Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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17. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the degree to which she is satisfied that children's support and welfare services are adequately geared and focused to deal with all situations that arise quickly and effectively when brought to the attention of the authorities; if specific issues have emerged in the past which might indicate otherwise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38005/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I am satisfied that children’s support, welfare and protection services are geared towards and focused on dealing with the situations brought to the attention of the authorities, because we have a national agency dedicated to doing just that.

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, was established in 2014 to bring the exact focus that the Deputy is talking about to the welfare and protection issues affecting children and their families.

All urgent and emergency cases receive immediate attention by the local duty social work team. Other cases are screened as they arrive into Tusla and are referred to family support services or dealt with by child protection teams, as needed.

I am very aware of cases awaiting allocation to a dedicated social worker. These cases are given appropriate attention by the duty team, which can include checking with professionals who see the child regularly, or visiting the child and family at home, getting additional information about the child's situation and in some instances, where a child is in care, organising a Care Plan Review and visiting the child.

The Deputy may be aware that this week is Tusla's Child and Family Support Week. Tusla aims to provide information and raise awareness of the support services that are provided to parents, children, young people and communities right across Ireland. I urge everyone to familiarise themselves with the services in their area, and to look out for the events scheduled throughout the week.

It is important that Tusla works in an open, transparent way, and their child protection and welfare function is subject to scrutiny against standards. Tusla is inspected internally, by the Health Information and Quality Authority, and specific cases are referred to the National Review Panel.

The transition to a single national agency responsible for the welfare and protection of children has not always been easy and much work remains to be done. Challenges are ongoing in respect of the recruitment and retention of staff, the integration of key services for children and families and the vital cross agency working that allows for quick and effective responses to all the situations referred to or dealt with by Tusla.