Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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780. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his response to HIQA’s report on Tusla’s Child Protection and Welfare Services in Cork. [42774/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Inspections, both by HIQA and Tusla’s Practice Assurance and Service Improvement team, identify effective service delivery, areas where improvement is required and emerging risks within services.

The recently published HIQA inspection report of Tusla Child Protection and Welfare Services in Corkincluded findings that:

- The service was not compliant with any of the standards inspected

- Staff shortages were a significant challenge for the area’s service delivery. Lack of social workers was a common theme in the inspection, and the impact of lack of resources was reflected in the area’s capacity to provide a service in line with standards.

- Despite staff shortages there was good practice within the service

- The majority of children and families who were asked about their experiences by the inspectors spoke positively and fairly about the social workers they met and the service they received

- Children and families said changing social workers and having several social workers was difficult for them

- Governance and oversight mechanisms within the area needed to improve

Tusla has put in place an action plan. This plan has been accepted by HIQA. The progress of the plan is being closely monitored by Tusla. My Department will continue to liaise with Tusla senior management regarding quality improvement and risk management in the Agency.

In 2019 my Department established the Social Work Education Group (SWEG), with key stakeholders from social work employers (including Tusla), the higher education sector and representative bodies. The goal of the group is to increase the number of social work graduates from Irish universities.

In March 2021, Tusla offered employment to all suitably qualified graduates. Following a recruitment process, 110 new graduates were offered roles within the Agency.

Following representations by the DCEDIY and other stakeholders to the IDG on Economic Migration, and the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment, social workers were removed from the ‘ineligible occupations list’. Social Workers from outside the EU/EEA are eligible to apply for an employment permit since June 2021.

Tusla has recruited two additional Social Work Team Leaders in the Cork area and is committed to continuous improvement in service delivery to children and families. My Department will continue to closely monitor progress in this area.