Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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652. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of social workers currently employed by her Department; and if this figure is in line with previous commitments [36652/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Figures supplied by the HSE, from its census of employment in the public health and social care sector, indicate that the number of whole-time equivalent (WTE) social workers employed in the HSE Children and Families service area was 1,397 at the end of June 2013, which is the latest date for which figures are available.

The census numbers reflect the outcome of a process of re-classification of social workers within the HSE into various care groups, including children and families, as part of the process of establishing the Child and Family Agency. Consequently direct comparisons with social work numbers for previous years are not meaningful.

It should be noted that there are a variety of reasons for fluctuations in employment census figures at any given time, particularly as the employment census is based on a snapshot of staff who are on the payroll at the date of the census. Among the reasons for staff being removed from the payroll thereby causing changes in employment census numbers (aside from retirements and recruitment) are deaths, career breaks and other unpaid leave, resignations and unpaid sick leave.