Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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147. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the progress to date in having social workers available to meet with families out of hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39804/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, provides a range of services aimed at addressing emergency situations in the area of child welfare and protection. In the main, these emergency situations arise out of hours.

At present, out-of-hours emergency services for children at risk in the greater Dublin area are provided by Tusla through the Crisis Intervention Service (CIS). The remit of the service is to respond to crisis situations in which a child or young person requires immediate placement either due to child protection concerns or accommodation issues. The service is delivered by Tusla's social work service.

Outside the greater Dublin area, a more limited Emergency Place of Safety Service (EPSS) is provided for the Agency under a commercial arrangement by Five Rivers Ireland. Under Section 12 of the Child Care Act, 1991, a member of An Garda Síochána may remove a child to a place of safety where they have reasonable grounds for believing that there is an immediate risk to the health or welfare of a child. Under the EPSS, An Garda Síochána can access an emergency placement for such children found to be at risk out of hours. The child is placed in a family setting until the following working day, when the local social work service assumes responsibility for the case. The intention is to expand this service so that An Garda Síochána can consult with a social worker out of hours. This is presently not the case outside the greater Dublin area.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that Tusla has confirmed that it is commencing the Emergency Out of Hours Service (EOHS) later this month. The EOHS will incorporate the existing Emergency Place of Safety Service. The key objective of the service is to co-operate with and support An Garda Síochána in the execution of their duties and responsibilities under Section 12(3) of the Child Care Act, 1991 and referrals made under Section 8.5 of the Refugee Act, 1996.

The EOHS will provide the following services:

- A national EOHS Call Centre providing Social Work consultation and advice to the Garda Síochána;

- Placements for children under Section 12(3) of the Child Care Act, 1991 provided on contract by an external contractor;

- Placements for children referred under Section 8.5 of the Refugee Act, 1996;

- Access by An Garda Síochána to a local On-call Social Worker.

Tusla and An Garda Síochána are the key agencies empowered by law to protect and promote the welfare of children and they have separate yet complementary roles. Mutual understanding and co-operation is essential in ensuring that these roles are carried out effectively and in a child centered manner.

The protection of children in emergency situations outside normal working hours requires close joint working between the agencies. It is important that children in these circumstances can be brought to an appropriate placement which in most cases will be a family setting. The aim of the EOHS will be to ensure that the disruption and suffering to which children may be exposed in these situations is minimised and the rights of parents and guardians are respected. The introduction of the EOHS will assist in maximising inter-agency co-operation and promoting the safety and welfare of children.