Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 35: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the mechanisms she will use to enhance the role of early intervention in child poverty and support programmes for vulnerable children in the context of the new child and family support services agency. [32507/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I established the Task Force on the Child and Family Support Agency in September 2011 under the chairmanship of Ms Maureen Lynott.

The Task Force will advise my Department in regard to the necessary transition programme to establish a Child and Family Support Agency, and will base its work on best practice in child welfare, family support and public administration; consistent with the Government's public sector reform agenda.

In terms of enhancing child and family services, the Task Force has been asked to propose an organisational design and operating child welfare and protection service model for the new Agency, which is integrated, provides the most appropriate structure, systems and people to meet the vision and operating principles within the resources available. The Terms of Reference of the Task Force are sufficiently broad to allow them to consider the full range of possibilities in their advice to my Department on the appropriate service responsibilities for the new Agency across all services under my remit.