Written answers

Thursday, 19 September 2013

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Child Protection Services

Photo of Niall CollinsNiall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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8. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she is satisfied that there are adequate supports in place for social workers in child welfare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38701/13]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The provision of appropriate training and support for social work staff is a matter of critical importance to ensuring quality and capacity in child protection and welfare services, in particular given the challenging environments within which social workers operate.

As Minister, I have overseen the introduction, for the first time, of new National Standard for child protection and welfare services and the commencement of independent inspections by HIQA. The first inspection report, along with recent inspection reports into fostering services have indicated the pressures faced by social work staff and need for ongoing training, support and supervision.

In 2012, of the part of the ongoing reform programme, HSE Children and Family Services established a national structure to manage the work of Workforce Development. This has provided, for the first time, a common national approach to ensuring consistency and quality assurance.

As part of this systematic training needs analysis has being undertaken and a National Training Plan has been prepared. In accordance with this a prioritised programme of standardised training courses and complementary training modules is now being provided nationwide. Further specific courses have also been introduced to support the implementation of the Staff Supervision Policy 2013.

Social workers are also assisted in their work by team leaders, principal social workers and other levels of management. There is also a range of guidance available to social workers, most recently the very comprehensive HSE Child Protection and Welfare Practice Handbook.

An induction process involving full briefing and introduction of new staff under the supervision of line management has been introduced within the HSE. As well as the ongoing filling of replacement posts some 270 additional social worker posts have been filled as part of the implementation plan in response to the recommendations of the Ryan Report.

In addition, the Health and Social Care Professionals Act, 2005 provided for the establishment of a Social Workers Registration Board, which was appointed in 2010. One of the functions of the Board is to set and enforce standards of education and training for the purposes of registration. These standards were developed in consultation with relevant stake-holders including employers, professional bodies, education and public representatives.

The Act makes provision for:

- the approval of education and training programmes

- the monitoring of continuing suitability of education and training programmes.

The object of the Social Work Registration Board is to protect the public by fostering high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training and competence among social work registrants. The registration requirements will include a Continual Professional Development element and my officials will continue to liaise with the Health and Social Care Professionals Council (CORU), regarding emerging needs and priorities in this regard.

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