Results 1-20 of 345 for carers speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Reviews (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...placements for children in the care of the State. This is due to a number of factors, including difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, difficulties in maintaining the number of foster carers, the complexity of the presentation of some children presenting to Tusla, and the unprecedented number of Separated Children Seeking International Protection (SCSIP) requiring Tusla services....

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The administration and payment of the statutory foster care allowance and associated payments to foster carers falls under the remit of Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. My Department resources Tusla to provide alternative care services, including the foster care allowance. It was a priority of mine to secure a meaningful increase to the foster care allowance in this year’s Budget in...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (9 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...on 4 April 2023, and introduces important entitlements for workers, including leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under 12, and the right to request flexible working for parents and carers. It transposes the Work-Life Balance Directive which specifically prevents the transfer of paid leave between parents in the interests of gender equality and of encouraging fathers as...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Early Childhood Care and Education (10 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...hours - either within term or out of term (i.e. during the summer months) - may be subsidised by the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) for a maximum of 45 hours per week. Where parents/guardians or carers are having any difficulties in relation to early learning and childcare, the local city or county childcare committee may be able to assist in providing advice and support (www.myccc.ie).

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Disability Services (10 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...hours - either within term or out of term (i.e. during the summer months) - may be subsidised by the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) for a maximum of 45 hours per week. Where parents/guardians or carers are having any difficulties in relation to early learning and childcare, the local city or county childcare committee may be able to assist in providing advice and support (www.myccc.ie).

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Care Services (9 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...Foster Care Services, Tusla has committed to reviewing the use of private foster care providers and to develop a clear scope for the use of such agencies. Further, in respect of efforts to support Tusla to maintain the number of foster carers, I was very pleased to secure, on behalf of Tusla, a significant increase in the rates of the Foster Care Allowance in Budget 2024. I very...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Protection (9 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...National Standards for Children's Social Services. My officials in the Department have drafted a letter to HIQA outlining observations for further discussion including the future role for Foster Carers as being one of the fundamental pieces to the process and further meetings will take place to discuss in more detail. This remains a priority for the Department and the Department...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (4 Jul 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...maternity leave is available, 26 weeks of unpaid parental leave is available and, as part of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, the right to request flexible working for parents and carers and remote working for all employees has commenced. The ECCE programme already provides two year of pre-school to every child (over 3 hours per day, 5 days per week, 38 per...

Joint Committee On Children, Equality, Disability, Integration And Youth: Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals: Discussion (25 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...for workers, including leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under 12, five days of paid domestic violence leave, the right to request flexible working arrangements for parents and carers and the right to request remote working for all employees. Reporting under the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 began in 2022 for employers with over 250 employees and will extend...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children in Care (18 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...cannot live with their families of origin. As we know, foster care provides a safe, secure and stable home environment for some of our most vulnerable children. Tusla's assessment of any foster carer must consider the foster carer's expected availability to meet and support the needs of the child who has come into his or her care. The assessment and approval process explores what type...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children in Care (18 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: I thank the Deputy for keeping the spotlight on this issue because it is so important that we support foster carers. I have met IFCA and Movement for Change in Foster Care and other organisations representing foster carers regularly. In particular, I met them after, not the 2024 budget but the 2023 budget, and I said I would work with them to deal with the allowance which was a key issue...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Children in Care (18 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...has discussed already; travel expenses - which I am working on with Tusla; and additional concrete supports particularly in terms of therapies and we now have therapist groups available to foster carers from which they can draw because often children in care have a range of significant additional needs. We have also put a much greater focus on foster caring within Tusla so now, for the...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child Protection (18 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...that a crime has been committed, it will formally notify the Gardaí without delay. In 2021 Tusla implemented its Child Exploitation Procedure in partnership with An Garda Síochána, which provides Tusla staff and carers with information on how to recognise indicators of child sexual exploitation, how to make appropriate referrals and how to respond to cases where...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Funding (11 Jun 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: Foster carers play a vital role in the care of our most vulnerable children. The placement of a child in foster care is the preferred option for children who cannot live with their family of origin. It enables children in State care to live in a safe, secure, and stable home environment. The current rate of foster care allowance is €350 per week for children aged under 12 and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (15 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...4 April 2023, and introduces further important entitlements for workers, including leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under 12, and the right to request flexible working for parents and carers. The right to request flexible working for parents and carers and remote working for all employees was commenced on 6 March 2024 following the preparation of a Code of...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Carer's Leave (8 May 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: The current entitlements to carer's leave provide that employees with at least one year's continuous service are entitled to between 13 and up to 104 weeks of carer's leave to enable them to provide full-time care and attention to a person who is in need of such care. An employee on carer’s leave may qualify for a social welfare benefit (Carer’s Benefit, or Carer’s...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Parental Leave (30 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...who give birth within the previous two years is in line with commitments in First 5. The Act also introduces five days' leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under 12 and for carers. It also provides for a right to request flexible working for parents and carers. Such flexible working arrangements will allow parents and carers to alter their working day or patterns...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Child and Family Agency (30 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...missing to An Garda Siochána in line with the Joint Protocol. The Gardaí have primary responsibility for investigating once a child is reported missing and throughout the Garda investigation, Tusla staff and carers maintain regular contact with the Gardaí, pass on all relevant information and assist in the safe return of the child. Tusla has also advised that they...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Undefined (30 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...educational outcomes for children and young people from the Traveller and Roma communities. Moreover, the Traveller and Roma Care Project aims is to increase the number of Traveller and Roma foster carers available to provide a culturally appropriate foster care placement for children from the Traveller and Roma communities. The aim is to recruit a pool of general foster carers for...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (23 Apr 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...will in turn reduce Tusla’s reliance on SEAs. In this regard, an increase to the Foster Care Allowance in 2024 was secured in Budget 2024 in order to support the recruitment and retention of foster carers. That Budget also provided for the largest year on year increase to Tusla’s allocation, since the establishment of that Agency. Tusla’s budget in 2024 will exceed...