John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of additional social workers for children that will be appointed in 2013; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56683/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The HSE has made considerable progress over recent years in recruiting additional social workers, with over 260 social workers recruited under the Ryan Implementation Plan at end 2011.

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 Child and Family Support Agency in early 2013. Consequently the number of social workers assigned to the Children and Families Service area is subject to change as the mapping/classification of posts into care groups will continue to be further refined between now and the establishment of the new agency. Once the Agency is established, the Chief Executive designate, Gordon Jeyes, will have the discretion to fill vacant posts across all grades, including social workers, taking account of identified need and subject to services being delivered within available resources.