Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 151: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she is satisfied that adequate protection measures are in place or likely to be put in place to ensure to the greatest degree possible the protection of children and or vulnerable adults; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32651/11]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 152: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which she hopes to ensure that children in care are provided with adequate protection, that careful assessment is done to identify particularly sensitive issues that might present any ongoing problems; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32652/11]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 154: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the steps he intends to take to ensure that vulnerable children are given the degree and scale of protection required; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32654/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 151, 152 and 154 together.

The Government is committed to a series of measures designed to significantly strengthen the existing legislative, policy and practice framework in the area of child protection. The intention is to ensure that child abuse in Ireland is strongly and decisively tackled and that children are properly safeguarded. A number of significant structural and legislative changes are being progressed in this context. These include the establishment of a new agency with dedicated responsibility for the delivery of child welfare and protection services, separate from the HSE and reporting directly to my Department. Work on the establishment of the agency is under way and includes the preparation of primary legislation to provide for its establishment.

In July 2011, I launched the revised Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children. The Guidance deals with the recognition, reporting and management of child safety concerns. It emphasises the need to safeguard and protect children, that the safety and welfare of children is everyone's responsibility and that children will have safer lives where everyone is attentive to their well-being. People who work with children across a range of areas must be clear in understanding their responsibility for safe practice and the reporting of concerns. The Guidance sets out specific protocols for HSE social workers, gardaí and other front line staff in dealing with suspected abuse. The scope of Children First extends beyond the reporting of suspected abuse. It emphasises the importance of multidisciplinary, inter-agency working in the management of such concerns. Key to this is the sharing of information between agencies and disciplines in the best interests of children and the need for full co-operation to ensure better outcomes.

The HSE recently published a Child Welfare and Protection Practice Handbook for all its staff in order to achieve consistency and Children First compliance across all its authorities. I attended the launch of the Handbook at four regional meetings where representatives of An Garda Síochána also participated. In addition to the existing structures in place to support Children First, significant additional resources have been provided to the HSE over the past two years to increase the number of social workers in the child welfare and protection area. The number of social workers increased in 2010 by 200 and the necessary funding has been provided to the HSE to complete the recruitment of an additional 60 social workers by year end. The recruitment of these additional social workers was included in the Ryan Report Implementation Plan, as was the commitment to place the Children First Guidelines on a statutory basis. This additional resource will be of particular assistance to the HSE in driving forward the process of implementation of Children First.

There is an acknowledged need for greater consistency in the implementation of the Children First Guidance across all sectors and organisations working with children. This was highlighted by the Ryan Commission which recommended that Children First should be uniformly and consistently implemented throughout the State. In recognition of this and following publication of the Guidance, an Inter Departmental Committee was established to oversee the implementation of Children First across all sectors. The Committee is chaired by my Department and includes representatives from the various Departments involved in the provision of services to children. Arrangements are also in place between the HSE and Garda Síochána to monitor the implementation of Children First across these two statutory agencies which have specific responsibilities to assess and investigate child protection and welfare concerns.

I have also received Government approval to put the Children First Guidance on a statutory basis and my Department is currently working with the Office of the Attorney General in developing the necessary legislative approach. Children First will also be supported by an assurance framework which will include strong emphasis on inspection and the need to provide demonstrable evidence of implementation. In the case of the health sector, the remit of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is being expanded to include oversight of the HSE's Child Protection services, including the operation of Children First. HIQA is currently developing standards to allow for inspection of the HSE's child protection services.

I will continue to consult widely as the legislation is prepared. My Department will also be meeting with relevant Government Departments, the relevant professional regulatory bodies and other relevant agencies as the legislation is developed. I would hope that the legislative proposals which I will bring forward enjoy widespread support in the interests of protecting vulnerable children.

In addition to the measures I have outlined, my colleague the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence is bringing forward legislation which will put the vetting of employees on a statutory footing and also allow for the sharing of soft information as part of the vetting process. Minister Shatter is also introducing legislation on the withholding of information relating to crimes committed against children and vulnerable adults.