Results 1-20 of 373 for carers speaker:Roderic O'Gorman

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Care Services (1 May 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: 85. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for an update on the commitment in the programme for Government to increase the income disregards for carer’s allowance in each budget, with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22000/25]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Children in Care (27 Feb 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: 125. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will give consideration to the provision of foster carers with a State pension as per the Programme for Government Commitment; when he expects to have made a decision on this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8527/25]

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: Social Welfare Code (25 Feb 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: 602. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans to phase out the means test for carer's allowance within this Government; the proposed timeline for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7838/25]

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Parental Leave (22 Jan 2025)

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...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Childcare Services (22 Jan 2025)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...to ensure that they are effective and respond to the needs of families. As part of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, the right to request flexible working for parents and carers has commenced, and the entitlement to breastfeeding breaks under the Maternity Protection Acts was extended from six months to two years. My Department collects extensive data on...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: EU Directives (5 Nov 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: EU Directive 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life balance for parents and carers has been transposed in full through the provisions of the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023. Enacted on 4 April 2023, the Act introduces important entitlements for workers, including leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Health Strategies (5 Nov 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...to Parent’s Leave to nine weeks with effect from August 2024; The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act was enacted introducing the right to request flexible working for parents and carers and extending breastfeeding breaks for working mothers from six months to two years; New measures were introduced under Supporting Parents: The National Model of Parenting Support...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh (Atógáil) - Priority Questions (Resumed): Child and Family Agency (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...x20ac;1 billion is now invested in Tusla every year. I prioritised investment so that it can grow the State apparatus. We have put more money into the foster care allowance so we can keep more foster carers in the public sector. That is my position. My position is always to favour the public over the private, including in the area of supervised access. I cannot give the Deputy an...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: .... Tusla is doing a lot of work on that. It did an amazing garden in Bloom this year, which had a huge amount of throughput and provided people with information on how they might sign up as foster carers. It is doing huge amount of work on recruitment and I want to acknowledge that. The extra supports we have put in place, such as the new lead for fostering, are having an impact. As...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...a child cannot be in the care of their own family and when a child has to come into the care of the State, the very next best place for a child is in the care of another family. That is why foster carers are so important and that is why I have worked to stabilise and grow the number of foster carers we have. In 2014, we had 4,210 foster carers and this year, the most recent data shows we...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Childcare Services (24 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...in their mid-70s and simply are not in a position to do it anymore. That is a crucial reason. Our biggest problem is recruitment. A lot of people who come into the foster care system as foster carers are care experienced themselves and know the benefit of what it did for them. Tusla is taking a number of steps. It now has a strategic plan for foster care services and a new...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (22 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: As Minister a priority of mine has been to improve foster care services and improve and expand the suite of supports available to foster carers. In 2022, Tusla published the Strategic Plan for Foster Care Services for Children and Young People 2022 – 2025. My Department engaged with Tusla regarding this plan which forms part of Tusla’s overall Alternative Care Strategy...

Select Committee on Children and Youth Affairs: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 25 - Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (Supplementary)
Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Supplementary) (16 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...care, particularly by increasing the foster care allowance. We had a €25 increase on 1 January and there will be a €50 increase on 1 November. That will represent an extra €1,700 for foster carers this year and an extra €3,900 for foster carers next year. I have engaged extensively with the organisations representing foster carers because we want to keep that...

Child Protection: Statements (15 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: .... By budget 2024, that allocation had risen to over €1 billion. That funding package allowed Tusla to invest in and increase capacity in its own residential care provision. We also supported foster carers by increasing the weekly foster care allowance rate for the first time since 2009. This was in recognition of the importance of foster care in contributing to improved outcomes...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Departmental Projects (15 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...Principal Social worker based with Garda National Protective Services. In 2021 Tusla implemented its Child Exploitation Procedure, Operation Cosnaím, 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...

Financial Resolutions 2024 - Financial Resolution No. 5: General (Resumed) (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...roll out hot meals for vulnerable children. Throughout my Department, we are increasing support for the most vulnerable. Budget 2025 sees an increase of almost 40% for Tusla - the Child and Family Agency, with €1.2 billion being provided in current and capital funding. We know it is vital that foster carers are supported and valued in order to keep carers in the system and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Flexible Work Practices (2 Oct 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...committed to supporting workers, and working parents in particular. The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 provides for a right to request flexible working for parents and carers, as provided for in the EU Work Life Balance Directive. Such flexible working arrangements will allow parents and carers to alter their working day or pattern to care for children or...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (26 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...outcomes for children in care, it was a priority of mine to secure a meaningful increase to the foster care allowance in Budget 2024 in order to support the vital role being carried out by foster carers. As outlined in Budget 2024, from 1st January 2024 the rates of the foster care allowance increased by €25 per week, up to €350 per week for children aged under 12 and...

Written Answers — Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth: Children in Care (26 Sep 2024)

Roderic O'Gorman: ...foster child. I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to work closely with my Government colleagues and with relevant stakeholders in relation to continuing to seek to improve the suite of supports for foster carers.