Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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462. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which adequate reporting facilities are available in respect of children at risk; if augmentation of such services is required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31665/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, implemented a national information system, the National Childcare Information System (NCCIS) in 2018. This system has improved the quality, safety, responsiveness and delivery of child protection services by supporting social workers in their practice, and capturing critical data on children who are the subject of a child protection or welfare referral. This information service allows for the provision of a timely, robust and effective information that captures details of screening, preliminary enquiries, assessments (initial or other) and case notes. As part of the implementation of the NCCIS the IT equipment for staff was upgraded and made fit for purpose.

Managers at local, area, regional and national level can now access real time data on the management of referrals and open cases, and can indemnify, at an early stage anomalies in service delivery.

Tusla has a Data and Analytics team and a Quality and Assurance Team. These teams produces monthly, quarterly and annual reports in respect of Tusla's functions, including detailed reporting on child safety and protection services. These reports are published on Tusla's website. Tusla also reports regularly on children in care, their placement type, care status, allocation of social workers and other relevant areas. These reports are reviewed by Officials and inform performance oversight including staffing and resource challenges. Officials from my Department meet Tusla management on a regular basis to review the level of service provision, including areas in need of improvement. The reports are also available to HIQA to inform their monitoring responsibilities.

Tusla have also introduced an online data hub where other agencies, researchers and the public can access aggregated non-personal information that Tusla produces. Tusla's Quality and Assurance team and their Data and Analytics team look at the metrics being produced, the work underway in Tusla and continually explore additional options for expanding or improving reporting.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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463. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to co-ordinate support services in respect of children at risk in order to ensure an adequate and readily available services in all instances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31666/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Thank you Deputy for your question. Proper coordination of service provision to children at risk is a core component of the response to risk mitigation and care for these children. The Child and Family Agency Tusla plays a significant role in the coordination of services.

In 2017 Tusla adopted the national approach to practice, Signs of Safety, which applies to intra-familial child protection and welfare cases whereby Tusla work closely with parents and extended family, around the alleged risk and harm posed to children. Safety Plans are formulated with parents, children and the safety network around them, to mitigate such risk and harm. The Signs of Safety approach is relationship based with a focus on safety and is supported by evidence in child protection practice.

The Prevention, Partnership and Family Support (PPFS) is another programme that Tusla developed to ensure coordinated supports at a preventive level. The aim of the programme is to prevent risks to children and young people arising or escalating by enabling Tusla and partner organisations to engage effectively at an early stage.

Within the PPFS programme Tusla has developed the Meitheal approach to help children where they may need the support of more than one service. Meitheal is a case co-ordination process which families may agree to agencies sharing information in order to provide a better coordinated service.

Tusla social workers work with their colleagues in the Tusla Education Support Services to align provision to maximise supports for children at risk of educational disadvantage.

Children First outlines the Joint Working Protocol between Tusla and An Garda Síochána. Each agency manages the responsibility within its brief and their joint efforts are designed to ensure that the protection and welfare of children receives priority attention. A Liaison Team oversees the interagency relationship between An Garda Síochána and Tusla, ensuring communication is maintained and that each reported child protection and welfare concern receives an appropriate response.

As a critical service provider of essential frontline services for children and families, Tusla has been focused on ensuring continuity of supports and services while also balancing the needs and best interests of the child with public health advice to keep children, families and frontline staff as safe as possible during the pandemic. As the current public health crisis evolves, Tusla will continue to provide a service.