Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1946. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to the HIQA inspection report of 12 June 2017 into foster care services in counties Louth and Meath the actions that have been taken to address the concerns raised in the report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28564/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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As part of its 2017 Monitoring programme, the Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA) are conducting thematic inspections across 17 Tusla service areas, focusing on the recruitment, assessment, approval, supervision and review of foster carers. These inspections cover eight standards in the National Standards for Foster Care and inspections are announced in advance. The inspection report referred to by the Deputy found that of the eight standards assessed during the inspection, one standard was fully compliant, six were substantially compliant, and one was found to be non-compliant (major). Prior to publishing the inspection report HIQA provided Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, with an opportunity to develop an Action Plan addressing the findings of the report and the Action Plan has been published with the Report. The plan provides details and timelines for the implementation of specific actions to address the concerns raised in the report.

The standard that HIQA found was non-compliant (major) way related to formal reviews of foster carers. The HIQA inspection found that over half of foster carers had not had a formal foster carer review for more than three years and that recommendations from reviews were not consistently implemented in a timely manner

The following actions have been or will be undertaken to address the issues identified, with an indicative timeline provided.

1. A comprehensive schedule of foster care reviews has been devised to ensure that all foster carers are formally reviewed by March 2018. This schedule will be reviewed at the Quality Assurance & Oversight Group which is chaired by the Area Manager.(From March 2018).

2. The Foster Care Committee (FCC) will have an increased role in the oversight of foster care reviews. The schedule of formal reviews has been provided to the FCC chair who will monitor the outcome of reviews.

3. The review schedule will be carefully monitored by the Principal Social Worker (PSW) and the Area Manager, and a tracking mechanism is now in place on the foster care register with regard to current and future foster carers. The implementation of recommendations will be tracked by team leader duty supervision of link social workers and delays in progressing recommendations will be brought to the notice of the PSW and Area Manager (from April 2017).

4. Tusla's Audit Group, commenced in January 2017, will continue to undertake general and themed audits. A themed audit, to be undertaken in October 2017 will focus on implementation of review recommendations.(From 31st October 2017)