Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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202. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which a staff augmentation has been undertaken throughout the front-line services under the aegis of her Department over the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38245/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that this is an operational matter with regard to workforce planning for the two agencies within my remit that provide frontline services, namely Tusla and Oberstown Children Detention Campus.

I am advised by Tusla and Oberstown respectively, that their Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) staffing numbers from 2015 - 31st July 2018, the most recent numbers available, are as follows:

Tusla has informed me that the vast majority of the 3778 whole time equivalent (WTE) staff focus on responding to the needs of children and families at risk. I am aware of the need for Tusla to increase Social Worker numbers, and other support personnel, to ensure the continuation of this cohesive service to children and families. Significant additional pay provision has been provided by my Department to Tusla, since its establishment in 2014, for the recruitment of staff, particularly Senior Social Work Practitioners, social workers, social care workers and administrative staff.

Tusla is operating in a difficult recruitment environment however, its in-house recruitment function, Tusla Recruit, has been very proactive in targeting social work graduate streams and has also created panels for the majority of the Agency's grades and will continue with plans to provide panels for all grades and supplement panels in 2018/2019.

I am further advised by Tusla that with the current available staff, all urgent and emergency cases are dealt with immediately.

As additional streams of work emerge, it is inevitable that temporary staffing shortfalls may occur and I am assured that these are remedied at the earliest opportunity. In this context, Tusla has advised me that it currently engages 179 agency social workers to ensure continuity of service.