Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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48. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the progress in relation to providing 24 hour access to social work services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50184/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I would like to take this opportunity to highlight my commitment to ensuring that a quality 24-hour emergency social work service is available across the country. I am pleased to have secured funding for Tusla to establish this service. In my performance statement for Tusla's 2018 business plan preparations, I have asked that this important service is in place in early 2018.

Tusla has put in place a project team who are to re-organise services within an integrated national Tusla emergency service. This builds on the existing infrastructure. Key steps in the process are to put in place a national manager, have a single national contact number, provide social work advice and support on a 24 hour basis, and have a foster care service available for out of hours placements. This will also see an on-call social worker service being available to receive children removed by Gardaí under section 12, and accompany them to their identified placement. A project plan is to be developed by Tusla management.

At present, there is a 24 hour Emergency Out Of Hours phone service in place in all areas. There is a dedicated phone number for Gardaí and hospitals to access social work consultation out of hours. There are also social workers available out of hours in Cork, and in the Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare area, on a 24 hour, 7 day a week basis. Budget 2018 will enable Tusla to provide a greatly improved service, by integrating existing services, and ensuring the on-call availability of social workers throughout the country on a 24/7 basis for emergency cases. A project team has been established to implement the necessary changes.

Officials from my Department and Tusla recently visited a service that provides the out of hour supports in Northern Ireland. The service they provide differs from ours, as it is a wider service for children and adults, and is a contact point for statutory social work involvement in mental health services. It is aimed at urgent or emergency situations outside of normal office hours. This provides important lessons about access to a round the clock social work service.

In urgent situations, Gardaí must be present to access premises or to remove a child to a place of safety as social workers do not have such legal powers. For example, the decision to invoke section 12 of the Child Care Act 1991 can only be made by a member of the Garda Síochána. If a child in immediate danger, as with any other citizen, the correct course of action is to contact Gardaí without delay. Under the new emergency out of hours service, a social worker will be on-call to attend situations where a child has been removed by Gardaí as an emergency measure under section 12 of the Child Care Act.

The expanded Tusla Emergency Service will enable greater joint working between Gardaí and Tusla, which will create better outcomes and faster responses for children at immediate risk.