Results 1,741-1,760 of 7,359 for speaker:Katherine Zappone

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services Funding (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The below table provided by Pobal gives an overview of total Early Years and School Age Capital spend divided by county over the past three years. Total Early Years and School Age Capital funding by county (2016-2018) County 2016 2017 2018 Grand Total Carlow 305,199.43 191,333.04 106,461.86 602,994.33 Cavan 137,495.35 232,293.99 238,421.14 608,210.48 Clare 162,174.94 467,179.68...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department records the breakdown of childcare waiting lists by age cohort rather than by programme. In 2017/18, services reported a total of 173,197 children enrolled in early years services and 9,420 vacant places across Ireland. The table below presents the number of children enrolled and on a waiting list that are approximately within the ECCE eligible age range, as well as the number...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: My Department records the breakdown of childcare places by age cohort rather than by programme. In 2017/18, services reported a total of 173,197 children enrolled in early years services and 9,420 vacant places across Ireland. The table below presents the number of children enrolled and on a waiting list that are approximately within the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) eligible age...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Area Based Childhood Programme (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme is a prevention and early intervention initiative targeting investment in effective services to improve the outcomes for children and families living in a number of specific areas of disadvantage. It was originally designed as a time-bound, co-funding arrangement, led by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) in conjunction with The...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which was launched in June 2016, is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE programme and...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1188, 1189, 1191 and 1192 together. The Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), which was launched in June 2016, is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with disabilities can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. Its goal is to empower pre-school providers to deliver an inclusive pre-school experience, ensuring that every...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Leadership for Inclusion in the Early Years (LINC) higher education programme is a Level 6 Special Purpose Award designed to support the inclusion of children with a disability in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. It is a key initiative under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) for pre-school children. Pre-school settings employing an Inclusion Coordinator (who has...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Children in Care (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I wish to advise the Deputy that prior to the establishment of Tusla in 2014 responsibility for children in care lay with the Health Services Executive. Data relating to children in care prior to that date is held by the HSE. Children are placed outside of Ireland in exceptional circumstances where a specific service that they require is not available in Ireland, for example, specialist...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has responsibility for the provision of funding, co-ordination and support to 21 organisations which provide emergency refuge and emergency non-refuge accommodation to victims of domestic violence and their children. In addition to this, Tusla maintains a domestic violence refuge in South Dublin, which has been temporarily closed for essential refurbishment...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has responsibility for the provision of funding, co-ordination and support to 21 organisations which provide emergency refuge and emergency non-refuge accommodation to victims of domestic violence and their children. In addition to this, Tusla maintains a domestic violence refuge in South Dublin, which has been temporarily closed for essential refurbishment...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual or gender-based violence. Tusla-funded organisations provide a total of 155 family units of emergency domestic violence accommodation to victims of domestic violence. Tusla funds the provision of 145 spaces in emergency refuge accommodation and 10 in emergency non-refuge...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Domestic Violence Refuges Provision (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the provision of care and protection to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. I am pleased that Ireland ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention) on the 8...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Foster Care Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: I am advised by Tusla the Child and Family Agency, that the number of children placed in foster care, and living abroad, represents a very small proportion of all children in foster care. At the end of December 2018, the most recent date for which data is available, a total of 5,556 children were in foster care. A child may be in foster care overseas when the child is placed by Tusla with...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Adoption Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The question the Deputy has raised is a matter for the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI). Therefore I have asked the AAI to respond to the Deputy directly on this.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: In accordance with section 9 of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004, it is essential to recognise that the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes is independent in the performance of its functions. The engagement with witnesses is a matter for the Commission and I do not have any role or information in this regard. These operational considerations are managed directly by...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Assisting families to access high quality, affordable early learning and care and school age childcare is a priority for me as Minister and hence I take the issues raised in the letter very seriously. My officials have responded separately to the service provider who wrote the letter referred to in the Deputy's question. My Department funds a number of early learning and care...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Preschool Services (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Under the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016, any pre-school service (other than childminders who are exempt from regulation under the Child Care Act 1991) must be registered with Tusla and is subject to the Regulations. The Regulations apply to all relevant services without exception. The Tusla Early Years Inspectorate promotes the quality, safety and appropriate...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education Data (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is a universal programme available to all children within the eligible age range. It was first introduced in 2010 as a one-year programme to provide children with their first formal experience of early learning prior to commencing primary school. In line with a commitment in the Programme for Government, the ECCE Programme was extended...

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Interdepartmental Working Groups (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: The information requested is currently being collated by my Department and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is finalised.

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Childcare Services (26 Mar 2019)

Katherine Zappone: Assisting families to access high quality, affordable early learning and care and school age childcare is a priority for me as Minister and hence I take the issues raised in the letter very seriously. My officials have responded separately to the service provider who wrote the letter referred to in the Deputy's question. My Department funds a number of early learning and care...