Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 289: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which structures exist to protect children at risk of being abused within or without the family with particular reference to detection and reporting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40703/11]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 290: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which structures to protect children with particular reference to social services back-up are sufficient to meet requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40704/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 289 and 290 together.

The Health Service Executive has a statutory responsibility under the Child Care Act, 1991 for child protection and welfare matters. It carries out this remit through its Children and Family Services directorate, under Mr. Gordon data National Director. The HSE has a national and regional structure in place, with services provided across a range of professional disciplines.

The key guidance document in respect of child welfare and protection is Children First, which was first introduced in 1999. I launched the revised Children First National Guidance In July, 2011. The Guidance is designed to assist in identifying and reporting child abuse. It specifically highlights the roles and responsibilities of the HSE and An Garda Síochána, as the two agencies with statutory responsibility for child protection, and forms an integral part of their existing operations and practice. The Guidance is also intended to assist organisations in ensuring that children under their care are safe, that staff / volunteers can identify possible abuse within the organisation or elsewhere and that there is in place the appropriate structure for reporting to relevant statutory bodies.

In addition, the HSE published a Child Welfare and Protection Practice Handbook for all its staff in order to achieve better consistency and compliance with Children First. The HSE has in place a network of personnel to provide training, information and advice on the implementation of Children First . It is currently delivering a programme of information and training on the new Guidance across the country.

My Department is finalising legislative proposals to make compliance with the Children First Guidance a statutory obligation. The legislation will reflect a broad based approach to compliance with obligations extending beyond reporting to one of safeguarding children at risk and the objective will be to ensure the greater protection of children by strengthening the existing system for reporting and responding to suspected child abuse.

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 over 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. This additional resource will be of particular assistance to the HSE in driving forward the process of implementation of Children First .

The social work positions will be targeted at priority areas of the service having regard to an overall assessment of workload undertaken by the National Director and his team. The recruitment of the additional social workers is one element of a wider reform agenda within the HSE, through which I believe we can deliver better outcomes for children and families. This reform agenda will lead to the establishment of a new Child and Family Support Agency which will provide a dedicated focus on child protection and will support families in need.

It should also be emphasised that the grade of social worker is currently exempt from the moratorium on recruitment and filling of vacancies. The HSE is therefore free to fill social worker vacancies as they arise and within available resources.

It must be pointed out that necessary and appropriate social services cannot be provided in the absence of knowledge about need. We must recognise that child abuse takes many forms and occurs in many settings, including the home. In this context there is a wider societal duty to report suspected child abuse. Anyone with child abuse concerns or information should not hesitate to come forward and assist the HSE and An Garda Síochána in their respective roles in carrying out their work to protect children.

An Garda Síochána have powers under the Child Care Act, 1991 to take children at risk to a place of safety. They also have extensive investigatory powers. I am working closely with my colleague the Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence on a range of legislative measures designed to both strengthen child protection and ensure that those brought before the courts on abuse charges are subject to the full rigour of the law.

The Government is progressing a range of measures which will serve 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, whether within or outside the family, is strongly and decisively tackled, and that children are properly safeguarded. The various enhancements under way, coupled with the establishment of a dedicated Child and Family Support Agency, will be of considerable help in achieving this objective.