Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Tusla's in-house therapeutic model aims to support and inform front-line practitioners in their day-to-day work with children and families, as well as providing multidisciplinary therapeutic services that can address more complex needs. It is essential, therefore, that any expansion of this service must have regard to the provision of related services offered by other State agencies. In that regard, I highlight that overall responsibility for mental health services lies with the Department of Health, through the HSE.

Tusla, therefore, funds the HSE to supply psychology services on its behalf to children in care. Under existing agreements with the HSE, Tusla pays approximately €7 million annually for psychology services provided by the HSE. Where these services cannot meet a particularly crucial and essential therapeutic need that has been identified, Tusla also purchases additional private therapy sessions. I have been informed that these therapeutic services are accessed based on the unique needs of each child and delivered as part of their care plan.

As the Senator is probably aware, my Department funds the Child Care Law Reporting Project, CCLRP, which reports on child care court proceedings and engages in research on child law. In its most recent report, Ripe for Reform, the CCLRP identified issues regarding the provision of mental health services to children as a theme in a number of the child care proceedings it had observed, particularly in terms of CAMHS, which the Senator mentioned.

In September 2020, officials from my Department and the Department of Health agreed a revised joint protocol to be adopted by Tusla and the HSE regarding the management and funding of disability placements for children in care, or those transitioning out of State care.The agreement relates to individuals displaying complex disability, including mental health. Crucially, this revised joint protocol ensures that the needs of the child or young person are central to all deliberations about them.

On a separate but related point, Tusla has advised me that in order to enhance the quality and consistency of care to children, it is actively investing in enhancing therapeutic services across the system. Senator Byrne spoke of the commitment in that regard set out in the programme for Government.

Action 1.4 of the Tusla business plan for 2022 commits Tusla to work collaboratively with other agencies to investigate, assess and support children, young people and adults who have been abused. There are also related business plan action points which are relevant to the Senator's query. These include the mapping of all existing Tusla and Tusla-commissioned therapeutic services completed; finalising a revised integrated framework for therapeutic services for children who have been harmed or abused; and, from the third quarter of this year, all children and young people newly admitted to care will have a multidisciplinary assessment and care plan completed.

I had the opportunity early this year to visit the north Dublin hub to see the services. My colleague, Deputy Costello, has always been a strong advocate for these services. I met the service providers in the Tusla hub and also some of the community services linked to that. Some €700,000 has been allocated in the financial framework of the business plan for 2022 to roll out the objectives I have just outlined.

I also welcome Tusla's strategic approach to deliver an integrated framework for therapeutic services. This includes a three-year plan to establish a high-level framework and operating model for Tusla therapeutic services within each of its six regions with clear pathways of responses based on the assessed need of each child in care. I welcome this strategic approach adopted by Tusla, which includes a commitment to establish multidisciplinary teams in each area with clear governance and supervision arrangements.

Tusla has informed me that it has adopted a project management approach to the development and implementation of the revised integrated framework for therapeutic services for children in care. This has been progressed with the establishment of a project working group with key stakeholders being brought in.