Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

27. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will advise the facts on social worker provision for children in foster care and children in other care settings across the regions; the steps he is taking to ensure that all children in care have a designated social worker; when he expects the position to be resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35743/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Child and Family Agency compiles monthly performance reports which include statistics in relation to children in care. These reports are published on the Agency's website. The report for July 2014 shows that 6,062 of the 6,466 children in care had an allocated social worker and 5,854 had an up to date written care plan. 6,000 children were in foster care, 5,609 of whom had an allocated social worker and 5,434 had a written care plan.

The Agency has stated that it is their policy to ensure that all children in care have a Care Plan and that the Care Plan is reviewed as required by the Child Care Regulations. The Agency has advised me that day to day exigencies of service provision, such as staff absence due to annual, maternity and sick leave, can impact on services. The Agency further advised that there may be circumstances in which local decisions are made in regard to work planning within the context of service priorities, such as child protection workloads within an area or staff availability. In these circumstances, it may be determined that a ‘child in care review’ can be deferred for a short period. Such a decision will be made on the basis of risk assessment and would apply to particularly stable care placements. Special Care, High Support, Residential care and short term foster care are all prioritised for an allocated social worker. Ongoing provision of social work to children and foster families is ensured in these circumstances.

The Agency is in receipt of funding of €6.7m this year to alleviate identified service pressures and to support the continuing implementation of the reform programme across children and family services.

This funding is being targeted at a number of areas, including the replacement of staff on maternity leave by way of a 12 month temporary contract. Latest figures indicate that at the end of August, 164 staff were on maternity leave, 82 of whom were social workers. The Agency is also finalising proposals for the introduction of a guaranteed and protected one year induction programme for newly qualified social workers.

The Agency recruited 106 social workers up to the end of August this year and a further 148 posts are at various stages of recruitment.

The initiatives described above are designed to assist the Agency in responding to identified service pressures and to provide for a targeted response to such pressures, taking account of identified need and available resources.