Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to discuss this important legislation. The Child and Family Agency Bill is lengthy and presented a very difficult task which involved a long consultation process and the amalgamation of services, while trying and succeeding on paper to develop an innovative service. I hope this will remain true in practice. The Bill has many aspects which I welcome, including providing for the guidance and powers of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, to whom the agency will report. The Minister has a large role to play in securing funding and setting the guidelines which will set out goals for the agency. Each year ahead of allocating funding she may set out important recommendations and guidelines for the agency which will respond with these goals and recommendations in mind in its annual submission. Unfortunately, funding can only be approved on an annual basis, which is to the detriment of public services but is in no way specific to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. It is a problem for every Department. We must address the need for multi-annual funding, a point on which many of my colleagues will agree. I understand the current constraints, but service providers accessing funds from the new agency will need certainty and long-term thinking to address all of the issues associated with their work.

When watching the Bill pass through Committee Stage in the Dáil, I was delighted to see the Minister taking an open-minded approach to amendments and concerns raised. She accepted as many amendments as was reasonably possible. Prior to publishing the Bill, she engaged proactively with the sector and for the past 18 months has worked in conjunction with sector partners to bring the agency to fruition. Through my research on the Bill I have learned that the Minister carried out immense work in the area, for which she should be highly commended.

Departmental officials and the Minister did the right thing when it came to the structure of the board. It will be expected to provide for oversight and overall guidance. It will include not only those knowledgeable in the field but also those with a background in governance, human resources and financial management, which is very important. State bodies should look towards providing for a broad range of expertise in accordance with the Government's decision to widen the opportunity for board membership. They cannot be run as effectively and efficiently as possible if we do not provide for this broader range of expertise. It is imperative for this issue to be considered as all State bodies should be fit for purpose.

I greatly welcome the fact that the agency will operate on a commission basis with services providers, but, unfortunately, this will involve an annual funding operation. We need to think long term. Most importantly, the Bill reiterates the importance of considering what is best for the child which can often be lost in legislation or when we speak about structures and agencies. I am sure the agency will ensure a more cohesive and efficient approach for families and, most importantly, provide the best outcomes for the children who, unfortunately, will come into contact with children's services. Many social workers and non-governmental organisations do their utmost to provide security and protect the well-being of the child and through this agency I hope we can further improve on the great work they do.

From my experience - I recently raised a matter on the Adjournment regarding child protection services - social workers in County Louth do fantastic work, but they are short-staffed and stretched thinly, like so many others throughout the country.

We need to ensure through this new agency that the children are the No. 1 priority and that the second priority is to create the conditions for good staff morale. If anything is to be successful, staff need to be happy in their jobs. Social workers and staff in this sector do tremendous and often selfless work. They need to have the appropriate conditions and staffing levels to continue to provide this vital service to the community.

On a personal note, I would like to welcome the Minister's announcement with the Tánaiste this morning of funding of €30 million for the ABC project, and I am particularly delighted that my own county of Louth has a project, which I have supported long and hard and which has been included as well. I know they do outstanding work and the Minister will be delighted with it. Without being biased, I think she made a great decision to ensure that they are on it as well.

I look forward to the implementation of the agency in the new year, and I would like to wish the Minister the best of luck as I know it will be a busy few months. Fortunately, it appears she has laid very strong groundwork upon which to build.