Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

232. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the further progress that has been made in implementing the recommendations of the report of the Independent Child Death Review Group since her replies of 28/03/2013 and 18/07/2013; the total number of social workers employed in Children and Family Support Services at present, and this number for each of the past five years; if and when the independent reviews into child deaths referred to by her will be published and if not, the reason for same; when the final progress report of the Ryan Report Implementation Plan will be brought before the Oireachtas; the number of young persons currently in receipt of aftercare services; her plan for developing legislation to strengthen the provision of aftercare; if she will provide details of all cuts to child care and aftercare services that have been implemented in recent years, or any restrictions of services forced by economic necessity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40138/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has raised a number of separate issues which I will deal with individually.

In relation to the Independent Child Death Review Group (ICDRG), the Deputy will be aware that when I published the report of the group, I accepted that action in the areas identified was required. The necessary actions are being implemented in the context of the Government's reform programme for children's services. The integrated delivery of these reforms will ensure that responses to many of the ICDRG recommendations will be mainstreamed into the work programme of the new Child and Family Agency. HSE Children and Family Services are proactively planning, and will publish as part of the service planning process, specific actions to continue to improve the quality of its services and to address the recommendations highlighted in ICDRG report. The development of a quality assurance framework for social work services will be an integral part of the progress which is being made in this regard.

In relation to the numbers of social workers employed in Children and Family Services in the HSE, the latest HSE employment census indicates that the number of whole-time equivalent (WTE) social workers employed in the HSE Children and Families service area was 1,405.53 at the end of July 2013. The census numbers reflect the outcome of a process of re-classification of social workers within the HSE into individual care groups, including Children and Families, to support the process of establishing the new 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.

In the context of the current budgetary restriction across the public sector and within the HSE there is a general pause on all recruitment including those grades included in the list of specified grades with delegated sanction from the general moratorium on recruitment and promotion within the public service. However due to the importance of child welfare and protection responsibilities every effort is made to maintain staffing levels. In this regard for Children and Family Services a National Employment Control Group has been established to consider all vacancies as they arise. This situation is under constant review. In the event of a change of staffing in the management of particular cases normal procedures are followed to ensure that all files and records are up to date and that there is a process of full briefing and introduction for new staff under the supervision of line management. Statutory child care Regulations and Standards are followed in all circumstances to ensure the best welfare of the child(ren).

As regards the publication of independent reviews into child deaths, I am informed by the HSE that seven review reports have been submitted for publication. These will be published in the next month together with the Child Death Review Panel's Annual reports for 2011 and 2012, outlining in detail the work referred to and completed by the panel.

In relation to the fourth and final progress report on Ryan Report Implementation Plan, this will be published on schedule before the end of 2013

On the matter of aftercare, Section 45 of the Childcare Act 1991 places a statutory duty on the HSE to form a view in relation to each person leaving care as to whether there is a "need for assistance" and if it forms such a view to provide services in accordance with the section and subject to resources. All young people who have had a care history with the HSE are entitled to an Aftercare Service. The extent as to what is provided is based on assessment of need, age and the length of time the young person was in care. Good practice clearly indicates that where a young person needs to be in care, they should remain in their placement until they are ready to leave. Preparation for leaving care is an integral part of the care placement and is introduced formally to young people usually at 16 years of age. This preparation, determined by a comprehensive needs assessment, sets out a process of targeted and structured support to enable the young person to make a smooth transition from statutory care to independent living, where appropriate. Data in regard to the number of children who left Care on reaching their eighteenth birthday began to be collected in 2012. Similar data was not collected for previous years. The number of young adults aged 18 to 20 (inclusive) in receipt of an aftercare service on the last day of the reporting period at 31.03.2013 was 1,149.

The Deputy will be aware that I am currently examining options, in association with the Attorney General, to strengthen legislation regarding the provision of aftercare. I have recently held round-table discussions with HSE, service providers, advocates and the voluntary sector in relation to the recent improvements in aftercare service delivery and the proposed legislative change. My officials have met with their counterparts in Northern Ireland to discuss the nature and impact of the strengthening of aftercare legislatively in Northern Ireland and issues to do with service provision. The Deputy will be aware that I had previously indicated my intention to bring forward legislative amendments in the legislation to establish the Child and Family Agency, and this remains my focus.

In relation to the Deputy's final query around cuts, it is self evident that reductions in budgets in recent years have provided challenges for Children and Family Services management. The priority has been to continue to deliver the maximum level of safe statutory services possible within available resources. The key areas of service provision are as follows: promoting the welfare of children who are not receiving adequate care and protection; providing a wide range of Care services for children requiring care and protection; providing for the provision of a range of family support services, including by voluntary bodies and other persons and providing a range of adoption services.

In responding to this challenging budgetary environment Children and Family Services has, where possible, identified the impact of pre-existing and future risks on delivering the planned service levels outlined in Service Plans while continuing to operate within its budget. The priority has been in all areas of statutory responsibility to maintain, and in some service areas, to increase service levels. Some examples of this increase in service delivery are: Between 2009- 2012 there has been an increase of 44.27% in the number of foster families from 2,959 to 4,269; between 2009 - 2012 child abuse referrals have increased by 58%; between 2009 - 2012 the number of children in Care has increased by 11.5%. There has been a significant increase in the provision of Aftercare services.

In conclusion, I would state that the Government is currently engaged in the most ambitious programme of reform of services to children and families ever undertaken. The central element of this programme is the establishment of the new Child & Family Agency. However, it should be noted that even ahead of the formal establishment of the Agency there is a significant level of work already underway to reform child and family services. The 'change management programme' being developed by the senior management team of the new Agency involves over 100 individual reform projects which will introduce operational improvement to the services for which the Agency will be responsible. Some of the specific initiatives included in this change management programme include reorganisation of residential care centres into a national service under a single national manager; ongoing measures to specify child welfare and protection referral pathways and ensure consistency in the management of referrals; review of caseloads; reforming the interface with the courts system; ongoing support for implementation of Children First; reform of data management including additional performance information and the introduction of a National Child Care Information System; and new internal structures and processes to improve quality assurance.