the most vulnerable children in our society. It is reasonable to expect this work to be of the highest standard. Tusla's quality assurance directorate carries out  a range of ongoing audit and monitoring exercises. This is done to ensure the child protection and welfare services are delivered in line with national...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I presume the Deputy is referring to the strategic workforce development plan.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The board and a sub-committee of the board of Tusla will oversee and monitor the plan, with my officials. They have identified a couple of things that will make the difference in increasing numbers. First, they have to focus on the importance of the mix of staff in order that Tusla will be in a position to hire some additional administrative staff, which it has done and will continue to do....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Child and Family Agency Staff (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: As the Deputy indicated, the amount I was able to receive in the budget to increase Tusla’s resources was allocated within a very tight budgetary space. It was an important achievement to get that additional sum of money for Tusla. I am aware of ways in which it is examining the numbers and cost of the agency staff it utilises because of the difficulties experienced in the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Childcare Services Administration (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I appreciate the Deputies' questions and I know the scheme has complexity. We have worked hard to ensure that no one will lose out in transitioning from the current targeted schemes to the national childcare scheme. That was the promise made. In that regard, we have ensured that they can remain on scheme they were on. Initially it was up to August 2020 and now it is up to 2021. After...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I understand the Deputy is referring to the Alliance of Birth Mothers Campaigning for Justice. I have not met the group but I have received its report. It is important that the voices of those who engage with our services are heard.  The sample size in the report relates to 25 mothers. They represent mothers whose children are either in the care of their fathers or of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Child and Family Agency (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I believe that this agency is fit for purpose. There are challenges and failures but children are safe today because of its work. It is not a finished product and further progress is needed. As society evolves, so will Tusla. It has achieved much in its five years. It has brought a myriad of disparate groups, technologies and practices together under one umbrella. It has responded to...