Written answers

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Child and Family Agency Expenditure

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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868. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 255 of 12 June 2014, if he will provide in detail the expenses claimed by members of staff attending the Health Service Executive child care conferences; his views on the number of staff attending these conferences; and the section of the HSE to which they are affiliated. [29277/14]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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A child protection conference (sometimes called a case conference) is a formal meeting that the Child and Family Agency hold if it has major concerns about a child. The Agency decides on the professionals and individuals invited to the conference and may include the Social Worker, the Principal Social Worker, School Principal, Public Health Nurse, family Doctor, Gardaí and any other professional who knows the child and/or has been involved with the child. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the parents will be invited to attend.

The purpose of the case conference is to decide on whether the child needs to be taken into Care (on a voluntary basis or by Care Order), where the child should live while in care; the contact the child can have with their family and if the child can return home. It is crucial that a variety of professionals attend the case conference given the complexity and significance of all decisions made.

Where a child is in the care of the Agency, the Agency will, in accordance with Regulations, review the child’s circumstances. The review will examine how the current placement is meeting the child’s needs and any health, mental health and educational needs. Similarly, the Agency will invite the professionals and other individuals, for example, the foster carers who have been involved with the child, to the case review. Where the child is old enough they will also be invited to the review. Again, given the importance of any decision made regarding the child’s care and future, it is imperative that this is informed by the diverse range of people involved in the child’s care and life.

In relation to the section of the HSE that conferences are affiliated with, it would appear that the Deputy is referring to Child and Family Agency which was established on 1 January 2014 and has responsibility for child protection, family support and other key children’s services. The expenses claimed by staff members who attend conferences are in accordance with the National Financial Regulations noted in the Parliamentary Question No. 255 of 12 June 2014. It is not possible to provide the Deputy with the detail requested. I am satisfied with the thorough process and welcome the attendance of professionals involved in the child’s life and care to assist in the decision making for the future of such children who may need the care, protection and support of the State.

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