Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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233. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of family support workers employed by the Health Service Executive and their locations. [7201/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Family is the most important influence in a child's life. From birth, children depend on parents and family to protect them and provide for their needs. Sometimes parents need help, support and additional resources to do this. Family Support Services provide a flexible programme of interventions which are provided through a broad range of skilled personnel including Family Support Workers, Project Workers and Youth Workers. The 140.6 whole time equivalent Family Support Workers employed by the Child & Family Agency, TUSLA, are an important aspect of this multi-faceted service which supports parents, guardians and carers to sustain the care of their children within the home setting by engaging with them to meet their changing needs through the use of consultation, plans, reviews and feedback.

The Child & Family Agency has identified as a priority objective for 2014 the development of a strategy for Family Support to complement the Department of Children & Youth Affairs National Policy Framework. This will address the alignment of the Family Resource Centres with the overall Agency approach to prevention and early intervention. This work will compromise a quality review of the implementation of family support processes in each area as well as the integration of Family Resource Centres within the Service Delivery Framework by the end of this year.

I am pleased to set out below a breakdown of Family Support Workers in each location as requested.