Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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18. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the required legislation for the establishment of the new child and family agency will be published in early July and will commence its address in the Dáil before the impending summer recess; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32585/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Following a Government decision on the Heads of Child and Family Agency Bill in November last, work on the drafting of the Bill has been progressing in conjunction with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel and is at an advanced stage of preparation.

The establishment of the Child and Family Agency is central to the Government's reform programme in respect of child and family services. From its establishment the Agency will have service responsibility for Child welfare and protection services currently operated by the HSE including family support and alternative care services; Child and family-related services for which the HSE currently has responsibility including preschool inspections and domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services; The Family Support Agency which currently operates as a separate body under the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and will be merged into the new Agency; The National Educational Welfare Board which also currently operates as a separate body under the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and will be merged into the new Agency; Community-based psychology services (this does not encompass psychologists operating within acute, disability, mental health or other specialist settings).

The Child and Family Agency Bill will largely focus on the technical task of bringing together the functions of the three “source” agencies (the HSE, the Family Support Agency and the National Educational Welfare Board). Particular care is required in respect of the disaggregation of the functions from the HSE to ensure that there are no unintended consequences (for either the Agency or the Directorates remaining within the HSE framework) in the separation of functions, either in legal terms, or in terms of the practical operation of day-to-day services for children and their families or HSE clients across the life cycle.

A key task in drafting the legislation is to ensure that the Agency operates within a strong framework of public accountability. Other important features of the legislation relate to the need to create the correct platform for inter-agency arrangements, shared service arrangements and a robust process for the commissioning of services from a range of providers.

It is my intention to introduce the Bill to the Houses of the Oireachtas in this current session. When enacted the legislation will allow the Agency to assume full statutory responsibility for services for children and families, and to bring further cohesion to how these essential services are delivered.