Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the anticipated number of social worker posts that will deal exclusively with children and family issues under the aegis of the Child and Family Support Agency, following its establishment as of 1 January 2013; the number currently in service with the Children and Families Service of the Health Service Executive; if and when a recruitment process will get underway to ensure the anticipated complement will be available to the new agency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46758/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The HSE compiles a monthly census of employment in the public health and social care sector. The most recent figures supplied by the HSE indicate that the number of WTE social workers employed in the Children and Families Service area of the HSE was 1,300 at the end of July 2012. The number of social workers employed in the Children and Families Service area at the end of February 2011 was 1231. The HSE has made considerable progress over recent years in recruiting additional social workers, with 260 social workers recruited under the Ryan Implementation Plan. The National Director of Children and Family Services, Gordon Jeyes, will continue to apply his discretion to the filling of social work vacancies, taking account of identified need and subject to services being delivered within available resources.

It is important to emphasise that work is ongoing within the HSE on the disaggregation of the Children and Families resource base from the HSE as part of the process of establishing the new Child and Family Support Agency next year. Consequently the number of social workers assigned to the Children and Families Service area will continue to be subject to change as the mapping/classification of posts into care groups is further refined between now and year end. Information regarding temporary and permanent contracts has been sought from the HSE. This information will be provided to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available.