Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

594. To ask the Minister for Health the rationale for the 'in loco parentis' rule in place for families availing of home nursing care; if he intends to abolish this rule; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57388/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I have been advised by the HSE that they are not currently implementing the ‘in loco parentis’ rule for families availing of Paediatric Homecare Packages.

Following a National Quality Assurance Initiative (NQAI) to review current service delivery models for Children with Complex Healthcare Needs, a Planned Parental Absence Guideline was developed. This included a review of the evidence available relating to this issue in Ireland and the UK, along with feedback from both parents and HSE Directors of Public Health Nursing on the restrictive nature of the ‘in loco parentis’rule and the difficulties enforcing that rule.

The Planned Parental Absence Guideline was implemented across all Community Healthcare Organisations (CHOs) when the NQAI report was published in December 2021. It is now the national standard of care across all Paediatric Homecare Packages.

Planned parental absences are to facilitate parents to carry out regular daily tasks, for example, collection of other children from school or grocery shopping hospital appointments. This Guideline provides a framework for the occasions where a parent is availing of a planned absence.

The parent continues as the principal care givers for these children at home with the support of nursing care, however planned absence can be agreed at the initiation or review of a Paediatric Homecare Package.

All families in receipt of care provided through Paediatric Homecare Packages can avail of the Planned Parental Absence process, and the Guideline is relevant for families parenting alone, or as a couple. However, it is important to note that the HSE advise that consideration and application of same will be led by the clinical needs of the child, individual family dynamics and be subject to controls in place to minimise and manage risk as set out in the Guideline.