Written answers

Thursday, 24 October 2013

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Child Abuse Issues

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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220. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of reports to social work departments of which sexual abuse was a component in 2010, 2011, and 2012; the number that received therapeutic care from the Health Service Executive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45520/13]

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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221. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason that while the Health Service Executive records 600 different metrics of childcare it does not record the number of children who disclose sexual abuse each year that receive therapeutic care from the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45521/13]

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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222. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason the Health Service Executive does not separately record the numbers of children making disclosures of sexual abuse; her plans to rectify same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45522/13]

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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223. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in the number of cases dealt with by social work departments where sexual abuse was a component, if those cases were assessed by a multi-disciplinary team; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45523/13]

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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224. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in the number of cases dealt with by social work departments where sexual abuse was a component was it recommended that a parent not be allowed to make any further disclosures of abuse to the Health Service Executive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45524/13]

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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225. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide in tabular form the number of cases dealt with by social work departments in 2010, 2011 and 2012 where sexual abuse was a component, if it was alleged that the child was being abused by a parent, by a relative, by a neighbour, by a teacher, or by any category of persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45525/13]

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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226. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide in tabular form the number of cases dealt with by social work departments between 2005 and 2012 where sexual abuse was a component and a parent was the alleged abuser; if the Health Service Executive recommended that the parent be denied access to the child, be allowed supervised access or be allowed unsupervised access; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45526/13]

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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227. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in the number of cases dealt with by social work departments where sexual abuse was a component, if the Health Service Executive relied on the reports of psychologists not in the direct employment of the Health Service Executive when assessing those cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45527/13]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 220 to 227, inclusive, together.

The available information on reports of sexual abuse to social work departments was provided in my reply to the Deputy dated 16 October last. The number of reports in each of the years requested by the Deputy is set out below in Table 1.

Table 1. No. of sexual abuse reports.

Category 201020112012
Reported 2,6923,326Data not yet available

The compilation of significantly more detailed breakdowns of referral data, such as that requested by the Deputy, while desirable, must be considered in the context of the significant resources which would be required to be diverted from front line service to compile such data and the inherent complexity of child welfare and protection cases. In relation to resources, the focus of the HSE is necessarily on working directly with children and families and compiling such key national information as is required to monitor service delivery and inform policy at the highest level. The issue of complexity in child protection cases is an important consideration as referral statistics are compiled on basis of primary type of abuse at point of referral. It is common in confirmed cases of abuse for multiple types of abuse to emerge. Referral statistics only capture the primary cause for referrals. I would stress that the focus of Child Protection Services in all cases is risk assessment and service provision, including therapy, to individual children. In this regard, all of the information highlighted by the Deputy would be captured at individual child level on individual case files to inform the handling of the case.

The purpose of management information for Children and Family Services is to know how well it is performing against its aims and objectives. This is essential in developing strategies and policies to meet the Agency's aims; to identify what policies and processes work and why they work; to assist tactical and operational managers in comparing their performance against targets, other Areas and over time; to provide accountability externally to service users, the public, the Government and other external stakeholders.

Data collected by Children and Family Services is either in the form of Performance Measures which are items that are relatively unambiguously counted (e.g. number of children, their age, number of child protection plans), or Performance Indicators which are configurations of performance measures which demonstrate the direction of travel in relation to a desired objective (e.g. percentage of children in care with a written care plan, percentage of children in care who have had three or more placement moves in the last 12 months, percentage of initial assessments which took place within 21 days of a referral). Performance measures and Performance Indicators inform the measurement of progress against targets set in annual Service Plans.

The total set of Children and Family Services data metrics is regularly reviewed to ensure that total information needs are being met. Decisions in regard to the addition of new metrics are considered in the context of the purposes set out above. A review of the Performance Indicators and metrics is currently underway in HSE Children and Family Services with a view to focusing on outcomes rather than solely on activity. It is acknowledged that there is scope to improve the range of data currently collected. My Department is engaged with Children and Family services in relation to improving the range of data available at the policy level in the context of the establishment of the new Children and Family Agency and the implementation of the new National Child Care Information System. These discussions will have regard to the balance required to be struck between directly working with child and family, and the need to focus on key data that will support the management of services at all levels and inform policy development. The availability and use of meaningful and accurate management data informing policy and legislative development will, in turn, drive the accuracy and timeliness of the data gathered. Further, the Children and Family Agency Bill sets out a framework for performance management which is designed to provide a context for the next evolution of performance monitoring in children and family services.

In regard to the Deputy's query relating to cases dealt with by social work departments where sexual abuse was a component the HSE has informed me that it would be an extremely unusual circumstance in which it would be recommended that a parent would not be allowed to make any further disclosures of abuse. In relation to cases dealt with by social work departments where sexual abuse was a component the reports of psychologists not in the direct employment of the Health Service Executive may be accessed in some circumstances in assessing those cases as follows:

In cases where a criminal investigation is being pursued and the credibility of the allegation was not established through the joint specialist interview with an Garda Síochána, a further assessment may be required to determine credibility and therapeutic needs following the joint interview. These assessments are provided by specialist Centres at St Louise's, St Claire's, the Waterford Community Child Centre at the Waterford Regional Hospital and the Family Centre at St Finbarr's Hospital Cork and by community based Children and Family Services staff.

In cases where a criminal investigation is not being pursued an assessment may be required to determine credibility and therapeutic needs these assessments are normally provided by specialist Centre's and by community based Children and Family Services staff. Psychologists based at St Louise's and St Clare's Centres are not in the direct employment of the HSE. There may also be some limited circumstances where the needs of an individual child will best be met through the services of a private practitioner psychologist.

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