Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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671. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding the Tusla feedback and complaints process, Tell Us; the stage the process is at in identifying and training complaints managers; if this process is now operational within Tusla; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21997/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency introduced its feedback and complaint policy, Tell Us: You Say, We Listen on September 5th, 2016. All complaints received by Tusla, from this date, are managed under the Tell Us policy.

Tusla has advised that its staff have been informed on the points of difference between Tell Us and the previous policy, Your Service Your Say, which was developed by the Health Service Executive (HSE), and used by Tusla while it was developing its own dedicated system. A programme of briefings is being conducted in order to develop awareness of Tell Us , and to clarify the need to apply the new policy and its procedures in the handling of complaints. These briefings are scheduled to continue until the end of August 2017. In this time, it is expected that over 4,000 Tusla staff members will be afforded the opportunity to attend the policy briefing sessions.

Tusla has also advised that dedicated training for Complaints Officers in complaint handling and management is scheduled to commence in Quarter 3, 2017. Staff designated as Complaints Officers will be required to attend this training.

Tusla has deemed that Principal Social Workers and equivalent grades should be considered as Complaints Officers and that Area Managers or managers at equivalent grades and above should be considered as Review Officers. Additional administrative staff are being put in place to support the complaints management function.

The Tell Us policy is available on the Tusla website: www.tusla.ie/about/feedback-and-complaints/tell-us-publications.