Results 901-920 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Staff (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The most recent data on current pay and conditions indicates that the average hourly pay in early learning and care and school-age childcare is now €12.55 (as of May 2019). Low pay and poor working conditions in the sector remain a serious concern and impact on the quality of provision to children through their effect on the recruitment and retention of qualified staff. The lack of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: School Meals Programme (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 558 and 561 together. The Minister would like to thank the Deputy and the facility for their interest in the pilot preschool meals programme. First 5, Ireland's Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families was published in November of last year. The strategy's publication was followed in May of this year with the Implementation...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Administration (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The National Childcare Scheme has always been designed such that, when it is fully up and running, applications will be accepted both online and by post. A Public Services Card (PSC) and verified MyGovID account are required to apply for the Scheme online only. The online system will offer a user friendly and effective system for parents, whilst offering greater efficiency in the...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The 2020 budget allocation to my Department includes an indicative €3.9m to meet the costs of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and related activities. This allocation will support salaries, fees and other operational costs relating to the work of the independent Commission of Investigation, and the costs incurred by my Department in supporting this work...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Consultancy Contracts Data (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department engaged two consultancy services under the parameters provided, from the 1st January 2018 to 1 January 2019 the details of which are enclosed in the following table. Consultancy Service Provider Reason for engagement Costs (€) Clare Taylor Copy editing / proof reading, ready for print in plain English of a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Value for Money Reviews (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department engages in a range of evaluation projects on an ongoing basis. In terms of value for money and policy reviews, my Department completed a Focused Policy Assessment, titled, "Focused Policy Assessment of the Affordable Childcare Scheme: Cost Drivers, Model Assumptions and Policy Extensions". The assessment was conducted internally, at no additional cost, with oversight...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: 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...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Protection (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I take it that the Deputy is referring to the 'Adverse Childhood Experiences' framework which shows that the experiences of a child in early childhood may impact their health and well being throughout the life course. International research suggests that long-term harms may result from chronic, 'toxic' stress during childhood. The research indicates that stress arises when children are...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am informed by Tusla that as of the end of June 2019, the most recent verified figures available, there were 5,759 cases awaiting allocation of a social worker. Tusla has confirmed that of these cases, 991 (17.2%) were categorised as high priority; 1,868 (32.4%) cases were low priority; and 2,900 (50.4%) were medium priority.   The priority level...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Bullying of Children (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: All of society should be concerned with child welfare and protection and it is important that concerns are dealt with as and where they arise. The primary responsibility for protecting children rests with their parents but parents are supported in this role by a range of service providers, state agencies, schools and professionals working with children and young people. There is a range...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 568, 569 and 573 together. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is the statutory body with responsibility for child protection and welfare services.  If I, or my officials, become aware of a situation in which a child is considered to be  at risk, that concern is communicated to Tusla as a matter of urgency.  If a child appears to be at...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Bullying in the Workplace (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: In the past 12 months there has been one allegation of bullying reported to the HR Unit in my Department. The HR Unit in my Department received no reports of bullying in the previous 4 years. It is a central policy of my Department to ensure that managers and staff encourage and maintain good employee relations in order to ensure a motivated workforce and an efficient service.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department received correspondence from Kildare Youth Services on 9th July of this year.  The reply, issued 23rd July, highlighted that my Department is currently managing the most significant reform of youth services ever undertaken, which is providing an opportunity to identify need and to focus funding on young people most in need of intervention.  The reply further...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Foster care is the main form of alternative care for children in need of care and protection, and is the preferred option for children who cannot live with their parents or guardians.  As of the 31 July 2019, of the children in care, 91% were in foster care nationally; there were 3,957 children in general foster care, 1,560 in relative care and 402 children were in a...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Youth Services (22 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department and I continue to engage with local and voluntary youth services in a range of ways which I happy to outline for the Deputy. 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.  My Department also involves stakeholders from...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Regulation (17 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 283 to 285, inclusive, together. Tusla is the independent statutory regulator of early learning and care and school age childcare services in Ireland. In performing its regulatory function, its actions include responding to breaches of regulations while respecting fair procedures and natural justice. Tusla conducted an inspection of the service in...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (17 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I have received representations from public representatives and members of the public, outlining concerns in relation to the proposed sale of the site to which the Deputy refers. I understand the centre located on the site to which the Deputy refers is in receipt of funding from a number of public bodies. Tusla provides funding to family and community...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: National Childcare Scheme (17 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The National Childcare Scheme is a key pathway to quality, accessible, affordable childcare in Ireland. It represents a landmark for parents, underpinned by an innovative IT system, and offering the option of paperless, automated assessment.  We know parents have a lot on their plate, so we are designing an application process that will be as safe, speedy and stress-free as...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Education and Training Scheme (17 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Childcare Education and Training Support programme (CETS)  which is a part of the overarching Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) programme will remain open for new registrations until February 2020 to facilitate certain modular education and training courses' registration requirements. The exact date will be communicated to all childcare providers closer to the time. ...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Child Abuse (17 Oct 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 289 and 290 together. My Department is expecting a progress report from Scouting Ireland on 30 October 2019 and are planning to have a meeting with officials from Scouting Ireland in November 2019 to discuss same (date to be confirmed).  The report will include an update on all aspects of governance and safeguarding, including relevant figures and...