Written answers

Tuesday, 17 April 2018

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Child Protection Guidelines

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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1335. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the criteria by which Tusla social workers assess a child protection welfare concern that has been reported to the agency at the initial stage will be published; the criteria used to assess whether the concern should be given further examination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15182/18]

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Tusla's response to all reports of child welfare and protection is detailed in the Tusla Child Protection and Welfare Practice Handbook, which is available on the Tusla website (www.tusla.ie).  This covers both the immediate and initial areas of consideration and the various responses Tulsa offer to children and families to ensure child protection and welfare concerns receive the right response at the right time for the right reasons.

A child welfare concern can bea problem experienced directly by a child, or the family of a child, that is seen to impact negatively on the child's health, development and welfare, and that may need assessment and support, but is not presenting as child protection.

A child protection concern  arises when there are reasonable grounds for believing that a child may have been or is at risk of being physically, socially or emotionally abused or neglected.

The first consideration when receiving a referral is the immediate safety of the child. All referrals to the Social Work Service of Children and Family Services are screened on the day they are received irrespective of the source.

Upon receipt of a referral, the Duty Social Worker carries out preliminary enquiries to clarify the nature of the concern, records the personal details of the child and family, and checks the Social Work records for previous contact.

Unless the concern is resolved in the course of the referral process, an initial assessment is undertaken. This will include meeting the child and meeting the child’s parents, as well as contacting professionals involved in order to develop an understanding of the child and their circumstances. The purpose of the assessment is to reach a preliminary conclusion about unmet need and risk of harm in order to plan and provide an appropriate response.

Where, following initial assessment or at any other juncture in the child protection and welfare process, it is necessary to carry out a more specific or comprehensive analysis of a child‘s circumstances, a further assessment will be undertaken. Further assessment may be in the form of a core social work assessment or may be based on specialist assessment by an allied service – e.g. addiction services, child psychology or adult mental health.

When an initial assessment concludes that a child has unmet needs requiring Social Work intervention but the child is not at ongoing risk of significant harm, a Family Support Plan is agreed with the family and reviewed at intervals not exceeding 6 months. The Family Support Plan may be developed at a formal meeting or by informal contacts with the child, family and professionals involved.

Where, following initial assessment, the primary concern is physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse or neglect, and it is determined that a child is at ongoing risk of significant harm, the child protection process outlines the pathway that must be followed. Formal oversight of the safeguarding of this cohort of children by the Principal Social Worker for Children and Family Services is a crucial feature of the child protection process.

The criteria for a member of the public or a mandated person to consider a referral of a child protection or welfare concern is also detailed in Children First National Guidance and in Tusla's Children First Guide for the Reporting of Child Welfare and Protection Concerns. All these documents are accessible to the public through the Tusla website.

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